Q: what is the goo made out of
A: The Antworks Ant Farm gel is a blend created by NASA, made from a combination of seaweed extract, amino acids, sugars, and fungicide (to prevent mold). We're not sure of the exact proportions, but we know the ants love it.

Q: I love your product. Our family has enjoyed it enormously. But the ants all died on the same day. No obvious reason, temp change, pollution, etc. Is this normal?should I replace gel before adding more
A: If you collected your own ants, the ants might have had small amounts of pesticide on them already. In open air, it probably wouldn't be toxic enough for them to die quickly. In a closed container, the toxicity is magnified. It is not necessary to replace the gel. You can rinse out the gel several times with regular tap water. You can wipe off the top of the gel with a wet napkin or cloth if the ants have not dug tunnels yet. If you bought your ants, contact your supplier to see if they have had any recent issues with their ants.

Q: What are the bubble-ish...bubbles at the top?
A: Actually, those aren't bubbles. They're tiny gel "boulders" that the ants have dug out of the habitat.

Q: Do you have these Ant Gel Farms in Larger sizes?
A: No, the ant farm you see above is the only size that we carry.

Q: Hi, I am making my own ant farm and I'm waiting for the nuptial flight of the ants. They are cornfeild ants. Do you know what month that will happen?
A: Cornfield ants usually make their nuptial flight in the last half of August and early September.

Q: We love your ant farm. Can the blue gel be replaced once the ants have dug as many tunnels as they possibly can or do you have to buy a new kit?
A: Once the gel from the AntWorks Gel Ant Farm has been dug up by the ants, it can't be replaced. You can always add more ants to an existing ant farm who may add more tunnels or simply save it as a keepsake. If you wanted to watch a new network of tunnels being made from scratch, you would need to purchase a new Antworks Ant Farm.

Q: Why can't we buy gel refills?
A: Gel refills are not available from the manufacturer.

Q: 2 of the ants died. It appears that they "buried" the ants in their gel boulder mound on the top of the habitat. After a week or so, it appears that those ants are molding. Should I take them out?
A: Yes, if the ants are on top of the gel and easy to access, you can take them out.

Q: where can i get the ants?
A: If you need to buy live ants, just scroll up to the picture of the ants in a tube and click on the order form link that's directly below.

Q: Do you think we could put Termites in the ant farm? My son has a school project on them.
A: It's believed that there are approximately 4000 different species of termites, so we certainly can't speak for the suitability of all of them, but it's not something we would recommend. The toy is designed for ants and we can't be sure that termites would tunnel in the gel (or that they'd be healthy in it).

Q: I have a green ant farm, and my teachers' son has a blue one. Does it mean that they're made of different minerals just because they're different colors.
A: The blue gel is made of the same ingredients as the green gel. The only difference is the color!

Q: if i took out a spoon and started eating it like pudding would i get sick and throw up and would it taste good or bad?
A: AntWorks gel is non-toxic, but we can't guarantee that it won't make you want to vomit. We don't recommend eating it, as pudding and Jell-o are both cheaper and tastier.

Q: How did NASA use the gel? Emergency food supply?
A: They were studying how ants live and tunnel in places with different gravitational forces.

Q: The ants aren't tunnelling...they are just milling around on top of the gel. I put them in 48 hours ago. What's up?
A: Sometimes, the ants will spend the first few days milling around as they consider the feng shui implications of their tunneling plans. Be patient, as they will eventually start tunneling. If you haven't already, be sure to poke a few holes in the top to help them get started. We've provided a picture above so you can see what we mean.

Q: There is mold growing in the gel and we don't have any ants in it yet! What should I do?
A: Please call us at 1-800-476-1991 so we can look up your order information and help you.

Q: Can I add food, fruit or sugar to my and farm? It seems like they need some excitement from time to time.
A: The ants do not need any additional food. The gel is sugar-based and is their food and water source. Adding food to your AntWorks Ant Farm would likely cause molding, which would look gross and could harm the ants.

Q: how much do the ants cost
A: Ants cost $3.50 if shipping to the United States (please note that Vat19.com does not sell ants). If you no longer have the ant order form included with your AntWorks set, you can print one off by clicking the "order form" link on this page. Or, you could catch your own ants or see if your local pet stores sells ants.

Q: Is it ok to leave dead ants in the antworks
A: The living ants will usually bring the dead ants up to the surface and they can be easily removed. Who wants dead ants crowding up the tunnel space, right? Although it is a little gross to leave dead ants in there, you don't HAVE to remove them.

