I couldn’t believe what I saw after my pet yellow crazy ants (the Golden Empire) was moved into their new ant farm. This ant colony has been through a lot, including quite recently a mite plague which almost wiped them out. Thankfully, their rehabilitation progress has been promising so today we move them into their brand new home, an AC Hybrid Nest. But what we discover after they move in will shock you!

My PET ANTS Showed Me THIS in their New ANT FARM

Above our tarantula goddess’ Arachno Sanctorium lies an outworld containing one of the most extraordinary ant colonies I’ve ever kept. A recovering township of yellow crazy ants works fastidiously across the terrain of their outworld—a holding cell and quarantine of an empire previously scorned.

These are the survivors of the Golden Empire, a once flourishing and powerful ant kingdom numbering in the millions but quickly reduced to these few hundreds after a lethal mite plague struck them. These mites attached to the bodies of the ants and sucked their blood until they each died off one by one.

But luckily, we were able to save a few of them with the help of some predatory mites harvested from great beetles, which eventually eradicated the vampiric mites from the ants.

So today, the Golden Empire, one of the oldest and most cherished ant colonies on this channel, takes its first joyful step upward—resilient as ever—despite losing their once great numbers and even their previous kingdom of old, as we watch these amazing ants move into their brand-new royal home. I’m positive you all will love building it with me and watching the ants move in! But most important of all, wait until you see the shocking discovery I made at the end of this video, once the Golden Empire had settled in!

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These ants have no idea what’s ahead for them. After having suffered such a tough past, the Golden Empire truly deserves this new home I have planned. What’s interesting to note is that each one of these worker ants, aside from the queen, was born within the past two or three months.

You see, worker ants only live for two to three months tops, while the queen ant—who is hiding somewhere in this mass, and who we’ll see later in this video—can live for decades, as much as thirty years in some species.

Isn’t it crazy to think that these ants probably have no idea what hardships their older sisters and colony had undergone in their not-too-distant history?

Now take a look at this, AC Family. See all that brood? Those are piles of cocoons, eggs, and larvae all above ground. The reason for this is because I’ve recently watered their territories, and in response, they’ve transported their young above ground—a natural behavior these tropical ants exhibit to avoid drowning from tropical flooding.

But usually, the ants won’t need to do this if they nest in a place higher above ground or where floodwater can’t access. I felt bad seeing the ants constantly having to bring their brood above ground every time I watered their territories.

And look where else the ants have decided to pile their brood during such times! Ants, eggs, larvae, and pupae are all jam-packed in their water test tube—their reservoir for fresh drinking water. They love how the space is both humid and dry from the periodic floods.

They’ve even gone and done the same thing in their sugar water reservoir!

And so, AC Family, I felt the time had come for the ants to have a more secure place to nest—where they wouldn’t have to worry about these routine floods, and they could live in peace.

Now that the ants are completely parasitic mite-free, healthy, and on their way to full recovery, quarantining them in this outworld is no longer necessary. It was time to give the Golden Empire their first ant nesting space since their great and necessary exodus from their previous home.

I think you guys might love what I had planned ahead. Furthermore, you’ll be amazed by what the Golden Empire revealed to us once they settled in!

Behold—the future royal quarters of the Golden Empire: an AC Hybrid Nest 2.0 Tetramorium, but with some customizations. Let’s have a look!

I’ve laced the tunnels and rooms with gravel and sphagnum moss to help the Golden Empire feel much more cozy once they move in. My intention is for the ants to move these bits of debris around as they please so they can completely customize their living space as they see fit. This debris will also be water absorbent and help maintain humidity levels.

These ants like humid nests and don’t do well in dry nests, so adding these moisture sponges will truly help the ants, their young, and the queen feel comfortable. When moving ants into a formicarium—i.e., an ant farm—it’s important to know what conditions their species prefer.

In the case of the Golden Empire, who are yellow crazy ants, they prefer medium to high humidity in their nest and don’t do well in dry nests. Ants like most carpenter ants and harvester ants, on the other hand, prefer medium to drier nests.

I think the Golden Empire will really like this space!

By the way, for those wondering, this is the Tetramorium version of the AC Hybrid Nest, inspired by Tetramorium nests—that is, the nests of pavement ants—but it can be used for any species of ants that fit.

