A Society on Your Shelf: A History of Ant Keeping

11 de octubre de 2024

Uncle Milton Ant Farm

Ant keeping, the practice of rearing and studying ants in controlled environments, has evolved from an ancient curiosity into a rich, multifaceted hobby. Over time, ant-keepers have deepened our understanding of ants but have also made a surprising impact on popular culture.

From early philosophical musings to modern scientific communities, and even Hollywood movies, ants have crawled their way into our collective consciousness in unexpected ways.

Ancient Fascination with Ants

Human interest in ants dates back thousands of years. In ancient times, ants were admired for their industrious nature and complex social behavior. Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, observed ants and wrote about their cooperative efforts, using them as metaphors for human virtues such as hard work and unity. Ants are mentioned in the Bible, the Qur'an, and in Buddhist scripture, as models of virtue, creations of God, and beings deserving of mercy.

Ants, uniquely, captured the curiosity of modern humans as societies much like our own, right under our feet.

Medieval depiction of an ant hill

The Birth of Ant Science: Early Observations and Naturalists

In the 18th and 19th centuries, with the rise of the Enlightenment and the scientific method, curiosity about ants turned into formal study. Early myrmecologists (scientists who study ants) like William conducted groundbreaking research by observing ants in natural environments. His pioneering work offered some of the first scientific insights into ant behavior, such as the role of queen ants, and a basic distinction of various species of ants in Great Britain.

By the Victorian era, ant colonies became a subject of fascination for naturalists, hobbyists, and educators. Keeping ants in glass enclosures allowed early enthusiasts to explore the ants’ natural behaviors in a way that hadn’t been possible before. Famously, Sir John Lubbock, British politician and banker, kept 30-40 glass ant farms around his castle to show guests. These early experiments laid the foundation for more structured ant farms that would come decades later.

Frank Austin's Ant Houses (1930s-1950s): The First Formicarium

The 1930s saw the first commercial ant farms by Frank Austin; a pioneer in american ant-keeping, credited with marketing formicariums—enclosed habitats for ants—starting in the 1930s.

His "Ant House", which later spawned a product line that included the Antville Coal Mine, the Ant Arctic Polar Expedition, and an entire town called Ant Boro offered people a chance to observe ant behavior up close. At its peak, Austin's operation shipped up to 400 ant houses in a single day from Hanover. His design featured a wooden frame with glass panels filled partially with soil, exposing the ants' tunnels for easy observation.

Frank Austin and the Ant House

Austin primarily used carpenter ants, known for their large size, and would purchase them from local boys for $4.00 a quart. Though his Ant House never reached the fame of Milton Levine's later Ant Farm, Austin's contribution to the hobby was groundbreaking.

The Era of Uncle Milton Levine (1950s–1980s): The Ant Keeping Sensation

The 1950s saw the rise of ant keeping as a mainstream hobby, largely thanks to the work of Milton Levine. In 1956, during a Fourth of July picnic, Levine became captivated by the ants around him and had decided "We should make an antarium."

Partnering with his brother-in-law, Levine created the iconic “Uncle Milton Ant Farm,” a transparent, sand-filled enclosure where families could watch ants dig tunnels and work together.

Uncle Milton’s Ant Farm was marketed as both a toy and an educational tool. It was a sensation, selling millions of units and embedding itself into mid-century American pop culture. The ant farm became synonymous with childhood curiosity, science fairs, and even television.

Original Uncle Milton Ant Farm

These early ant farms were more focused on observation than long-term care. Since they didn’t include queens, colonies only lasted a few months. Still, the Uncle Milton Ant Farm had a profound cultural impact, introducing generations of children to biology, fostering interest in insects, and becoming a fixture in toy stores worldwide. The iconic design of the Uncle Milton Ant Farm even found its way into popular media, often as a symbol of youth and learning. It appeared in numerous TV shows and movies, such as The Simpsons.

The Era of Gel Farms (2000s): Ants in Space

The 2000s introduced a new chapter in ant keeping with the advent of gel farms. These "gel" farms, popularized in the early 2000s, used a gel medium originally developed by NASA. This gel was marketed as a tunneling material and as a nutrient source for the ants, eliminating the need to feed them externally. The glowing, futuristic aesthetic of these farms made them particularly appealing to younger hobbyists.

Ants in a gel farm. Credit: Steve Jurveston

The gel farm era reflected the early 2000s' love for sleek, self-contained gadgets. The farms were easy to maintain and visually striking, glowing under ultraviolet light and offering a mesmerizing view of ants digging through their transparent worlds. However, much like the earlier Uncle Milton farms, gel farms housed worker ants without queens, meaning the colonies were temporary.

