01
Founder
The first real nest.
- Size
- About 3¾ × 3⅛ × 1⅜ in
- Ports
- 3 × AA-01
- Lid
- Slide-in clear acrylic sheet, secured by a slide-on end cap
The Founder is where most colonies move after the test tube. It measures about 3¾ × 3⅛ × 1⅜ in and has three AA-01 ports, so you can connect a test tube, a foraging area and whatever comes next.
Water comes from damp cotton held in a cup beneath the printed-hole Hydration Insert. The cotton touches the underside of the floor; lift the Top to re-wet or replace it. The clear acrylic sheet slides into channels and a slide-on end cap tucks under the side lips to secure it; it is not a lift-up lid. There's also an optional heating channel if you want to give the colony a warm end.
Most people get it as part of the Founder Starter Kit, which adds everything you need to move a colony in from its test tube.
A slide-in lid, secured by an end cap
The clear acrylic sheet slides into channels under the side lips. The removable end cap locks it in place. It does not lift up.
1. Remove the end cap
Slide the cap off to release the acrylic sheet.
2. Slide the sheet out
The clear sheet moves through its side channels to open the nest.
3. Secure it again
The end cap's tongue tucks beneath the side lips to hold the sheet.
Water comes up through the floor
No tank and no tubing. One cup of wet cotton sits under a floor printed with holes.
Damp cotton in a cup touches the underside of the printed-hole Hydration Insert. Lift the Top to re-wet or replace the cotton; the acrylic sheet itself slides out and does not lift up.
How to keep the nest damp, not wet
Spares for cleaning day
$5.00 with a Founder $10.00
Spare printed-hole water floors: replace one, or swap one in while you clean. They keep ants out of the water. Pack of 3.
Three ports, three jobs
All three ports are AA-01. Here's what goes in each.
Port 1: Tube in
$4.00 with a Founder
$8.00Your colony's test tube pushes into the Adapter, and the Adapter pushes into a port. Colony in a Scout? Skip the Adapter: set the Scout on a Scout Riser ($4.00 with a Founder
$10.00) and join it with the Founder's Link.Port 2: Frontier out
$28.00 with a Founder
$34.00The outworld, where the colony forages and you feed. It comes with its own Link.
Port 3: The spare
$4.00 with a Founder
$6.00Close the port you aren't using with a Port Plug, or fit a Vent Plug for airflow. Plugs aren't in the Founder box.
Build your setup
Tick what you need. Prices update as you go, and pairing prices apply automatically.
- FounderThe nest. A Link comes in the box.$42.00
- $4.00
$8.00 - $28.00
$34.00 - $4.00
$6.00 - $5.00
$10.00 - $4.00
$10.00
Your setup · 1 item
$42.00
Pre-orders open November 24 for the December 1 launch.
Or get the kit
Founder Starter Kit
$68.00
Founder, Frontier S and Test-Tube Adapter, sold together. You pick the tube size.
See the kitSame pieces, one order
- Founder$42.00
- Frontier S$28.00
- Test-Tube Adapter$4.00
Total$74.00
The kit saves $6.00. Tick the Test-Tube Adapter and Frontier S above and we add the kit instead.
To scale
What's in the box?
Everything that ships with this item.
- 01Founder nest× 1
- Slide-in acrylic sheet and slide-on end capAlso sold separately× 1
- LinkAlso sold separately× 1
- Port PlugsFor the spare ports · Also sold separately× 2
- Vent PlugAlso sold separately× 1
- Hydration InsertFitted · Also sold separately× 1
- Cotton balls× 10
How it connects
AA-01 ports join with a Link. Best matches first; check what you'll also need.
★ Best match
Ways to build
Real connection plans with the pieces to add together. Kits count as one priced item.
Founder + Frontier S
Best pairingA first nest with its matching small foraging area.
Pieces to add
- Founder and Frontier S each include a Link.
Setup total: $70.00
Cannot add setup yet: Founder: Pre-orders open November 24 for the December 1 launch.
Scout to Founder
Raise the Scout to Founder port height and let the colony move across.
Pieces to add
- The Scout Riser is $4 when bought with the Founder. The Founder includes a Link.
Setup total: $70.00
Cannot add setup yet: Scout: Pre-orders open November 24 for the December 1 launch.
From tube to first home
Let the colony walk from its test tube into a Founder with a Frontier S foraging space.
Pieces to add
- Measure your test tube's outside diameter for the adapter.
- The adapter pushes directly into the Founder port.
- Founder and Frontier S each include a Link, so the kit needs no separate one.
Setup total: $68.00
Cannot add setup yet: Founder Starter Kit: Please choose an option.
Room to grow
Move from Founder into Homestead with a Frontier L outworld.
Pieces to add
- Founder, Homestead and Frontier L each include a Link.
Setup total: $150.00
Cannot add setup yet: Founder: Pre-orders open November 24 for the December 1 launch.
Fits its ports
When it outgrows this
Specifications
- Size
- About 3¾ × 3⅛ × 1⅜ in
- Ports
- 3 × AA-01
- Water system
- One cotton cup beneath a printed-hole Hydration Insert
- Lid
- Slide-in clear acrylic sheet, secured by a slide-on end cap
- Heating
- Optional heating channel
Related guides
- Setting upUnboxing, connecting with a Link, plugging unused ports, preparing an outworld and the cotton water cups.
- Watering and cotton careHow to prepare each nest's water source and keep its cotton damp.
- HeatingWhen a colony needs warmth, how to heat each model safely, and when to turn the heat off for winter.
- CleaningEveryday tidying with the colony inside, full cleaning between colonies, and what's safe for PETG and acrylic.
- Moving a colony between nestsConnect the old home to the new one, make the new one more inviting, and let the colony move itself.