Activity 2: The Ant and the Sluggard

Required Materials:

The lid of a shoebox,  2 plastic pipettes,  modeling clay,  transparent glass 2 mm thick in a matching size (can be purchased at a glazier),  alabaster plaster (for casting, available at hardware stores).
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Finding queen ants in the autumn after the first rain.
Keeping them in a cool place in a closed test tube with a cotton ball wet with sugar water at its end for nourishment.
Towards spring, transferring them to the ant colony.
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Information and videos on how to make an ant colony can be found on the internet.
Prepare modeling clay logs resembling a real nest (thinner parts that are only for passage, and egg-shaped chambers where the ants store food and eggs).
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Ensure that two modeling clay logs reach the edge and connect to the pipettes – to these points we will later be able to introduce water / food into the nest.
Attach them to the cardboard lid.
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Prepare plaster for casting in a ratio of \({\large\frac{2}{3}}\) plaster and \({\large\frac{1}{3}}\) cold water.
Pour the plaster and place the glass flush against the modeling clay.
Wait a few hours until separating the casting from the cardboard box.
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The activity of the ants can be observed during temperature changes, when introducing food into the nest, and when the ant colony is dry.