Tis the season for an ant farm!

Ryan bought me an ant farm kit about a month ago... some may think this is a strange gift, but I think it's awesome :)  The first year we dated, he gave me a tarantula "jeweled" pin to wear for my birthday gift... and, again, perfect gift for me.  (Quite impressive gift giver if you ask me!)

I think with the spring-like weather, it's time to set this ant farm.  The kit includes the following:
A tank filled with gel (this is what the ants drink)
Wood stick (to create holes in the gel so the seeds roots grow deep)
Ant catcher (a container filled with gel... stick next to some ants, and they crawl right in!)
Seeds (a capsule with basil, pine and clover)
Magnifying glass (to see my ant babies, of course!)

First things first.  You can't just throw the ants into the tank and expect them to thrive.  They need plants to nibble on, and oxygen!  So, I have to plant the seeds.  Hopefully in a few days they will be big enough for me to put ants in.

To plant the seeds, I had to stick the wooden stick in several millimeters into the gel.  Next, I filled the holes with seeds using a piece of paper to "funnel them in".  (Not as easy as it sounds.)
The seeds get all the water they need to grow by absorbing the gel.  Fantastic, right?!

If you look closely at the top, you can see dark spots.... those are the seeds :)

I can't wait to add the ants!! I would feel bad about catching ants from outside, but I have a nice little family of ants that enjoys coming into my bathroom daily.... I think they will love their new home :) Ha!

A bit of background info about ants... They are actually very cool!
*The earth has more than 4,600 kinds of ants.
*They can excavate and create an extensive network of catacombs that are sometimes up to 15 feet deep!
*If I could move as fast as an ant, I'd be running 65 miles per hour :)
*Ants use pheromones to speak to each other, find their way home, and even go to war against other colonies.