Upscale ant farm?

April 18, 2005 11:27 AM

Where can I purchase an upscale ant farm? I'm not talking about one of those Uncle Milton's or similar cheap, plastic varieties. I want something a little sturdier and more aesthetically pleasing. On the other hand, I don't think I want to spend more than $100.
posted by crapulent to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (5 answers total)

This is small and only $20, but I couldn't resist putting it in a comment because I'm so enamoured of it.
posted by Specklet at 11:34 AM on April 18, 2005

ThinkGeek has the Space Age Ant Habitat. It is only $20.
posted by thefinned1 at 11:50 AM on April 18, 2005

I've owned an ant farm that was similar to those. It was nice, but the ants only lived for a couple of months. That might just be the way ant farms are, though.
posted by bshort at 12:02 PM on April 18, 2005

Build your own. All they are is a container with a secure lid, right? Buy a gorgeous glass planter, fill it with sand/dirty and rig a secure top for it. Voila.
posted by agregoli at 12:21 PM on April 18, 2005

My second two cents:

There are numerous sites that can instruct you on how to build your own.

bshort, unless you have a queen, your workers will not get replaced and eventually die of old age. Incidentally, it's illegal to order/buy queens on the internet in the US. (Think unwanted spread of invasive exotics, a la Africanized honey bees.) You must steal a queen from an existing nest on your own.

thefinned1, ever click on other comments' links? Heh.
posted by Specklet at 12:38 PM on April 18, 2005