Description

Educational Kit: Ants in the Classroom

Created by Fourmiculture to successfully raise and observe an ant colony for your educational project without special knowledge and with less than 10 minutes of maintenance per week thanks to a complete Educational Pack!

Allows you to raise ants in the classroom and at home , observe the ant life cycle, and understand the social organization of an anthill. Difference from the starter kit: Green anthill instead of black + 1 powerful magnifying glass + 1 educational guide, ideal for teachers and parents. An excellent tool for Montessori schools .

Turnkey project: a first educational guide on ant farming is available for free and right now by clicking HERE .

Contents of the ant educational pack:

1. Green Minora Fourmiculture , an innovative ant farm made in France with the following advantages: better observations (flat presentation, crystal glass, white background), long-term water autonomy (7-10 days), natural plaster floor healthier than soil, modularity to expand after 2-3 years if necessary.
2. Messor barbarus ant colony with 1 queen, workers, and larvae. We select the best colonies available at the time of ordering.
3. 5W heating mat to stimulate larval growth and ant activity (ideal temperature: 27°C)
4. Electronic thermometer for monitoring temperature.
5. Messor Mix Fin 50g , a mixture of organic seeds to feed your ants for months.
6. Jeweler's loupe x30 for observing all the details.
7. Educational guide + breeding guide with questions/answers + instructions for use + free online assistance.

The ants Messor barbarus are carefully raised in our laboratory inside rearing tubes and include at least one queen, the first workers, and larvae. Our expertise allows us to select tubes with a maximum number of workers (often between 20 and 40), each valued at €39. Alternatively, you can order another species separately and request that it replace the Messor barbarus (for example, Camponotus nicobarensis or fedtschenkoi from Asia, which are active in winter) .

Independent video from a young customer explaining everything about ants in 2 minutes:

 

Payment information: Payment by administrative order and purchase order is possible. To do so, select bank transfer as the payment method when placing your order, then call us or send an email to confirm the details. Checks are also accepted. Alternatively, for faster processing, payment is securely made by credit card in 1 to 4 installments or via PayPal.

Why study ants in the classroom with the Ants Educational Kit?

– Allows observation of the inside of an ant colony with its queen, larvae, and monitoring of long-term development

– A powerful catalyst for curiosity and respect for ants and the living world,

– Hundreds of schools in France have already been convinced,

– Lifespan of the Queen Ant up to 15 years (colony can be restored upon request)

– Children captivated and curiosity guaranteed!

A dynamic resource for the teacher or parent:

Allows for numerous experiments and observations to be carried out at an easily adjustable level of complexity:

– Organization of ant society (queen, castes, soldiers, task management),

– Construction of the ants' nest,

– Life cycle (actual observations of eggs becoming larvae, then pupae, then young light-colored workers),

– Births of female workers and population increase over the months,

– Communication via pheromones, relationships with other insects,

– Food supply and storage,

– And much more!

Included with your educational ant pack for raising ants in the classroom:

– The Perfect Ant Keeper's Guide (12 pages of advice for the success of your ant farm)

– A pedagogical guide to support science education for children and guide your experiments,

– Equipment operating instructions,

– Unlimited breeding advice by email or telephone

 

Numerous topics of study about ants in schools:

– Highlighting how ants communicate – Can we also communicate with smells?

– The distribution of roles in the anthill,

– The use of the chambers of the Artificial Ant Farm according to temperature and humidity,

– The transport and sharing of the food we give them.

But also…

– Could ants have invented agriculture long before us?

Hint: back in the time of the dinosaurs…

– What is the role of ants in nature? Are they beneficial?

Clues: soil aeration, forest clearing, etc.

 

Example of rearing after 1 year of development with Messor minor ants in a Minora Model 1 Artificial Ant Farm:

 

Adopt ants for your school, choosing a species well-suited to your educational project:

The pack comes with Messor barbarus ants ready to be placed in the ant farm. This is a harvester ant from the south of France capable of storing the seeds (provided) it feeds on, requiring very little maintenance: its stores can last for months!