Q: Are the ant you order healthy
A: Yes, the ants you can order with the order form are healthy.

Q: Will the ants come in your mailbox or a package after you order them
A: We can't guarantee what your ants will be sent in, as we don't actually sell them, but we received ours in a small tube that was delivered to our mailbox.

Q: What are the black dots a the top of the antworks atfer the 14th day
A: You're looking at an ant graveyard. When ants die in the AntWorks ant farm, the others carry the bodies up to the top.

Q: What is the shiping and handling if you ship to canada
A: To get a shipping quote for your location, you can click the "Get Shipping Quote" button on any product page.

Q: Would it be better if i made my own ant farm or would it be better if i buy one
A: If it were us, we'd buy one.

Q: This product is amazing, but how do you get the ants inside, without them crawling out?
A: Our ants arrived in a little tube (see the photo above), so we simply emptied them out on top of the gel and then quickly closed the lid so they didn't have a chance to escape.

Q: ants are dead and gel is tunneled...can I just purchase more ants and put in old gel...you said rinse with water...doe you mean rinse the gel?
A: Yes, just rinse out the gel and your ant farm should be ready for more ants.

Q: Will The Ants Breed and make more?
A: It's not likely. You'd need a female, but the ants shipped from our ant supplier are all males. Of course, as we all know from Jurassic Park, life always finds a way...at least in the movies.

Q: Why do some people have different colors? And can you coose the color?
A: The only color available here at Vat19.com is blue. We feel it's more calming for the ants.

Q: Does the ant works ant farm gel mold?
A: Under normal usage conditions, that shouldn't be a problem.

Q: Can i raise ants are around my garden? Or should i just buy it from the provider. How long does the ants you buy last? 1-3 month? Or was that just garden ants?
A: Most ant species will last about 1-3 months, including those you may dig up around the garden. Some species will last longer, but you'd need to do a little research to figure out what type of ants are in your area. You can definitely use ants that you harvest on your own, though.

Q: The FAQ is incorrect regarding the sex of the ants. Ants are mostly sterile females with a few male "drones" whose existence is soley to service one or more fertile "queens", so you get females.
A: Thanks for the comments. This makes us glad we're not ants.

Q: Is there a site where I can learn to make the gel myself?
A: We're not aware of any sites that offer steps for making your own gel ant farm.

Q: can any species of ants be used say i got random ants in my yard and put them in would they prosper and do they need to be of the same colony to avoid a feud.
A: Honestly, we're not experts in ant cultural studies. Ants are kind of tough to figure out, given that they don't run around flashing little ant gang signs and wearing tiny red and blue bandannas to express their affiliations. It's possible that certain ants would not do well together, but we suspect that if you find ants hanging out together (peacefully) in the wild, they'd probably get along well in the AntWorks Ant Farm, too.

Q: also would jello work for antworks if i added extra sugar and some antibacterial
A: We don't recommend it. The AntWorks gel is specially formulated to provide a good home for your ants. Jello, while delicious, is not designed to meet an ant's unique nutritional needs. It also won't do well at room temperature once they start digging tunnels.

Q: How would you capture your own ants?
A: Using a tube or a jar should be pretty easy. You could use food or sugar water as bait.

Q: Shall I feed the gel to my cat? -She seems rather keen.
A: Even though the gel in the AntWorks Ant Farm is non-toxic, you should not feed it to your cat.

Q: can you sell replacement gel please?
A: Unfortunately, we're not aware of a quality refill AntWorks Gel Refill that's available for purchase. We've seen one online, but it doesn't look quite the same and the user reviews are not positive.

Q: can you add food like bees and wasps
A: We don't recommend it.

Q: Does the ant tube come with a queen.
A: As far as we know, the ant tubes do not come with queens. It may vary by package, though. Since we don't package and sell the ants, though, you'd need to contact the ant company to be certain.

Q: Where can I find replacement gel for my antfarm?
A: Vat19 does not sell replacement gel for the AntWorks Illuminated Gel Ant Farm. We don't know of a specific store that sells the gel separately.

Q: Hi, I want to buy this ant farm for my son for his 6th Birthday. He is interested to see the life of the whole ants' colony including the queen ant and the workers. Is it possible?
A: Unfortunately, we can't guarantee any methods for finding or purchasing queen ants.

Q: can you also sell queen ants with workers>? it would be awsome if i got a queen and workers, so i can have more time and fun watching your product
A: We're sorry, but we don't sell the ants and we can't vouch for the specifics of what the ant providers are able to offer.

