An adult ant farm for your desk, compared with gel and sand kits.

Most gel and sand kits are a thin sealed box with one way in. There is no way to add a room, change the water, clean out trash or give the colony more space when it grows.

Ants in a gel kit usually get their moisture and food from the same source, and the colony has nowhere to put waste. Sand kits dry out or stay wet with no adjustment. Both leave the keeper watching a colony that cannot be looked after.

The kits are also sold with the idea that ants arrive with the box. They cannot grow without a queen, so a kit of workers only is a short-lived display.

A modular formicarium separates the jobs. The nest holds the brood and queen, an outworld holds food and trash, and a reservoir under the nest floor supplies humidity. Drinking water stays separate.

Parts join through the AA-01 port, so the colony can move to a bigger nest or gain an outworld without being handled. See how the pieces connect and what size to buy.

The pieces are printed in PETG with clear acrylic lids, sized to sit on a desk or shelf. The materials page explains cleaning and heat.

A real colony starts as a queen with a few workers in a test tube. The Scout, $24, takes that tube as it is, so you do not move her.

American Ant does not sell live ants. Catch a queen where it is allowed, or buy from a seller that publishes its USDA permit.

Not sure where to begin? Start here lists the parts in order.

Ants are living animals with their own pace. A small colony can take months to grow, and some queens do not raise a first brood. A good nest improves the odds; it does not promise a result.

Keep humidity, drinking water and food as separate things, and check the temperature with a thermometer before adding heat.