These gel farms found a home in contemporary pop culture as well. They were often seen as novelties, fitting into the broader trend of educational gadgets that bridged entertainment and learning. Despite their limitations, gel farms helped keep ant keeping relevant in the modern era. As knowledge about ants improved, people began to move away from the gel ant farms. Their short-term design meant that they could not sustain ants for more than a few months, effectively becoming death traps as the ants, often collected from the wild, struggled to survive and return to their home colonies.

Modern Ant Keeping (2010s–Present): The 15-Year Colony

Today, ant keeping has entered a new era, driven by a growing emphasis on ethical practices and long-term care. Modern ant keepers are passionate about not only observing but ensuring the well-being of their colonies. This shift has led to significant improvements in the design of formicaria (ant habitats) and a renewed interest in more scientifically rigorous ant keeping.

Innovations in Formicaria Design

Modern formicaria are far more sophisticated than the simple sand or gel farms of the past. They are often made from materials acrylic, plaster, or 3D-printed plastics, and include features that control humidity, ventilation, and temperature to mimic natural environments more closely.

HighTechAnts Ant farm: One of the first "smart" ant nests

The rise of more specialized nests let enthusiasts keep a wider variety of species, from the common Black Garden Ant (Lasius niger) to more exotic ants like leafcutter ants (Atta species), which are prized for their complex fungus-growing behaviors.

Ethical Ant Keeping and Queen Care

One of the most significant shifts in modern ant keeping is the emphasis on acquiring and caring for queen ants. In contrast to the worker-only setups of previous decades, modern keepers focus on establishing long-term, sustainable colonies by introducing queens who can lay eggs and expand the colony naturally. This approach not only promotes healthier colonies but also allows enthusiasts to witness the full cycle of ant life, from egg-laying to the emergence of new reproductive ants.

As opposed to the sugar-and-gel diets used in more primitive ant habitats, modern ant keepers feed balanced diets of insects, seeds, and sugars. Certain hobbyists, like Terry Miller from byFormica Ant Products, pioneered automatic feeders and specially formulated sugar solutions like Sunburst Ant Nectar.

Today, ant keepers can often expect their colonies to live for years, and occasionally, up to several decades. Increasingly, captive ants are helping even scientific researchers as they display behaviours that they used to do only in the wild, in captive settings as well.

Technology and Community: The Digital Age of Ant Keeping

The rise of the internet has transformed ant keeping from an isolated hobby into a global community. Platforms like YouTube, Reddit, and specialized forums have allowed enthusiasts from around the world to share tips, document their colonies, and troubleshoot challenges. Influential ant keepers on platforms like AntsCanada popularized ant keeping through educational and entertaining content, inspiring a new generation of hobbyists.

Technology has also allowed keepers to monitor their colonies more precisely. Some habitats include sensors that track temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors, ensuring that conditions are optimal for the ants’ health and reproduction.

Ant Keeping in Modern Pop Culture

The fascination with ants has extended into film and television in new ways in recent years. Movies like Ant-Man (2015) highlight ants' incredible strength and teamwork, showcasing them as miniature superheroes. The character Ant-Man, who can control ants and harness their abilities, reflects the enduring cultural fascination with these creatures' power and social complexity.

The Impact of Ant Keeping on Education and Science

Beyond pop culture, ant keeping has had a profound impact on education. From early science fairs to modern-day classrooms, ants have been used to teach concepts like biology, ecology, and teamwork. Keeping ants helps students understand the complexity of ecosystems, the role of cooperation, and the importance of biodiversity.

Modern ant keepers even contribute to citizen science, documenting rare species, sharing behavioral insights, and collaborating with researchers to track ant populations and environmental changes. In more recent years, many myrmecologists have begun approaching ant-keeping communities for advice on any husbandry. This intersection of hobby and scientific contribution not only entertains but contributes to broader conservation and ecological studies.

This includes us :))

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Ant keeping has come a long way from the simple observation of ants in jars or early farm setups. It has grown into a vibrant hobby with its own subcultures, online communities, and even a place in pop culture, from Uncle Milton’s iconic toy to modern-day YouTube influencers and Hollywood blockbusters. As technology advances and knowledge deepens, ant keeping continues to evolve, inspiring new generations to appreciate and care for one of nature’s most fascinating and essential creatures.

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