3D Printed Ant Farm (1/8/2022)

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     In recent years, 3D printing technology has grown immensely in popularity, driven by its increasing affordability and accessibility. As an ant enthusiast, there is often a need for an accessory or part that would be difficult or impossible to purchase. For example, different sized, sturdy trays for providing ants liquid food (such as honey) are quite difficult to come across. 3D printing has solved this problem for many, as it enables people to print feeding trays designed to fit the dimensions of their formicaria. In addition, 3D printing has enabled creation of customized formicaria at the click of a button, a feature of the technology that has made custom formicarium creation easier than ever.

    I have personally utilized 3D printing for a variety of ant-related projects as well, one of which is this ant farm style formicarium that lets the ants to dig in a predefined space, which forces them to make their chambers visible, but still lets them choose how they excavate their chambers. The formicarium consists of two major parts: the outer plastic container and the inner 3D printed chamber. This inner chamber is first filled with sphagnum moss (to retain moisture), then sealed onto the base of the acrylic container using hydrostone plaster, with one side of the inner chamber touching one wall of the outer box. The side of the inner chamber touching the outer box has a small hole in it, where a syringe can be inserted to moisten the sphagnum moss, providing the ants will all the water they need. The finished product looks like this:



    So far, I have used this formicarium for two of my favorite Californian ant species: Pogonomyrmex subdentatus and Myrmecocystus mexicanus. Both species have been thriving in these formicaria, and watching them create spacious chambers to their liking has given more insight into how these ants nest in the wild. The Pogonomyrmex dig wide, but low-ceilinged chambers at the bottom, with a maze of tunnels reaching up to the surface. Being harvester ants, they created seed galleries in the drier portions of their nest. The Myrmecocystus on the other hand dug cavern-like chambers, which were both high and wide. This allowed them to accommodate their larger "honeypots", or repletes. 

   Myrmecocystus mexicanus in this formicarium. The dirt makes photography difficult, but allows them to shape their nest to their liking




   Pogonomyrmex subdentatus in this formicarium, which have dug much narrower, more chaotic chambers in the dirt.

    Overall, I really love the amount of flexibility 3D printing brings to the DIY-side of the ant keeping space. The ability to imagine something, and turn it into a physical product in just a few short hours is incredible, and is sure to be a staple of innovation, both ant-related and otherwise, in the coming years. In the future, I would like to experiment more with 3D printed formicaria, especially in regards to designing larger, modular setups and displays.

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