I Raised My First Ant Colony for 9 Months

For 9 months, I raised my first ever ant colony — a tiny Lasius niger colony with one queen, three workers, and a very ambitious name: Morticia and the Garden Warriors. At first, it looked like almost nothing was happening. A few workers, a tiny brood pile, barely any visible activity, and a lot of me staring at a test tube wondering if I was doing something wrong. But over those 9 months, this colony went through a slow start, diapause, a flood, one oversized setup mistake, a better nest move, and finally the first real signs of stable growth. This is not a giant ant empire video. It is a realistic look at what raising a small beginner ant colony can actually feel like — especially when you start late in the season and expect things to happen much faster than they really do. If you have a quiet queen, a tiny founding colony, or a Lasius niger setup that looks like it is doing absolutely nothing, this video should help put that slow early stage into perspective. Sometimes your ant colony is not failing. Sometimes it is just small ☕ Support the Channel If you've found Antastic Tom helpful and want to support what I'm building, there are two simple options: One-off support (Ko-fi): https://ko-fi.com/antastictom Ongoing support + behind-the-scenes updates (Patreon):   / antastictom   There's absolutely no pressure — watching, learning, and taking good care of your ants is already more than enough. ———————————————————————— 🔔 Join the Antastic Team If you enjoyed the video, liking and subscribing really helps the channel grow. Come be part of the growing ant keeping community. ———————————————————————— 📧 Business Enquiries & Collaborations For product reviews, sponsorships, or collaborations, contact me at: [email protected] ————————————————————————