May, 1909 
obliged to make use of the 
glass as roof and floor. 
Thus their doings are 
plainly visible from with- 
out, and by means of a 
tripod magnifying glass 
their every action may be 
watched with perfect ease. 
In contriving one of the 
handy formicariums, the 
springs of the photo frame 
must always be weakened, 
otherwise the pressure will 
prove too great and crack 
the glass. Much larger 
homes for ants may be 
made on the same prin- 
ciple, as shown herewith. 
In such cases it is best to 
cement the narrow slips of 
- glass upon the large sheet which is to form the floor, thus 
forming a kind of very shallow tray, one opening, about an 
inch across, being left as the entrance. When the ants have 
been placed upon this tray, the upper sheet of glass is clamped 
into position with strong steel clips, and a wad of cotton is 
used to plug the entrance lest the ants 
should attempt to stray. In most cases, 
however, the insects will soon settle down 
happily in their new quarters, affording 
their owner the means of much pleasur- 
able observation. 
But do not pet ants call for a great deal 
of care if they are to be kept healthy? The 
question is a natural one, and the answer 
will come to many readers as a surprise. 
For, despite what may be asserted to the 
contrary, pet ants require hardly any atten- 
tion at all. Once a month, during the hot 
weather—perhaps once a fortnight when 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
Studying bees in an observatory hive 
207 
which they carry about 
from one side of the formi- 
carium to the other in the 
hope of finding shelter for 
them. Therefore, when 
observing your ants do so 
as much as possible in a 
subdued light; and when 
not observing them be sure 
that the glass top of their 
home is covered. By this 
means you will add ma- 
terially to the happiness of 
your ants, and they will 
repay you by thriving 
from day to day. Ants 
carefully tended according 
to the simple directions 
which have been given will 
live for years in captivity. 
Pet bees are, if possible, more interesting than pet ants, 
while in keeping them one experiences the novelty of enjoying 
honey which one has actually seen being made. Bees may 
safely be kept in any ordinary room, upon a side table, pro- 
vided they are housed in a small observation hive. Briefly, 
this is a diminutive hive, made to carry one, 
two or three of the regulation “frames,” 
but with glass sides in place of the usual 
wooden ones. Darkness for the inmates is 
secured by means of blinds or screens when 
the bees are not actually under observation. 
But as bees must have liberty throughout 
the summer, and as it would be highly un- 
pleasant to have them streaming through 
one’s door and windows at all hours of the 
day, the entrance of their home is con- 
nected by a tube with a one-inch hole in the 
nearest window sash. ‘Through this tube 
the bees go merrily to their labors among 
the atmosphere is very dry—the formi- 
carium should be gently tilted, and about 
a teaspoonful of water poured into the nest 
—more or less according to its size. After- 
ward a little honey should be inserted, and then the cotton 
plug may be replaced. With this small periodic supply of 
honey and water the ants will be perfectly contented and 
healthy; while in winter they need nothing at all, for the 
cold weather renders them dormant and inactive. 
One thing, however, is essential for the well- 
being of these underground ants, and this is dark- 
ness. If left long in a strong light the little insects 
we 
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OSL LLOS A r y 
LAE Lo LLLP TALE LLL OOOO y 
How the narrow strips of glass are arranged upon the lower 
or “floor’’ glass in impromptu formicarium 
evince every sign of extreme distress, especially in 
regard to their young—the larve and pupe— 
Workers surrounding the Queen in 
the ants’ nest 
the flowers; through it they return laden 
with honey. So that by means of these 
observation hives one may witness the stor- 
ing of honey, and all the intricate details 
of bee life, and yet never be stung, or in any way incon- 
venienced by the going and coming of the insects. 
It will be quite possible for the reader, should he have a 
smattering of carpentering at his disposal, to construct an 
observation hive for himself, converting any old wooden box 
A simple kind of formicarium 
