The Ant Farm... Part 2

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I have to say that I was surprised by the response to Part 1 of the ant saga. Who knew my readers were so interested in insects.

Over the past few days our creepy little friends have been quite busy. They have managed to dig quite a series of tunnels. I have to admit that it has been fascinating to watch.

As promised, the ant farm has been incredibly low maintenance. I have only had to open the habitat once to remove the four dead bodies that were resting on top. The ants drag their deceased comrades to the surface to prevent disease from spreading among the colony. They are smart little fellows.

© shoutingforha

After reading my previous post, the boy was quick to point out that I had neglected to highlight the most important feature of his new ant farm... LED lights.

The lights are located in the base of the unit and illuminate the green goo. It is actually a cool effect. My initial thought was that the farm would double as a night light.

In reality, ants prefer to live and work in the dark. Duh. Maybe that's why they live under the ground. There were numerous warnings in the enclosed manual that suggested keeping the ant farm out of direct sunlight and away from lamps.

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Why then, you might ask, would they place LED lights in the base? The answer is simple. The ant farm is not only a habitat but an Ant Sculpture Kit. According to the pamphlet, "Long after (our) ants have expired, their art lives on - a testament to the collective intelligence and industrious determination of this incredible insect."

After all the ants have kicked the bucket, in approximately 1-3 months, the boy and I are supposed to rinse all of their tiny corpses from the tunnels with water. Once the farm is sufficiently dried, we can either add new ants or turn the habitat into a night light. 

© shoutingforha

It's the gift that keeps on giving.