Q: is ther anyway to get a queen without catching 1
A: We're not aware of any other ways to get queens.

Q: I gathered many ants and everytime I put in a few, they die within a few minutes...this was a newly purchased farm. What's up?
A: Pesticides or fertilizer can get on the ants. This might not be all that harmful in the open outdoors, but once they are enclosed inside the farm, it gases them and they die. Rinse out the inside of the AntWorks container with water and order ants or collect them from an area that is free from pesticides and fertilizer, such as a wooded area.

Q: do you sell replacement gell
A: Vat19 does not sell replacement gel for the Ant Works Gel Ant Farm.

Q: What happens to the ants when they have dug up all the tunnels they can in the gel and there is no more space for them to tunnel in the gel. what do they do to stay busy?
A: After the ants dig a system of tunnels, they simply use the AntWorks Gel Ant Farm as their home. They crawl around and eat.

Q: how many holes do we put in the gel
A: The holes are used to create starting points for the ants. Based on our experience, we recommend putting 3-4 holes in your AntWorks Ant Farm.

Q: My ants are just bundled up in the corner. i have poked 4 holes in the top of the gel to get them started. what am i doing wrong?
A: You're not doing anything wrong. It can take a few days for your ants to start digging into the gel of the AntWorks Ant Farm.

Q: my son's friend got a hold of the antfarm and poked a lot of holes in the gell, what should i do?
A: The holes are simply starting points for the ants to begin digging holes in the ant farm. We don't think a lot of holes should be a problem.

Q: How warm do we need to keep the ant farm? It is cold here in New England and the house temperature is probably about 64 degrees...the ants don't seem to be doing much, and we've had them for 10 days.
A: One tip is to keep the ants in a relatively dim or dark area. We're not 100% sure about temperature, but our guess is that a warmer temperature would help increase their activity.

Q: How many times can you reuse the gel before the food and moisture source runs out?
A: That would depend on how many ants were put into the AntWorks Ant Farm. Our best guess is that you could host three to four "generations" of ants in each AntWorks.

Q: what do you do with the dead ones?
A: If an ant dies in the AntWorks Ant Farm, the other ants will typically bring the body to the top of the farm. Once all of the ants have expired, you can simply wash out the Ant Farm and re-use with a new generation of ants.

Q: whats the chance that my ants will become self aware and super intelligent and eventually try to take over the world? i know a guy who knows a guy who had that happen, so i thought id ask
A: Approximately 1.25%.

Q: In the video you say that ants like the shade, so do the LED lights in the base make the ants uncomfortable?
A: LED light (which emits very low heat) doesn't bother the ants. Direct sunlight is what bothers them because it can get too hot and they can die. The ants will actually tunnel down to the lights and spend more time near them. When comparing ant activity in a non-illuminated AntWorks to the Illuminated AntWorks, the ants in the Illuminated are more active.

Q: If I were to add a queen to my AntWorks Ant Farm, then they'd be able to reproduce. How long, approx., do you think that little colony would be able to survive before it ate through its food supply?
A: Since it is against federal law to ship a queen ant, our manufacturer has not tried this and does not know. A queen ant typically won't survive very long outside of its natural habitat. It is not recommend that you capture a queen ant because by taking the queen ant from its colony, you will essentially destroy that colony's ecosystem.

Q: Is it true that ants attract other ants and if i have this product in my home i am going to have an ant problem.
A: There is no danger of your AntWorks Ant Farm attracting other ants.

Q: i started a Ant farm with your product i added about 30 ants from a mound around the house. long story short the mound got pesticided by the lawn guy. i added a queen from another mound will they kill her?
A: Since contaminated ants have been in the gel, the habit itself is now also contaminated with the pesticide. Any new ants you put in could also die from the pesticide.

Q: My son poked to many holes on the gel and destroyed the original shape. Is there any way to put the gel in its original form?
A: Not that we know of. However, even if the gel has taken a beating from your son, we're sure your ants will still find the AntWorks Ant Farm to be quite hospitable.

Q: I noticed that my ants have been able to do a little bit of damage to the rubber seal on the lid...if they keep up like this, will they be able to escape?
A: We have never heard of any Great Escapes from the AntWorks Ant Farm.

Q: If I start to feel guilty and want to let my ants go free, will they be accepted back into their old colony?
A: Ants usually last longer in the AntWorks habitat than they would in the wild. Although the gel does not contaminate the ants, we cannot predict how the ants would do if released back into the wild.