It thrives and offers excellent observations, particularly due to its very large size (up to 14 mm for the queen and major workers). The workers are divided into minor, media, and major castes, from smallest to largest. Major workers appear after about a hundred workers, and their impressive size allows them to carry the heaviest seeds and protect the nest.

Note: This species must hibernate from mid-November to the end of January at around 12°C (minimum 8°C and maximum 17°C). Simply leave it in its transport tube as long as it remains moist, or place the entire colony in a cool room, ensuring humidity and a little food. Egg-laying is guaranteed in the spring.

Value: €29. Colony included in the Pack!

Professional Transport and Service for the Ant Kit:
The ants are transported in a specially designed tube, ready to be connected to the ant farm for relocation. We guarantee safe and healthy delivery to your home or any school. We are recognized by veterinary services and select the finest colonies from our breeding program (some are over a year old). All you'll need to do is care for them according to the included Perfect Ant Keeper's Guide!

Innovative artificial ant farm:

Minora ant farm by Fourmiculture : Your colony will comfortably grow to several hundred workers in the Minora 2.6 artificial ant farm designed and manufactured by Fourmiculture using the most advanced technologies.

This artificial ant farm respects the natural needs of ants and recreates a balance similar to that which they find in nature, without the problems of mold and parasites, thanks in particular to a unique mineral humidifier.

Available in matte green or white with crystal trim, or matte black with fluorescent red trim, depending on stock.

See why this Artificial Ant Farm makes it possible to successfully raise ants at school.

 

 

ALSO INCLUDED IN THE ANTS IN THE CLASSROOM EDUCATIONAL PACK:

1/ Food: The ants will feed primarily on Messor seeds and occasionally on small insects. A bag of organic seeds is provided and will last several months (repurchases are possible in the future for €3).

2/ Heating + electronic thermometer : The heating mat will help you maintain the colony at 27°C, the ideal temperature for the queen to lay eggs and for the colony to grow over time! It is placed on top of the artificial ant farm. Monitor the temperature with the included thermometer. Allow for a 2-month rest period in winter at approximately 10-17°C.

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Optional Observation Area: A natural exploration area.

Ideal after a certain growth stage to better observe and manage your breeding program.

We designed the Observation Spaces to connect to your Artificial Anthill.

Open to the outside, they recreate the environment that ants encounter outside the nest. They allow enthusiasts to place food more easily and observe the colony's behavior.

The non-stick coated frame ensures that no ant can ever escape from the enclosure, even when it's open. Absolute effectiveness guaranteed!

With or without natural artist's decor, depending on the option chosen.

 

An optional anti-stress Hyperfilter for your Ants at School Educational Kit.

The ants in the classroom live comfortably in ambient light. However, in bright light conditions or during your workday, you can choose to place your ants in darker conditions using an innovative optical filter.

Made from fluorescent Plexiglas®, the Hyperfilter absorbs light and transmits some of it through fluorescence along its edge. The remaining light that passes through the filter is barely visible to ants, which cannot distinguish red and therefore feel protected.

More information about the Hyperfilter.

 

 

Success guaranteed in 30 days:

• Delivery of ants guaranteed to be healthy
• 30 days to test your equipment,
• A free service to assist you.

 

The Fourmiculture Charter for our ants still applies:

1. Approved breeding facility of the Veterinary Services, run by a specialist with a certificate of competence,

2. A free Guide to the Perfect Ant Keeper and a health record form are provided

3. Ants guaranteed parasite-free,

4. Health demonstrated by the queen's egg-laying and the presence of brood at the time of shipment

5. No "boost" (adding brood or external worker bees to sell colonies faster),

6. Guaranteed delivery in good health: partial refund in case of worker loss, full refund in case of queen loss (if delivered within 48 hours),

7. Shipping possible from -12°C to +40°C thanks to our optional insulated packaging

8. Species present in France, non-invasive and not threatened,

9. Colony taken back and costs covered if you wish to part with your ants in class (see conditions).

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Have you changed your mind after a few years?

Because high-quality products will always have value, we will take back your educational pack after use to give it a new life and offer you a €20 voucher or a €15 check (subject to current conditions).

We remind you that we also take back the ants after your experience and cover your return shipping costs to reintegrate them into our breeding program