Pet Ants

People usually start searching for “pet ants” when they’ve found a queen after a flight, bought a starter colony, or watched a few videos and want to know what’s actually safe to do at home. The main risks aren’t dramatic. They’re slow and practical: a dried-out nest, mould from excess moisture, drowned workers in syrup, or an accidental escape that turns a hobby into a biosecurity problem.

Keeping an ant colony well is mostly about creating steady conditions and then getting out of their way. Darkness over the nest, clean water access, small measured feeds, and a setup that won’t leak. And in Australia, there’s an extra layer: never move ants (or ant-carrying materials) around casually, especially in regions with declared pest ants and movement controls.^{1, 2}

Why keep ants as pets?

Ants suit people who enjoy observation more than handling. A healthy colony runs like a living system: foragers move out, food comes in, brood develops, waste gets carried away. Much of it is guided by chemical communication, which is why trails appear, vanish, and re-form as conditions change.¹

They can also be a strong classroom species for slow, careful watching: roles within a colony, how food is shared, and how simple cues can produce surprisingly organised behaviour.²

Before you start: legality and biosecurity (Australia)

Ant-keeping sits inside a bigger reality: Australia actively manages invasive ants, and movement controls exist because people can spread pest ants without meaning to. That includes moving colonies, soil, potted plants, turf, mulch, and other “carrier” materials from declared zones.^{3, 4}

• Don’t collect and transport wild colonies across suburbs, towns, or states. If you’re unsure, don’t move them.
• Check whether your area is under movement controls (for example, fire ant biosecurity zones in Queensland change over time).⁴
• Never post or export native insects without the right permits. Australia treats this as wildlife trafficking, with serious penalties.⁵

If you suspect an invasive ant (such as red imported fire ants) in Australia, don’t try to keep it. Report it through your state program or the National Fire Ant Eradication Program channels.⁴

Choosing an ant species (what to look for)

Species choice matters, but not for the reasons people often assume. The big differences are humidity needs, growth rate, worker size (tiny workers are escape artists), and whether the species is likely to sting.

If you’re in Australia, it’s safer to focus on locally common, non-declared species that are legal to keep in your state or territory. Rules vary by jurisdiction, and some species that are easy overseas (for example, Lasius niger) are not native to Australia and shouldn’t be imported or traded.⁵

A practical “beginner friendly” checklist

• Workers are medium-sized (easier to contain and observe).
• Colony grows at a moderate pace (less pressure to expand quickly).
• Humidity needs are forgiving (some species cope poorly with drying or over-wetting).
• Low sting risk (especially if children will be observing).

Setting up a habitat (formicarium basics)

A workable setup has two parts: a nest area (humid, dark, stable) and an outworld (where you place food and where most mess happens). Keeping the nest dark is not a gimmick; it reduces disturbance and makes the colony more likely to use the nest properly rather than clustering in exposed corners.²

Key principles that hold for most commonly kept ants:

• Containment first: tight lid, no gaps around tubing, and an escape barrier appropriate to your enclosure.
• Ventilation, but not drafts: enough airflow to reduce mould pressure, while keeping the nest from drying too quickly.
• Moisture gradient: ants often do best when they can choose slightly wetter or drier nest zones, rather than being forced into one uniform condition.⁶
• Cleanable outworld: most feeding should happen outside the nest so leftovers can be removed.

Feeding pet ants (what they actually use)

Ant diets are often described as “sugar and protein”, but it helps to picture how the colony uses each. Many adult ants primarily take in liquids, while larvae can process more solid foods that workers bring back and prepare.¹

Carbohydrates (energy)

Offer small amounts of sugar water or honey water, presented so workers can’t drown (for example, on cotton or a sponge). Replace regularly to avoid mould and fermentation. The Australian Museum notes you can supply water using a dampened sponge, which is a simple, low-risk approach for small colonies.²

Protein (brood growth)

Protein drives brood growth. Small insects are commonly used (commercial feeder insects can be safer than wild-caught, which may carry pesticides or parasites). Keep servings small and remove leftovers before they spoil.

Water (always available)

Even species that prefer drier nests still need reliable drinking water. A cotton-plugged water tube or dampened sponge reduces drowning risk while keeping access steady.²

Ant behaviour and communication (what you’re seeing)

Trail lines and sudden shifts in activity usually come down to communication, not “moods”. Ants are well known for chemical signalling (pheromone trails) that guide nestmates to food and back again, and they also exchange information through contact with their antennae. The Australian Museum describes ants’ chemical communication as especially complex and central to their success.¹

Once you know this, the daily pattern becomes easier to read: a food find sparks recruitment, trails strengthen, then fade as the resource is exhausted or the route changes.⁷

Health problems in captive colonies (common causes)

Most “illness” in pet ants is environmental stress. The colony can’t tell you what’s wrong, but the enclosure usually can.

Common problems and likely causes

• Mould blooms: excess moisture, poor ventilation, old food left too long.
• Die-offs after feeding: food contaminated with pesticides, or spoiling protein left in the nest/outworld.
• Brood not developing: too cold, too dry, not enough protein, or constant disturbance/light exposure over the nest.
• Frequent escapes: enclosure gaps, condensation bridges, or an ineffective barrier for very small workers.

If you see sudden, widespread losses, stop feeding questionable foods, remove leftovers, stabilise temperature and moisture, and reduce disturbance. For large stinging species, or if you’re worried about an invasive ant, prioritise safe containment and seek local biosecurity advice rather than trying to “treat” the colony yourself.⁴

Ants in education (safe observation ideas)

A formicarium makes slow biology visible. The Australian Museum suggests simple observation and marking experiments (where appropriate) and describes classic behaviours like ants tending aphids for sugary secretions, which can be observed with care using appropriate plant material.²

• Track how long a sugar trail persists after food is removed.
• Offer two food sources and observe which is recruited to first.
• Compare activity at different times of day without changing the setup.

Final thoughts

Ants thrive in captivity when the setup is steady and boring: dark nest, reliable water, measured feeding, and clean airflow. Your role is mostly to keep the conditions within a safe range, then watch the colony solve the rest with chemicals, touch, and movement.

In Australia, the most responsible ant-keepers are also quiet biosecurity allies. Don’t move ants or risky materials without checking restrictions, and don’t trade or ship native insects outside the rules.^{3, 4, 5}

References

1. Australian Museum — Ants: Family Formicidae
2. Australian Museum — Observing ants (collecting and care of a colony)
3. Business Queensland — Electric ant (biosecurity zone and movement controls)
4. National Fire Ant Eradication Program — Fire ant biosecurity zones
5. Australian Government (DCCEEW) — Tiny cargo, big crime: exporting insects without a permit is illegal
6. Keeping Insects — Keeping ants as pets (humidity and feeding overview)
7. Encyclopaedia Britannica — Ant (behaviour and communication overview)
8. Ramirez et al. (2018) — Modeling tropotaxis in ant colonies: recruitment and trail formation (arXiv preprint)