Setting up a founding colony, in order.

Most keepers catch a queen after a nuptial flight. The catching guide covers what to bring and what to do when you find one.

We do not sell live ants. If you buy a queen from a seller, check that the species is legal where you live.

Fill a 16 mm test tube most of the way with water. Push a cotton ball in to hold the water in place. The test tube and cotton, $6, gives you the tube and cotton.

The queen goes in on the dry side of the cotton. The water behind the cotton gives her damp air, and the dry side gives her somewhere to rest. The watering guide shows how to keep the cotton wet.

Put the tube somewhere steady, dim and away from direct sun. A queen sets up best undisturbed. The heating guide covers warmth.

Check that the cotton is still damp, and otherwise keep disturbance to a minimum. Opening the tube or shining a light on her stresses her.

What she needs for food depends on the species. Many common beginner species do not eat until their first workers appear. Check yours on the by-species page or with a trusted keeper.

The first workers are small and walk about the tube. Keep the tube where it is until a few are out and moving.

Do not move the colony early. A queen with no workers has no need for a larger space.

The Scout, $24, takes the 16 mm tube as it is. You push the tube in and the queen is never moved. The tube keeps supplying her water, and the Scout Cover makes the space dark. Workers come out into the nest as the colony grows.

If your tube is 18 or 20 mm, the tube adapter, $8, connects it to a nest port.

When the Scout fills, the next room is the Founder, $42. The moving guide shows how a colony crosses over without being tipped out.

Choosing the next size? Read what size formicarium, or see the beginner formicarium page.