Nest Care Guide

Our Nests

Design and Function

Our nests offer the ants a variety of humidity levels and chamber sizes to utilize. This results in a nest with ambient conditions mimicking those of the natural environment. Moisture loving species can reside close to the sponges, whilst more arid species can place brood and themselves in the less humid chambers. This allows the ants the freedom to choose their optimal conditions for brood development and placement.

Scroll to the bottom for a quick guide on our nests.

Construction

Our nests are constructed from Australian-sourced cast acrylic. This offers you the clearest view of your colonies in their natural habitat. Stainless steel fasteners are used to press the acrylic layers together, meaning that escape is near-impossible for even the smallest species. Even once fastened, the hydration chambers are able to radiate humidity through microscopic gaps between the layers that no ant could wiggle its way inbetween. For those that enjoy watching the colony for extended periods of time but are afraid of disturbing their natural behaviours, there are plans to release transparent red covers for the acrylic nests, allowing you to see in but your ants cannot see out.

If you move the current colony out of one of our nests, they are easily disassembled, cleaned and reassembled, ready for the next lucky colony to move in.

Watering and Care Schedules

Acrylic nests require water to be injected into the hydration chambers on a regular schedule to maintain humidity within the nest. The sponge within absorbs the water, and sustainably releases it, reducing the chance of flooding, and providing a constant humidity.

Our smaller nests require 2-5mL of water every 3-5 days, whilst our larger nests will require 4-6mL every 3-5 days for optimal humidity gradients to form. Do not be tempted to overwater the nests as this can provide an opportunity for mould to develop on the sponges, or cause flooding that can devastate a colony. To avoid mold growth, alternate the sponge hydrated every fortnight. This also provides you an opportunity to see the natural behaviour of the ants to move their vulnerable brood to the most humid part of the nest.

View Acrylic Nests

How-To at a Glance!

Gold-Standard Construction

Our nests are constructed in Australia, from Australian-sourced cast acrylic and stainless steel fastenings. They can be disassembled, cleaned and reassembled between colonies, allowing infinite reusability.

Water Schedules

Our smaller nests require 2-5mL of water every 3-5 days. Larger nests will require 4-6mL every 3-5 days for optimal humidity gradients to form. Do not overwater and alternate sponges to avoid floods and mold.

Quality Guaranteed

If you're not happy with your nest, or have any questions regarding our range, send us an email at bigantkeeping@gmail.com and we will do our best to make sure you're satisfied!