The living toy for curious kids

Watch a tiny world dig itself.

COLONY is a see-through ant nest. Fill it with sand, add real ants, and wake up to brand-new tunnels every single morning.

Start your colony See how it works

Why kids can't look away

Three reasons COLONY beats any screen on a rainy Saturday.

Living tunnels

Crystal-clear chambers and fine play sand put every tunnel, chamber, and seed stash on display — no more guessing what happens underground.

Real ants, real behavior

No batteries, no coding. Genuine harvester ants haul, dig, and negotiate their own roads in real time, so every COLONY tells a different story.

Kid-safe design

Rounded edges, shatter-resistant walls, and an escape-proof double lid. Built for curious hands ages 6 and up — the ants barely notice the attention.

From box to empire in three steps

No apps, no assembly headaches — just sand, ants, and a front-row seat.

1

Stock the nest

Pour in the layered play sand, clip on the sugar-water feeder, and snap the lid shut. Setup takes ten unhurried minutes.

2

Add the colony

Classic and Mega kits ship with live harvester ants, or invite the backyard crew. Twenty workers is a full construction team.

3

Watch them build

Within a day or two the first tunnels appear. Mist, feed, and map the growing empire on the included keeper's poster.

Word from the nest

Parents, teachers, and at least one very invested grandparent.

"My daughter checks the nest before breakfast. She has named fourteen ants and narrates their shifts like a tiny sports commentator."

Priya M.Parent of two, Austin TX

"I run three COLONY sets in my classroom. Nothing else gets twenty-eight third-graders this quiet, this curious, this fast."

Daniel R.3rd-grade teacher, Portland OR

Pick your colony

Every kit ships with sand, a feeder, and our illustrated Ant Keeper's Guide.

Starter Colony

$29one-time

Single tunnel pod
Sand + sugar-water feeder kit
Mail-in voucher for 10–12 ants
Keeper's guide & tunnel poster

Start small

Classic Colony

$49one-time

3-chamber maze nest
25 live harvester ants
Magnifying observation lid
Everything in Starter

Dig in

Mega Colony

$89one-time

6-chamber mega nest
50+ ants + feeding station
Queen-safe starter vial
Educator activity pack

Go mega

Ant questions? Answered.

Are the ants included?

Classic and Mega kits ship with live harvester ants in 1–2 days. Starter includes a mail-in voucher, since a smaller crew travels best in mild weather. Refill packs of 25 are always in stock.

Is it safe for kids?

COLONY is built for ages 6 and up: rounded edges, shatter-resistant walls, and an escape-proof double lid. Our worker ants are a gentle species, and the kit includes soft feather tweezers for safe moves.

How long do the ants live?

Workers live one to three months in the nest, and refills arrive in days. Queens can't be shipped in most states, but a steady crew of twenty keeps the tunnels growing all year long.