Clicked an ad for an ant farm on Amazon, this is the first review:
READ BEFORE BUYING!
*UPDATE: 1 star for the product BUT the seller delivered as promised so this review is no reflection on the seller. This is a horrible product. It arrived with the gel settled in a block in the middle (not attached to side walls) which I didn’t realize was a problem until the ants went in, had a long fall down the sides and couldn’t climb back up. They were just piled on top of each other desperately trying to climb up the plastic sides. So I had to turn the habitat on it’s side in order for them to have a chance. I didn’t think I’d care about ants until I had these ones to look after. They don’t tunnel at all. They tear away parts of the gel for consumption but also to bury their dead. Yes - they bury the dead in a mountain of gel bits - likely to protect the colony from whatever killed the others. They seem like they’re just waiting to die. They sleep allll the time. There’s nowhere for them to go. The gel is so sticky that when they walk on it or brush against it - it’s a death sentence. Seriously - they get covered in sticky goo and either slowly suffocate or die from exhaustion trying to free themselves. I’ve been able to reach and rehab 3 of them. Yep - I put them in a cup of room temp water, swirl them, take them out and put them on a Kleenex and repeat a few times. Then they can rest in a dry cup with a piece of screen taped over it. When they start wandering in the cup, I know they’re strong enough to rejoin the colony. I use the plastic stick (provided) to take them out & return them. I put them in away from the others so they don’t get swarmed as an invader because I figure I washed off their scent. It’s a lot of work and most can’t be saved - the tiny opening and the flimsy plastic stick just can’t reach them. My niece doesn’t understand letting nature take its course - that’s how the rescues began. Then it was sheer guilt on my part. I put them in this sticky unnatural environment where they barely have any room to live and I dunno - I feel bad. I NEVER would have gotten this had I known it was actually pretty cruel. The ants are huge. Not your typical yard ant. They’re large red Harvester Ants which leads me to my next few points. DON’T include the kids in transferring them from vile to habitat. Harvester Ant stings rate 4 out of 5 on the pain scale! Also - the top is ridiculous. A slight breeze can knock it off or ajar and you’ll have huge ants with horrendous stings loose in your house. Tape it down, if you decide to get this. So we don’t see any tunneling but we do get to see ants slowly dying and other ones being killed by the others in an ant version of Hunger Games. They dismember and spread out the dead too so there’s no escaping the sad inquiries from the kids. Leg here, abdomen there, etc. Even buried under gel bits - you can see it. It’s nice to give them some food like tiny bits of lettuce or apple or carrot - they LOVE that - it beats the sugar gel that only temporarily keeps them alive. Just know that what they don’t finish, can mold and threaten them. So have a way to fish the remains out. I haven’t had the molding issue with the gel that others have mentioned but like I said - it’s so sticky - it’s deadly either way. I thought this was such a cool gift but really - it’s just mean. If you must - go with a traditional sand ant farm. I wish I did.*
