A formicarium that starts on the tube you already have.

Every piece has its ports at the same height. A Link joins any two of them. Nothing is a dead end, and nothing has to be thrown out when the colony grows.

The Scout sits lower than the rest. It uses a Scout Riser to meet the other ports. The moving guide shows how a colony crosses from one piece to the next.

The Scout, $24, is the first nest. A 16 mm test tube slides into it. The queen stays in the tube she already knows, with her first workers, and the Scout gives that tube a home.

You will need water for the tube. The test tube and cotton, $6, covers that. The watering guide explains how to keep it damp.

The Founder, $42, is the next room. It has a cotton-fed water floor under a printed-hole floor and a clear acrylic lid.

The Homestead, $64, is the larger nest. It has two cotton-fed water wells and two lids.

The Four Corners, $96, holds four separate colonies, each with its own cotton water cup. It is for four colonies, not one big one.

An outworld is where the ants forage. Food and trash stay out of the nest. The Frontier S, $34, pairs with the Founder. The Frontier L, $52, pairs with the Homestead.

Read more on the outworld page.

Start small. If you have a queen in a tube, begin with the Scout. If you are not sure which size, the size guide walks the path from tube to Homestead.

New to this? Start here shows the whole path in order. Need a queen first? Read how to catch one. We sell nests and parts, not live ants.

Every order ships free in the US from US stock. See shipping and returns for the details. Or browse the whole shop.

These are printed in PETG with acrylic lids. The materials page says what that means for cleaning and heat. The FAQ answers the rest, and About says who makes them.