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    Insect Lore’s Ant Hill is a unique ant farm in that it is the first living ant habitat that is designed like a real ant’s home. The realistic double-sided viewing area that this product features together with its wide base for secured stability and escape proof locking lid, make this ant farm the one you will want for your children or class. There are lots of fun ant activities that come with the kit, thus providing you with constant fun and entertainment. The Ant Hill is fairly lightweight and compact making it a convenient and comfortably sized item to move around and store. The “hill” shaped ant farm is different than other ant farms in its shape as well, which also provides a more attractive appearance. With its rounded top, curved sides, and grass green bottom, this Ant Hill gives one the feeling of the outdoors being brought inside, without giving up on the ascetic and secure design of the container. Having a realistic looking ant farm makes the experience of observing ants all the more enjoyable and fulfilling. You are able to watch as these ants create series upon series of intricate tunnels. If you are looking for a real ant experience this is the ant farm for you. Insect Lore’s Ant Hill not only provides a safe and secure environment for the little critters, but is a fascinating object that is fun to observe as well. The ant farm serves as a sophisticated and creative learning tool for a variety of topics including science, biology, and team tactics and skills.

    Contents of the Ant Farm

    This item comes with an attractively designed container, an instructions booklet, fun ant activities, an ant certificate, and tunneling sand. The kit comes with enough sand for the ant farm to be used once but more sand can be ordered as well as more ants. Although the unique design of the Ant Hill is what mainly sets it apart from other ant farms, it is slightly disappointing. The container appears to be round, however there is only a front and a back to this ant farm. Additionally, what is appealing about this product, its attractive hill like design, cannot even be appreciated because the sand is located in the back. Basically if you want to watch the ants create tunnels, you will have to turn the ant hill around and look at the less aesthetic side of the ant farm.

    Ants

    The ants are not included but they can be sent for with the ant certificate that comes with the ant farm kit. The waiting period for receiving the ants depends on your location as well as the time of year. Ants cannot be shipped during all seasons. The best time for shipping ants is between April and October. Make sure not be away on vacation when the ants are supposed to arrive. Not all of the ants will necessarily survive the trip. It all depends on the weather and other conditions. If your ants arrive expired you can send for more, free of charge. All you need to pay for is the shipping and handling. You can also catch your own ants but those ants usually do not live as long, nor do they tunnel as well. This is for the simple reason that the ants found in your backyard are generally smaller. If you catch your own ants, wear gloves and do not touch them because they can bite or sting. You should by no means put the order-by-mail ants with the ants you found on your own because they will end up killing each other. Approximately 25 ants come in the tube that is sent to you but it is okay if not all of them arrive alive or if some expire right away. It will still be enough to start a colony. In fact, if there are less ants, they will be more active and dig more tunnels.

    Lifespan

    Once the ants arrive alive, they should live anywhere between two to four weeks. However, it all depends on how you care for the ants. In the wild, these ants are able to live up to a year. The order-by-mail ants tend to have a longer lifespan in the Ant Hill than the ants you catch in your yard. Without a queen, both the ordered harvester ants and the ants you catch cannot survive as well and as long as they normally would in nature.

    Ant Care

    In order to see the utmost results from your ant farm you need to make sure of a few things. For starters, the ant farm should be left in a safe place where children or animals will not mishandle it. Ants are after all tiny and fragile, so all it takes is one cave-in for a large percentage of the colony to be crushed. The temperature plays a huge part in the health of these ants, therefore maintaining a steady climate is crucial. The recommended temperature is between 65 and 75 degrees Farenheit. The Ant Hill should receive light but direct sunlight can kill the ants. It is easy to feed and water the ants in your Insect Lore Ant Hill. Just make sure to follow the instructions carefully. Too much food and water can harm the ants.

    Tips

    If the instructions that are included with this kit are followed fully you should see the best results from your Ant Hill. You will be able to enjoy watching the ants tunnel until it is their time to expire. That too is part of ants’ lives and should not be overlooked. With that said you can look forward to hosting a new colony in your very own Insect Lore Ant Hill when the season arrives. Before putting the ants into their new home, put them in the refrigerator for ten minutes or so, in order to slow them down. Otherwise the transfer can get messy and the ants may escape.

    Recommended Age

    Insect Lore’s Ant Hill is recommended for all ages. Anyone from age eight to ninety nine will enjoy this ant farm greatly. Children of all ages, teenagers, as well as adults will have fun watching as the tiny insects use their intelligent brains and strong bodies to create tunnels, roads, and bridges; working as a team all along.

    Product Dimensions

    11.8 x 6 x 9.8 inches; 1.5 pounds