The tube stays.
The ants move up.
Modular ant farms and formicariums. Made in USA, free shipping, ships next business day from December 1.
Your queen is already in a test tube. Workers out? Push them in a Scout. Everything after it connects through the same standard port.
Free US shipping, no minimum · We ship free next business day**Starts 12/1.
Opening lineup · December 1
Four pieces to start. One port standard joins them all.
Two Scout choices for a founding queen, a Trailhead to feed and connect, and the Founder for a growing colony. Printed in the USA.
Founding queen · tube slot + 1 AA-01 port
Scout V1$24.00
Founding queen · tube slot + 2 AA-01 ports
Scout V2$28.00
Hub and feeding area
Trailhead$28.00
Growing colony
Founder$42.00
Black Friday sale: November 25 – December 2. Prices will be significantly lower than today's. Launch quantities are limited and may sell out first, so wait only if you're comfortable with that.
Already have a nest? Connect it to ours One Tube Link Set is free per order with a nest or nest kit.You don't move the colony. You connect the next room.
A Scout's AA-01 port sits low, right at the height of Trailhead's low port. Push one Link in and the two are joined on the table, no Riser needed.
When the colony outgrows the Scout, Link a Founder to one of Trailhead's higher ports. Fill the Founder's reservoir and let the Scout's tube dry out, and the colony moves over on its own.
What every piece shares
01
One port, every model
Every port is the same AA-01 socket, so one Link joins any two pieces. Most ports sit at the standard link height. Scout ports sit lower, closer to the table. A Scout Riser lifts a Scout to standard height, or a Trailhead's low port takes a Scout straight off the table. Close a spare port with a Port Plug, or a Vent Plug for airflow.
02
Click Stop lids
Clear acrylic lids slide in and click over a small printed bump. There's no separate cap or feeding hatch to keep track of. Lift the lid edge at the fingernail notch, slide it back a little to feed, then slide it home until it clicks. The lid always leaves through an end with no port, so a Link never blocks it.
03
Glass-safe 16 mm tube seat
Standard 16 mm test tubes, glass or plastic, push in against a flat stop. Light guide ribs center the tube without squeezing it, and a ramp leads ants from the tube floor up into the nest, with no lip to climb.
04
Humidity and drinking water are separate
Founder, Homestead and Four Corners have a reservoir printed into the base. Fill it through the side hole until water comes back out, which is the full line, then push in the Fill Plug. Moisture rises through a printed mesh floor into the humidity chamber, and ants never reach the open water. No inserts, sponges or cotton to swap. Drinking water still comes from a test tube in a linked outworld. A Dew Tube that plugs into any port is planned, but not orderable yet.
05
A straight heat channel
On the larger nests, a straight tunnel runs under the warm brood chamber. Push a standard reptile heat cable and a thermostat probe through it. It stays completely separate from the ants.
06
Printed in the USA
Printed in PETG in the USA, with one-piece bodies and no glue.
Scout V1 or Scout V2?
Both come with a 16 mm test tube and a Click Stop lid.
| Compare | Scout V1$24.00 | Scout V2$28.00 |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Classic: queen chamber beside the water, two chambers, a foyer at the port | Spring at the tube mouth, roofed Queen Pocket, two chambers to two foyers |
| Tube slot | 16 mm, on one end | 16 mm, on one end |
| AA-01 Link ports | 1, on the end opposite the tube slot | 2, one on the end and one on the back side |
| Queen chamber | Open, beside the water | Roofed hidden pocket off the drinking Spring |
| Water | 16 mm test tube, included | 16 mm test tube, included |
| Lid | Click Stop, slides out over the tube end | Click Stop, slides out over the tube end |
| Cover | Scout Cover, included | Same Scout Cover, notched for the side port; price and box inclusion to be confirmed |
| Scout Riser | Yes | Yes, the side port clears the supports |
| Footprint | About 3 × 1¾ in | Same as V1 |
Not sure? V1 is the simplest start for one founding queen. Pick V2 if you want a darker spot for her, or plan to Link a Scout to two things at once.
Coming after December
Bigger nests and outworlds, each on its own date. Everything Links to the opening lineup.
The price on the page. The date up front.
A $24 nest shouldn't need a $75 cart to ship free. Ours ships free anywhere in the US with no minimum, so the next room costs what it says.
And you know when it moves. We tell you the dispatch timing and the arrival estimate separately, before you pay.
Shipping
Free
Every US order. No minimum, no fee at checkout.
Pre-orders open November 24
Pre-orders open November 24 for the December 1 launch.
*Starts 12/1.
Launch orders: expected postal delivery December 1–5.
Collect native ants
The best first colony is a local one. Catch a newly mated queen of a species native to where you live, and watch the colony grow from the very first worker.
Check your local and state rules before collecting or keeping ants.
ColonyLog · Free ant colony tracker
Keep the colony's story in ColonyLog.
A free ant colony tracker for feedings, eggs, first workers, photos and nest moves. Keep the observations that matter together, from your first queen onward.
See how ColonyLog worksReady when your colony is.
Start with the piece your ants need today. Everything after it connects.