I think I’ll add a bit more sphagnum moss bits, and I’ll also add some piles of coconut fiber. Coconut fiber is highly water absorbent, doesn’t rot easily, and will help keep humidity levels up. The ants will also likely use this coconut fiber to bury and close off any rooms they choose to store waste, rooms that get moldy, or spaces designated as colony bathroom areas.

And just like that—interior decorating done!

The next step was to glue on the glass pane that would enclose this entire nest space. To do that, I just used Elmer’s School Glue. It’s non-toxic to ants and easy to use.

You don’t necessarily need to glue the glass on, as it makes for easier removal and cleaning later. But here in the tropics, we have to worry about tiny wild ants like pharaoh ants and ghost ants, which are small enough to fit under the glass and invade this nest. Plus, we don’t want another foreign parasitic mite episode, so I’m gluing this bad boy!

And on goes the pane of glass—voila! Done! I’ll place the cover on to keep the space nice and dark and give the nest 24 hours for the glue to dry.

In the lower hydration tub, I decided to use sphagnum moss to keep the nest humid. I find this stuff to be highly water absorbent, chemical-free, easily replaceable, and a great way to keep Hybrid Nests hydrated.

Now, if you’re new to Hybrid Nests, here’s how the ant farm technology works. This lower area of the nest is the humid end. The floor of this lower area is perforated with tiny microholes, which suck water from the tub below via capillary action and deliver moisture and humidity to this lower nest region.

The upper areas of the nest, with unperforated floors, remain drier. It’s important to have a moisture gradient in an ant farm so the ants can hydroregulate and choose which areas to keep at certain humidity levels.

The ants will adjust brood locations, garbage and bathroom areas, queen quarters, and food storage based on their moisture needs. With this Hybrid Nest, I’ll probably only need to water the nest about once a week by pouring water into the hydration tub.

The sphagnum moss inside will absorb the water and deliver it upward into the nest!

Several years ago, during the Golden Empire’s early days, they lived in an earlier version of a Hybrid Nest. I can’t wait to see them move into this new one for some nostalgic feels!

Are you guys excited, too?

Building ant homes like this is one of my favorite things to do—and so is moving ants in!

It was finally time to give the Golden Empire their new, well-deserved home!

The next evening, the creatures of the Ant Room were winding down—or winding up—for the night. Our new vampire crabs could sense something was up, and they were right. Above their crab island, Vampiron, sat the Golden Empire’s outworld.

The Golden Empire was restless in their enclosure, as they could feel something was slightly different tonight. More about that in a bit, but meanwhile, the Golden Empire’s new home lay just below, waiting and ready to be populated.

The glue had fully dried now, and the nest was previously hydrated. Now, AC Family, here was the plan:

The AC Outworld had been situated atop Vampiron’s light fixture. This LED light fixture was currently set to blue light. It could be adjusted to full spectrum or remain blue.

My plan was to use heat to encourage the ants to move out of this setup and into their new nest. The blue light had begun the warming process. It wasn’t hot—just warm enough to get the ants to start feeling “antsy”—hehe, sorry, I just had to!

Once this LED was turned to full spectrum, it would start to get much warmer, and the ants would begin to look for a cooler place to nest.

Now, see this water test tube here? I would be disconnecting it and placing a long tube that would run down into this hole here, which served as the entrance to the new nest.

In case you were wondering what the second hole was for, it’s meant for a heating cable for those living in colder climates or keeping ants in an air-conditioned room. We wouldn’t be using it here.

As for the first hole, I would remove the plug and place the ants’ water test tube in its spot. The plug would be set aside for now.

Here was the tube that would act as a bridge to their lavish new lair below!

Alright, AC Family, all was set! Are you ready to move the Golden Empire in? I know I am! Let’s do this!

I plugged the tube into the nest hole and carefully removed the water test tube. I quickly secured the tube in its spot. Thankfully, only one ant managed to jump out during the swap, but I caught it and placed it back into the outworld.

Instantly, the ants began to make their way down the tube and into the nest. Haha! Oh, look how excited they are, exploring this strange new space. I just love this part!

And as planned, the removed water test tube was inserted into the other hole.

Alright, and now to turn the LED light to full spectrum… and we’re done!

