All you need to begin your ant-keeping journey, this Founding Startup Kit is ideal for a starter founding queen or a small colony. In addition, this kit will remain functional throughout your growth as an ant-keeper.
Keep your new family addition in one of our "borosilicate test tubes," complete with a "sand textured insert," a "cotton waterkeeper," and a "black jacket" to give your new friend some much-needed privacy. Just seal it with a bit of cotton until your first workers arrive; then, you can connect your test tube to our "mini outworld" for easy feeding using our "feeding dishes," "nano dishes," and a small "liquid tower."
Also included; two "test-tube rings" that allow the use of a heating cable, a "pipette" for liquids, a "tweezer" for solids, a second test tube with a plastic insert and a cotton water keeper, cone adapters, 1ft of "vinyl tubing" and an "X connector" to expand the setup quickly.
The top features dual lids with a removable plastic fine grid (0.3mm pores) and horizontal flat ledges to force the ants to walk upside down on a slippery barrier. You can quickly remove the mesh while preserving the ledge and depositing or removing food.
The plastic mesh on the lid and side walls allow for plenty of air exchange in the foraging area; keeping humidity as low as possible creates a dry area that prevents ants from digging or attempting to nest there.
The kit uses 16x125 mm test tubes; even the more prominent Camponotus queens do well in such space, remember ants like tight small spaces.
Tubing options are either 9.5 mm (3/8") or 12.7 mm (1/2"). Most species do well in smaller tight spaces, especially during the founding stages, making 9.5 mm the most common choice.
*** This product does not ship with "Substrate" to the USA; no soil or earth is allowed into the United States and other countries. Please select the option "Not Included (Ship to USA)" if you wish to ship to the USA.
