Iroko Wooden Ant Farm Starter Kit

The Iroko Wooden Ant Farm Starter Kit is our premium, handmade wooden ant farm. Its solid iroko hardwood nest (iroko is sold as "African teak") has a built-in digital humidity and temperature meter, a natural Greek sea sponge watering area and four chambers designed around the queen. Every set comes complete with an Ant Arena outworld, Fluon PTFE escape barrier, food, accessories and a live queen ant colony of your choice.
Iroko is one of the hardest woods we have ever worked. One of our test nests spent more than a year outdoors in rain and sun, and others went through repeated freezing and thawing: no cracks, no colour change, no mould. Every nest is cut, lined and finished by hand. This is our last planned batch.
Read the full story of the Iroko wooden ant farm, from the first pencil sketch to the colony trials.
Watch the complete set-up video: every step, from the box to a happy colony.
 
Choose your Iroko ant farm set
Iroko S | Nest with small outworld: Ant Arena Outworld Small (98 x 78 x 98mm), Fluon PTFE ant barrier (3.5ml), 15ml organic honey, approx. 200g ant sand, water station test tube, connecting kit, magnifying glass, plastic pipette, tweezers and an artificial plants set.
Iroko M | Nest with medium outworld: Ant Arena Outworld Medium (220 x 78 x 95mm), Fluon PTFE ant barrier (3.5ml), 15ml organic honey, approx. 300g ant sand, water station test tube, connecting kit, 2 extra connection tubes, magnifying glass, plastic pipette, tweezers and an artificial plants set.
Iroko L | Nest with large outworld: Ant Arena Outworld XL (approx. 240 x 200 x 95mm), Fluon PTFE ant barrier (3.5ml), 25ml organic honey, 2 bags of ant sand (approx. 500g), water station test tube, connecting kit, magnifying glass, plastic pipette, tweezers and an artificial plants set.
Fluon PTFE normally comes only with our large outworld. With the Iroko, every set includes it, so your ants stay safely inside the outworld from day one.
 
Every Iroko wooden ant nest includes
Handmade iroko nest, 150 x 90 x 40mm (46mm high with the cover on, 185mm long with both exits)
Built-in digital humidity and temperature meter with a Duracell LR44 battery
Natural Greek sea sponge watering area with stainless steel mesh
Four chambers with a permanent lining (substrate or wood sawdust)
Port for an external temperature probe, with a silicone plug
Two stoppers, for chamber 1 and chamber 4
3mm red acrylic filter and 3mm black acrylic cover, both with a 10-year guarantee
Queen's test tube silicone connector with two clips, for 16 or 17mm test tubes, with a 10-year guarantee against ageing
Two exits, 12mm outside diameter
Laser-engraved Best Ants UK logo
 
Choose your nest lining
Substrate lining (standard): suits most ant species, available with or without heating.
Wood sawdust lining (carpenter ant version): resin-bonded wood sawdust for Camponotus, available with or without heating. Most carpenter ants do best with warmth, so we recommend adding heating. For now the carpenter ant version comes without ants. Carpenter ant colonies are coming soon.
 
Add heating
Add our Advanced Heating System Small 4W with its digital thermostat. The thermostat probe fits into its own port in the side of the nest, so it reads the temperature inside the nest itself. Iroko warms slowly and holds its temperature like natural soil, so the whole nest can be heated. Recommended for Messor barbarus and carpenter ants.
 
Choose your live ant colony
Lasius niger (black garden ant): queen with 15-20 workers
Lasius flavus (yellow meadow ant): queen with 15-20 workers
Myrmica rubra (common red ant): queen with 20-30 workers
Messor barbarus (harvester ant): queen with 20-30 workers
Every colony is fed before dispatch and covered by our 100% Live Arrival Guarantee.
 
Free with your colony: our First-Year Ant-Keeping Checklist (free PDF), plus free ant care sheets for every species we sell.
 
Good to know
Water the sponge with distilled or purified water only.
Feed your ants in the outworld only.
Keep your ant farm out of direct sunlight and away from lamps and radiators.
Every nest is handmade, so the lining may vary slightly. Your nest will be similar, but not identical, to the one shown.