Now let’s watch the ants as they move into their new home!

Messages about the new territories spread quickly through the colony, causing inquiring ants to wander curiously down into the foreign lands to check out the hype. Ants returned to the outworld to spread the word that there was indeed a new place the colony might like to explore further.

I loved watching the ants explore the tunnels of their new nest!

As for the ants stationed in the water test tube, they too began to explore the new home and had already met up with ants coming in from the main colony. The ants delighted in exploring every corner of the nest!

It wasn’t long before it became clear that the ants were now completely hyped about this rumored space—a place cooler, moister, more comfortable, and much larger.

The ants communicated these findings using pheromones—biochemicals produced by their bodies. Since ants can’t communicate through voice, they vibrated their bodies to excite nearby ants and spread the message.

You could almost imagine them saying:

“Let’s see what all the hype is about!”

“OMG, the rumors are true! It’s amazing!”

“But wait—let’s make sure it’s safe for the queen and brood first.”

It was important that the new space be thoroughly inspected and approved by many ants before the colony decided to make an official move. After all, imagine if they moved in, only to find out it was an ant-eater’s den, an ant-eating frog’s hangout, or even another ant colony’s nest!

I could tell the ants hadn’t yet deemed the nest fit for habitation because the ants in the water test tube were still holding the brood in place. We would know the ants had given their stamp of approval once they started transporting the brood inside.

But I was confident the time would come when they’d fall in love with the new territories.

To help speed up the process, I placed the cover on top of the nest. Ants naturally love darkness in their nests, so this would help make the space more inviting.

The crabs watched curiously from the shores of Vampiron as the Golden Empire traveled back and forth between the outworld and the Hybrid Nest, delivering messages and mapping out the new geography.

The ants vibrated their bodies more and more, likely releasing approval pheromones to get inquiring ants excited and convince the rest of the colony to start the move.

Major colony decisions are democratic in nature and require a bit of campaigning. And look—it seemed the campaigning was working! One ant decided to carry a mature larva into the nest!

But it appeared she wasn’t entirely convinced yet. She kept the larva near the entrance, waiting for more information and approval from the colony. What you’re witnessing here, AC Family, is ant democracy at work!

The crabs quickly lost interest in the ant highway. As the outworld continued to heat up, more ants began searching for cooler places to transport their brood. The ants in the sugar water test tube were also showing signs of agitation due to the heat.

I knew it wouldn’t be long now before the ants began their move—or at least, that’s what I thought!

A few hours later, I returned to check on the nest. I was expecting to see a full-on emigration operation underway. But instead, I saw this: a heated outworld and a tube packed with ants and brood.

It seemed the ants had decided to remain in the tube for now. I bet they were still in the process of approving the new nest space. This generation of the Golden Empire’s worker ants was definitely picky!

They clutched their brood and stationed themselves in place as the approval process continued. They seemed content in the tube for the time being, so I decided not to rush them into moving into the nest.

In cases like this, it’s best to let the ants decide on their own when a nest is fit to live in. The ants know best when it’s time to set up shop.

Perhaps the nest was still too moist, or maybe they were unfamiliar with the plastic walls. But then, I noticed something that gave me hope.

Looking into the water test tube, I saw that much of the brood had been moved into the nest. This meant, AC Family, that the ants had begun to call at least part of the Hybrid Nest home!

After living safely in the outworld for so long, I couldn’t blame them for being attached to their current territory. If this was the case, I didn’t want to disturb the ants further. So instead of peeking into the Hybrid Nest, I decided to give them their privacy and go to bed.

The next morning, AC Family, I checked on the ants, and you won’t believe what I saw!

An almost empty outworld and an almost empty tube! Moving down towards the nest, I came across a large group of ants and brood. And there, by the nest entrance, stood the royal queen!

But wait—look closely! Nearby was another queen!

The quarantined colony had two queens!

This double queen revelation was incredible news because if you recall, the salvation operation from the mites involved quarantining one healthy queen and reintroducing her to the collected colony.

We never really knew if there were other queens in the colony, but we at least knew there was one healthy, egg-laying queen—and that was enough to keep the colony going.

But now, it was clear the Golden Empire had two queens.

Hold on, though—there was more, AC Family!

