A formicarium that starts on the tube you already have.

AA-01 ports connect with a Link. Most nests and outworlds use standard-height ports; Scouts sit lower.

Either Scout meets standard-height ports on a Scout Riser, or Trailhead's low port directly on the table without a Riser. The moving guide shows the paths.

The Scout V1, $24, is the first nest. A 16 mm test tube slides into it. The queen stays in the tube she already knows, with her first workers, and the Scout gives that tube a home.

Both Scouts include a 16 mm water tube with a glass-safe seat. Scout V2 adds a hidden Queen Pocket and a second AA-01 port. The watering guide explains tube preparation.

The Founder, $42, is one-piece PETG with a built-in reservoir beneath its printed mesh humidity floor, a hidden Queen Pocket and a Click Stop lid.

The Homestead, $64 (coming January 1), supplies two humidity chambers from one reservoir and has two independently opening slide-in lids.

The Four Corners, $96 (coming March 1), holds four separate colonies, each with its own reservoir and slide-in lid. Reservoirs supply humidity; drinking water is always separate.

An outworld is where the ants forage. Food and trash stay out of the nest. The Frontier S, $34 (coming January 1), pairs with the Founder. The Frontier L, $52 (coming January 1), pairs with the Homestead.

Read more on the outworld page.

Start small. If you have a queen in a tube, begin with the Scout. If you are not sure which size, the size guide walks the path from tube to Homestead.

New to this? Start here shows the whole path in order. Need a queen first? Read how to catch one. We sell nests and parts, not live ants.

Every order ships free in the US from US stock. See shipping and returns for the details. Or browse the whole shop.

These are printed in PETG with acrylic lids. The materials page says what that means for cleaning and heat. The FAQ answers the rest, and About says who makes them.