Amazing Ants

Title: Amazing Ants
Description: Learn all about how amazing ants are by creating your very own ant farm and observing their habits for yourself.
Season: spring/summer
Length of Activity: 30 minutes
Age: 5-12

Amazing Ants

Have you ever gone on a picnic in summer only to lay your blanket out on the grass, pull your sandwich from your basket and almost instantly be swarmed by ants?

They can be pretty pesky little critters, but they are also some of the most amazing insects in the world.

For example, did you know that an ant can lift, and carry, objects that are 20 to 50 times their own weight? That’d be like me lifting and carrying a piano all on my own!

Now, they might be strong, and their jaws are equally so, but because their jaws open from side to side they can’t actually swallow food. Instead they swallow the juices from the food they chew.

But these little guys are all brawn and no brains. With only 250,000 brain cells, it would take a colony of 40,000 ants to have the same size brain as a human.

Perhaps the most fascinating fun fact, however, isn’t found in their eating habits or their strength but in the way they build their underground cavernous homes.

That’s why today we are going to build our very own ant farm so that you can observe their construction skills for yourself.

Supplies and Tools needed:
One large mason jar with tiny holes poked in the lid
One small mason jar (small enough to fit inside the large jar)
A piece of fabric slightly larger than the mouth of the large mason jar
About 2 cups of dirt mixed with soil
Ants!

Getting started
Step 1: Put the smaller jar inside of the larger jar. Be sure to keep the lid on the smaller jar. This way, you’ll be able to see the ants working while they build tunnels on the outer edge.

Step 2: Make a soil-and-sand mixture. Dig up enough dirt to fill the extra space in your jar. It’s best to mix 2 parts dirt with 1 part sand (less if your dirt is naturally sandy). This mixture stays moist and allows the ants to dig and tunnel.

Step 3: Fill the space between the large and small mason jars with the dirt mixture. Make sure the dirt is loose so the ants will be able to move around. Leave about 1 inch of empty space at the top of the jar.

Step 4: Collect your ants! Look for anthills, making sure before you collect the ants that aren’t fire ants. These are the red ants and they certainly do hurt. Ouch! About 20 ants will be a good number to get your ant farm started. You can put them in a separate, sealed container for safekeeping until you’re ready to put them in your ant farm.

Step 5: Carefully place your ants into your ant farm. (You should do this outside just in case you drop a few ants in the process.)

Step 6: Cover the jar with a piece of fabric and screw on the lid with the tiny holes.

Step 7: Watch your ants tunnel their way around the jar! Feed them once a week by putting a few drops of sugar water, honey, or jam on top of the dirt. Be careful not to shake the jar or leave it in direct sunlight!

Taking it Deeper
As you observe your ant farm, what do you notice?
Do they work quickly?
Do they appear to work in teams?

Further Reading
Do you want to learn more about amazing ants? National Geographic has put together this list of 10 fun facts that just may surprise you.

And, if you love reading as much as we do, here is a link to King County Library books, all starring ants, that you can either buy at your local bookstore or check out from the public library.