02Coming January 1, 2027
Homestead
The full-size colony home. One print, two lids, built-in water.
- Size
- About 5⅞ × 3⅞ × 1½ in
- Ports
- 5 × AA-01, including the back vent
- Lids
- 2 × Click Stop slide-in lids; left opens front, right opens back
Homestead is a one-piece PETG colony home, about 5⅞ × 3⅞ × 1½ in. One built-in reservoir supplies two humidity chambers through printed mesh floors, with the queen chamber between them. The nest runs from humid on the right to dry and warm on the left.
Fill through the hole on the right end until water runs back out, then fit the included Fill Plug. Provide drinking water separately. Check the reservoir for leaks before adding a colony.
Two Click Stop lids open independently: the left lid slides toward the front and the right toward the back. A straight front-to-back heat channel sits beneath the warm brood area in the left half.
Five AA-01 ports sit at standard connection height: both ends, front, back and a back vent. Link to a Frontier L, another nest or your existing Founder. Homestead includes its body, two lids and Fill Plug; choose Links and port closures separately.
The same fill-and-plug water, bigger
One built-in reservoir feeds both humidity chambers.
- Fill the hole on the right end with a syringe or dropper.
- Stop when water comes back out. That's the full line.
- Push in the Fill Plug, which comes in the box.
Moisture rises through the printed mesh floor; ants never reach open water. Drinking water comes from a linked outworld with a test tube. A Dew Tube for any port is planned, not orderable yet.
Humid on the right, warm on the left
The queen sits between two humidity chambers. Brood chambers sit over the heat channel.
HumidWarm and dry
- Two humidity chambersOver the reservoir, with the queen chamber between them.
- Brood chambersOn the left half, over a straight heat channel that runs front to back.
- Two lidsThe left lid slides out the front, the right lid out the back, so you can open the feeding side without disturbing the queen side.
Five ports
All AA-01 at standard link height.
How it fits the system
- Click Stop lidsLift at the notch, slide to feed, slide back until it clicks.
- Humidity and drinking water are separateBuilt-in reservoir for humidity. A test tube for drinking, with a Dew Tube planned.
- A straight heat channelA tunnel under the warm chamber takes a reptile heat cable, away from the ants.
- Printed in the USAOne-piece PETG bodies. No glue.
Build your setup
Tick what you need. Ordering opens on its release date.
- HomesteadComing Soon · January 1, 2027In the box: the Homestead body, two acrylic lids and one Fill Plug.$64.00
- Coming Soon
- Coming Soon
- $3.00
$7.00 - $4.00
$10.00 - $4.00
$9.00 - $4.00
$6.00 - $10.00
Your setup · 1 item
$64.00
Coming soon: January 1, 2027.
What's in the box?
Everything that ships with this item.
- 02Homestead nestOne-piece body× 1
- Click Stop acrylic lidsAlso sold separately× 2
- Fill PlugAlso sold separately× 1
How it connects
AA-01 ports join with a Link. Best matches first; check what you'll also need.
Ways to build
Real connection plans with the pieces to add together. Kits count as one priced item.
Homestead + Frontier L
Best pairingA growing colony's nest with its matching larger foraging area.
Pieces to add
- Both open January 1, 2027. Frontier L includes a Link; Homestead's unused ports need separate closures.
Setup total: $116.00
Cannot add setup yet: Homestead: Coming soon: January 1, 2027.
Room to grow
Move from Founder into Homestead with a Frontier L outworld.
Pieces to add
- Homestead and Frontier L open January 1, 2027. Choose extra connection parts and close unused nest ports.
- Both nest reservoirs supply humidity, not drinking water.
Setup total: $161.00
Cannot add setup yet: Founder: Pre-orders open November 24 for the December 1 launch.
Two Homesteads
Tile two Homesteads side by side for one growing colony.
Pieces to add
- January release. Choose a Link pack and closures for all eight unused ports.
- Use for one colony only; drinking water is separate from humidity.
Setup total: $143.00
Cannot add setup yet: Homestead: Coming soon: January 1, 2027.
Fits its ports
Specifications
- Size
- About 5⅞ × 3⅞ × 1½ in
- Body
- One-piece PETG, printed in the USA
- Chambers
- Warm brood area; queen chamber between two humidity chambers
- Humidity
- One built-in reservoir beneath both humidity chambers
- Fill
- Right-end fill/overflow hole; Fill Plug included
- Lids
- 2 × Click Stop slide-in lids; left opens front, right opens back
- Ports
- 5 × AA-01, including the back vent
- Heat
- Straight front-to-back channel beneath the left brood area
Related guides
- Setting upUnboxing, connecting with Links, Click Stop lids, separate drinking water and built-in reservoir humidity.
- Watering: humidity and drinking waterPrepare Scout water tubes, top up built-in humidity reservoirs and provide separate drinking water.
- HeatingWhen a colony needs warmth, how to heat each model safely, and when to turn the heat off for winter.
- CleaningEveryday tidying with the colony inside, full cleaning between colonies, and what's safe for PETG and acrylic.
- Moving a colony between nestsConnect the old home to the new one, make the new one more inviting, and let the colony move itself.
Upgrade path
ColonyLog · Free ant colony tracker
A nest for your ants. A record for their progress.
Keep feedings, eggs, first workers and photos together in ColonyLog. Scan an American Ant nest's QR label or enter its code to register it, then connect the nest with the colony living inside.
See how ColonyLog works