Ant Farm, Art Works, or Ant Universe new in package!

This Ant habitat is based on a NASA space experiment to see how ants tunnel in space. Instead of sand the ants tunnel through a transparent, non-toxic gel. You can see everything the ants are doing! You don't need to worry about feeding or watering the ants - they get their nutrition from the gel. Just put the ants in and you're done. This popular habitat is great for kids and grownups alike. Get one for the office!

Ants not included.  The direction booklet has an order form and web address to order your ants. 

This auction includes:

•      1 Space Age Ant Universe
•      5x Magnification Ant Viewer
•      Plastic tunnel starter
•      Direction booklet with any ordering information
  

KBM Games Experience:

This is a hoot!  I thought this was going to be a boring science experiment, that would be in the trash in a few day.  Boy was I wrong.  It took the ants a couple of days to start digging, but when they started, it was just amazing to watch.  The manufacture has a few experiments you can try.  I included them below.  I highly recommend this ant habitat, it's a blast!

Experiment #1

Test the effects of temperature change on ants. You will need an ant observatory and some ants. You will also need a cooler or refrigerator large enough to place the ant observatory into. Notice the activity of the ants as they move around at room temperature. Record the temperature. Now place the observatory in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes are up remove the observatory and notice how slowly the ants move. Ants move slower at colder temperatures. As the temperature goes up the ants will become more active.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions: What are the effects of temperature change on ants? Why does this happen?

Experiment #2

Test the effect of light and darkness on ants. You may want to have two observatories for this experiment. Place 25 ants into each observatory. Keep one observatory in the dark for a specified amount of time. Keep the other observatory in the light during the same time period. Note the differences in how much work has been done (tunnels dug, dirt mounds built, etc...) Draw conclusions based on your experiment.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions: What are the effects of light and darkness on ants? Why do you think this is the case?

Experiment #3

Test the ants ability to dig tunnels in wet and dry sand. You will need to time the ants to see how long it takes to construct a tunnel a certain distance in your ant farm or observatory. You may also want to compare the stability of the tunnels the ants construct. Place some ants into your observatory or jar with wet sand and start timing them. As soon as they have built a tunnel 1 inch long, note the time. Shake the container and tap on the outside to test the stability of the tunnel. Now try ants in a container with dry sand. Time them in the dry sand. Compare your results and make conclusions based on your experiment.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions: Which sand works better for building tunnels? Why do you think this is the case?

Experiment #4

Test the ants reaction to different foods. Try placing different kinds of food into your observatory and see what the ants do. Do they prefer certain foods? Some good foods to try are sugar, salt, citrus fruit, green vegetables, meats, granola. Make conclusions based on the results of your experiment.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions: What kind of foods do ants like/dislike? Why?

Experiment #5

Test ants ability to tunnel in Sand vs. Gel. Ants naturally live in sand. There are new ant habitats which contain a gel which the ants live in, eat, and tunnel through. You will need 1 ant habitat that uses sand and 1 habitat that uses gel. If you put the ants into both at the same time you will be able to see if ants can tunnel better in man made gel or in their natural sand.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions: Which type of habitat is best for ants sand or gel? Why?