Ant Farms Review

Ant farms have been around in one form or another since the 1930s. These fun little enclosures are still popular, although the traditional sand-filled kits have been somewhat overshadowed by often-glamorous, modernistic gel styles. Nonetheless, even the old-fashioned ant farms are still on the market. Whether you buy a classic sand ant farm or a modern gel unit, they are still great for teaching children about science and ecosystems while keeping kids captivated at the same time.

Ant farms come in handy for teachers when the curriculum calls for studying living things and their habitats. Parents also can make use of an ant farm at home when teachable moments arise and kids ask questions. Ants will keep adults interested as well as children because they are quite active: they dig tunnels, build bridges, consume food and liquids, remove waste from their living areas to a spot they designate for trash and much more.

Our review looks at the top ant farms on the market to help you decide which would be the best buy for your budding entomologist. For help with your purchase, take a look at our side-by-side comparisons and check our three top-ranked products: GeoSafari Ant Factory, Uncle Milton Giant Ant Farm and Fascinations AntWorks Illuminated Blue. You also can find more information about ants, their colonies and ant farms in general in our articles related to ant farms.

Ant Farms: What to Look For

Curious kids will want to learn why ants live the way they do. If parents are stumped for answers, both they and their children can learn more about ants by reading the printed materials and online features that accompany an ant farm. Make sure to buy a product from a company that takes education seriously.
Besides educational materials, many other factors will help you choose the best ant farm for your child. Size, build quality, price and extra features all play a role. We used the following criteria to rank the best ant farms:

Learning Tools
It is always helpful to know just what you will be getting with any purchase and ant farms are no exception. We describe what tools and accessories come with different ant farm kits, the medium in which the ants live and the tools, instructions and written materials provided to help educate children and adults all about ants. The best ant farms provide highly useful guides written for young pupils, but which are not too simple, so that even older students will be intrigued by ant habits and their colonies. You also will no doubt find it helpful if the manufacturer conveniently lists ant facts on its website.

Ants
What good is an ant farm without live ants? We examined the terms for buying ants, who supplies them (the kit manufacturer or a third party), if you can get free replacement ants if they all arrive dead with the first shipment. Ant farms are not for the faint of heart. Ants can live as long as three months in an ant farm, but often die much sooner. It is illegal to ship queen ants, which lay eggs, across state lines because it could upset the ecosystem elsewhere. Ant farms typically use female harvester ants, which do not reproduce. You need to order ants separately from the kit and sometimes they will all arrive dead; other times only a few are dead and the rest are fine. However, all the ants in the farm will die eventually since there is no reproduction, so this toy might not be the best gift for a very sensitive or very young child. Of course, you can collect ants from the outdoors and these might include a queen ant and males, which would result in eggs and then baby ants.

Product Features
It is always good to know what extras come with a product or what additional accessories you can buy if you choose. We list whether or not you can buy refill sand or gel, whether you can get new ants and if you can get more accessories, such as a magnifying glass, from the manufacturer. For the gel-filled ant farms, we also list if these come with an LED light and if you can buy a replacement light if the original finally dies.

Dimensions
In order to really observe your ant colony at work, it's important to have a clear view of the little critters as they scurry around going about their busy lives. It's also good to have an enclosed habitat for them that is not too big so it will fit nicely onto a desk or shelf, but also is not too small so you can easily see the ants. We list the dimensions to help you pick an ant farm kit that is just the right size for your home or classroom.

Help & Support
As with any product, it is always valuable to have some good support in the event that you have questions. We list the ways you can contact companies and information available on their websites.

Youngsters everywhere tend to be fascinated by bugs – even if they say they're grossed out by them – and undoubtedly would get hours of fun from a good quality ant farm. Buying an ant farm might turn out to be just the gift a child you know would find enchanting – and perhaps you'd like to watch it, too.

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