Cleaning

American Ant nests and outworlds are printed in PETG, and the lids are acrylic. Both clean up easily if you keep the water cool and the products mild.

• Lukewarm water with a drop of unscented dish soap, then a thorough rinse. Soap left behind can harm ants.
• A soft toothbrush, cotton swabs, and pipe cleaners for tunnels.
• A soft microfiber cloth for the lids. Paper towels can scratch acrylic.
• Time. Let every part dry completely before ants go back in.

Avoid:

• Boiling water, the dishwasher and the microwave. Heat can warp PETG.
• Alcohol, acetone, ammonia glass cleaners and other solvents. They can cloud or crack acrylic.
• Bleach and scented cleaners. The residue and smell linger.

Most cleaning happens without moving the colony:

• Take out uneaten food within a day, before it molds.
• Ants keep a trash pile of leftovers and dead nestmates, usually in the outworld. Lift it out with long tweezers or a cotton swab every week or two.
• A little mold on a scrap of food is normal: remove the scrap. If mold keeps coming back, you may be overfeeding or keeping the nest too wet.
• Wipe the outside of the lids with a dry or barely damp cloth.

If the colony piles trash inside the nest, leave it unless it molds. Most colonies move it out once they have an outworld.

Clean the Scout between queens. Pull out the test tube, slide the lid out, and wash the body and lid by hand. A cotton swab reaches into the queen chamber and the two small chambers.

Start the next queen with a fresh tube and new cotton. Wash the Cover too if it's dusty.

Once Founder is empty, slide its lid out the right end. Remove the Fill Plug, drain and rinse the built-in reservoir, and wash the body by hand. Rinse thoroughly and allow it to dry. Do not pry apart the one-piece body or remove its printed mesh floor. Refill and check for leaks before reintroducing ants.

Once Homestead is empty, slide the left lid toward the front and the right toward the back. Wash accessible chambers gently by hand.

Remove the Fill Plug, drain and rinse the built-in reservoir. Never split the one-piece body or pry at the humidity floors. Rinse and dry fully, then refill and check for leaks.

Each quadrant is its own colony under its own lid, so clean them one at a time. When a quadrant is empty, clean it with a damp cotton swab and a soft brush while the other three lids stay closed.

Keep tools and drinking-water sources separate between colonies. Each quadrant has its own built-in reservoir and Fill Plug.

For a full wash, wait until all four quadrants are empty. Slide out the lids, remove the four Fill Plugs, drain and rinse each reservoir separately, and wash the one-piece body gently. Never pry apart its body or humidity floors.

Clean the outworld little and often: remove leftover food and the trash pile, and replace the sand in the sand pit when it gets dirty.

The Fluon band on the top inch of the wall wears off with scrubbing. Clean below it, and repaint it when ants start climbing past it.

For a full wash, disconnect the empty outworld, wash it by hand, let it dry completely, and repaint the Fluon before connecting it again.

Worn parts are easy to replace:

• Spare Acrylic Lids, in Founder and Homestead sizes