Ant Farms
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Ant Farms--How to Keep the Ants Alive
Nov 2007Hi all, My daughter got an ant farm for her birthday. We ordered the ants, received them about 6 weeks later--most were still alive. We made up the sugar sand as described with the ant farm instructions, watered them everyday and put in a piece of cat food once per week. At first they were tunneling, but after 2 weeks the little guys weren't looking good and then the next week they all died. I don't want to order more if they aren't going to live very long. Does anyone have special ant farm secrets they can share? Thanks! Cindy
I am sure you will learn the same answer from many, many respondents - Ant colonies cannot survive without a queen. It is, in fact, illegal to ship queen ants through the mail. Ant farm ant colonies always die, and they die in a way that is heartbreaking to watch - They work hard to transport the bodies of their fallen comrades to the ''graveyard'' in the corner of the ant farm. Soon they are all dead except for one weak and dedicated lone ant whose final hours are spent carrying dead bodies. Then it will die alone. Fun, Huh? In all honesty, we did enjoy our ant farm while it lasted. You just need to be honest about what you're in for. anon