Kit Ziom

• Formicarium Ziom — square acrylic ant nest, 13×13 cm, 9 mm nest chamber, integrated arena (10×4×4.5 cm); double nut-and-screw escape protection, laser-cut ventilation, clear acrylic on every side, made in Poland
• Live Messor structor colony — harvester colony with a laying queen and roughly 15–40 workers
• Grain Set S — mixed seeds for the first weeks of feeding
• Decorative sand — for the arena floor
• Arena decoration — to set the scene
• Tweezers — for feeding and tidying
• Live arrival guarantee — covers the colony in transit

The square footprint reads as an object you chose rather than a tank in a corner, and because the sand and decoration come in the box the arena is dressed from day one. Underneath the looks is a real colony: the cheap novelty farms ship a few workers and no queen, so they cannot raise replacements and are finished in two or three weeks. Kit Ziom is built around a laying queen who replaces the workers that die, in the same 3 mm layered acrylic with a real humidification sponge and a screw-locked lid rather than a clip that pops. You are starting a hobby.

Messor structor is an easy first ant: it eats seeds, so there are no crickets to handle, and the queen shrugs off early mistakes. The colony is size-polymorphic, tiny minors alongside big-headed majors that crack the hardest seeds and grind them into stored “ant bread”. It suits a keeper who wants the finished look without chasing parts, a child of about 8 and up with an adult on watering, or anyone after a living gift; children watch through the acrylic with no contact, and the workers do not sting. Most presents are forgotten by January, but a colony is larger by spring. Buying for a birthday or Christmas? Order 7 to 14 days ahead so we can time the dispatch, and involve a parent rather than springing it on a very young child. Prefer no winter rest? Ask us before checkout about a tropical species.

Add water through the humidification port until the sponge feels damp, cover the nest with a dark cloth while the colony settles, then connect the transport tube to the entrance and leave it; the ants cross when ready, usually within hours and sometimes up to two days. Keep things warm (22–26 °C) and quiet. Once workers explore, scatter a few seeds and clear uneaten ones every 3 to 4 days; add a small dish of sugar water as the colony grows. Keep the sponge lightly damp with a weekly top-up, out of direct sun, and lift husks and dead workers with the tweezers. When it fills the Ziom, move up to a Comfort, Ideal, Giant or modular nest, all joined with standard tubing.

Every colony is covered by our live arrival guarantee. The ants travel in a secure transport tube with moisture and food, and we have shipped thousands of colonies across Europe in seasonal thermal packaging, a heat pack in winter and a cool gel pack in summer. The formicarium and food travel together; the live colony is timed to arrive in good condition. Delivery runs 1 to 2 days inside Poland (InPost); 2 to 3 days to Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium (DHL); 3 to 5 days to France and the rest of the EU; 5 to 9 days to the UK; worldwide tracked and quoted at checkout. Full setup instructions are included, with a video guide at youtube.com/@AntOnTop. If anything arrives damaged or the queen does not survive transit, contact us and we will put it right.

Can I choose the sand colour?
Sand and sticker colour ship assorted as standard. Tell us your preference at checkout or message us ahead and we will do our best to match it.

How many workers can the Ziom hold before I upgrade?
Around 400 to 600. At that point the colony has filled the nest and is ready for a Comfort, Ideal, Giant or modular setup.

Is it safe for children, and from what age?
Yes. Messor structor does not sting or bite. Watching involves no contact and suits children from about 8, with an adult helping on water and food.

Is keeping a colony like this cruel?
The cruelty is in the queenless gel farm, where the workers simply die off. A queen-led colony with the right food, humidity and space is the ethical way to keep ants.

How long does delivery take?
1 to 2 days inside Poland (InPost); 2 to 3 days to Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium (DHL); 3 to 5 days to France and the rest of the EU; 5 to 9 days to the UK; worldwide tracked and quoted at checkout.

A note on care: each item is built for a specific job — please use it only as intended. Responsibility for correct, safe use rests with the keeper; ANTonTOP accepts no liability for misuse or damage from improper use.