Does antworks come with ants

Answer 1

The AntWorks habitats, like all commercial habitats does not come with a supply of live ants. There are several reasons for this marketing decision, among which are; # Worker ants have a relatively limited life span. For a Western Harvester ant they will live for up to 1 year. When the ants are young they normally stay in the colony working within the tunnels. It is typically the older ants that venture out of the colony as scouts and food gatherers. Thus the ants that are normally captured and placed into ant habitats usually have only a matter of months left in their life span. To prolong the life expectancy of your ants it only makes sense to ship them as soon after capture as possible. # Ants, more so than the habitat have a limited shelf life. Being living creatures, ants require air, food and water in order to survive. With no way to control how long a habitat may sit on a shelf before being sold, it would be extremely difficult and expensive to provide food, water and fresh air for the ants if they were shipped with the habitat. # Ants are very sensitive to temperature changes and temperatures that are too hot or too cold will result in their death. Since there is no way to control the shipping temperature of the habitats there would likely be a significant death loos due to high temperatures in the summer and low temperatures in the winter. All of the difficulties cited previously can be minimized by providing live ants only after the habitat has been purchased and is ready to receive its new residents. This is the reason that commercial habitat providers have chosen to include discount coupons with the habitat to allow the purchaser to acquire ants through the mail. Since ants are considered to be an invasive species, providers of ants are required to meet federal regulations regarding the shipment of ants across State lines. As an alternative to purchasing ants for your AntWorks, Uncle Milton or Antquarium habitat, you can always gather your own ants locally. In this way you can assure the greatest possible longevity for your new colony of workers. Gathering local ants is also the only legal way to acquire a queen for your colony. A list of live ant providers that ship within the US and Canada can be found in the frequently asked questions section of the Ant Farm Universe web site.

Answer 2

Yes, some ant farm kits, like AntWorks, come with live ants while others require you to purchase ants separately. It's important to check the product description before purchasing to see if you need to obtain ants separately or if they are included.