I opened the Hybrid Nest to peek inside, and you won’t believe what I saw. Tons of ants and brood were everywhere!

The ants were scurrying around, busy in different sections of the nest, carrying brood to and from various locations. It was so satisfying to see how the Golden Empire had transformed the space into their new home!

AC Family, it was clear the Golden Empire loved their new nest—they really, really loved it!

And then, I spotted something else that was absolutely shocking.

There! Do you see her? That large gaster? It was a third queen huddled under all that chaos!

The Golden Empire now had three healthy, egg-laying queens!

But AC Family, that’s still not all!

Look over here in this corner—another queen, surrounded by workers tending to her and her eggs. That’s four queens!

And over here—a fifth queen, with workers plucking every egg she laid.

Could there be more queens hiding in the darkness? Either way, judging by the abundance of eggs the workers were collecting, it was clear the Golden Empire was well on their way to recovery.

It warmed my heart to see them thriving again.

The original Golden Empire had seven queens, and now we knew for sure that at least five of those queens were alive and laying eggs. These queens were the originals—the survivors who had witnessed the rise, fall, and rise again of their supercolony.

And look at this! In this corner, I spotted something truly special—a male alate!

The Golden Empire was producing reproductives! This was something I had never seen the Golden Empire do before, so it was a great sign of their continued health, growth, and prosperity.

This moment was magical and deeply moving for me. It showed me how persistent nature can be at surviving.

Despite the hardships the Golden Empire had faced—plagues, setbacks, and losses—they continued to thrive and fight on.

They were a powerful reminder that anything is possible and that even in the face of overwhelming adversity, life can rise triumphantly like a golden phoenix.

That evening, I completed the Golden Empire’s setup. I fixed their outworld to look more naturalistic, creating a beautiful outdoor living area where I’d place their food.

The water test tube would continue to provide fresh water, and the sugar test tube would supply the liquid carbs needed to power the colony.

And as is AC tradition, I gave them a housewarming gift of roach meat to welcome them home.

We will continue to expand this setup as the colony grows, and I look forward to giving them an absolutely massive kingdom in the future.

For now, the Golden Empire will live comfortably in their beautiful yet simple ant farm setup, nestled between the Arachno Sanctorium and Vampiron.

Long live the Golden Empire!

AC Family, what do you think? Are you as thrilled as I am to see the Golden Empire on their road to recovery?

Amazing to discover they have at least five queens, right? What a surprise!

There’s still so much more ahead in the Antiverse, so if you’re not subscribed yet, what are you waiting for? Smash that SUBSCRIBE button and BELL ICON now so you don’t miss out on the real-life drama of the inhabitants of the Ant Room.

And don’t forget to hit the LIKE button every single time—including now! It would really help a lot!

Speaking of ants, it’s officially nuptial flight season in the Northern Hemisphere, and a lot of you are catching queen ants now.

In case you didn’t know, we’ve got all the top-of-the-line ant-keeping gear for ant keepers of all levels—from beginner to advanced—as well as tons of exciting new products for the ant-keeping community, not available anywhere else.

Head on over to AntsCanada.com and browse through our shop. We ship worldwide and offer full email support if you need us.

We also have ant colonies with a queen available in most regions, so go check us out and pick up your ant farm kit and ant gear today!

If you’re new to the channel and want to catch up on all your AntsCanada lore, feel free to binge-watch this complete storyline playlist. It traces the origins of all the ant colonies in the Ant Room, so you can follow their stories and better appreciate how these ant kingdoms came to be—and why we love them so much!

AC Inner Colony, I’ve left a hidden cookie for you here—if you’d like to watch extended footage of the Golden Empire moving into their new home, all set to relaxing music.

And now it’s time for the AC Question of the Week!

Last week, we asked: Name one of the materials used to build the island of Vampiron.

Congratulations to KittyKat11, who correctly answered: Filter Foam.

Congratulations, KittyKat11! You’ve won a free eBook handbook from our shop!

This week’s AC Question of the Week is: What did we use to move the Golden Empire into the new Hybrid Nest?

Leave your answer in the comments section, and you could win a free eBook handbook from our shop!

Hope you can subscribe to the channel as we upload every Saturday at 8 a.m. EST.

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It’s ant love forever!