A soil-less habitat medium, especially for ants, allows the sustained viability of an ant or ant colony without the provision of additional nutrients. The medium comprises the combination of a culture medium and a chemical agent to reduce or prevent microbial contamination of the culture medium. The medium is preferably in the form of a clear or tinted gel, and allows the ants to be observed throughout the medium. The medium is of particular value for use in an ant vivaria.
An ant sculpture is formed by removing a block of nutritious gel having with a network of ant tunnels from a formicarium container; placing the block in an p.v.c bag that serves as a release liner; and stuffing the bag containing the gel block back into the container. The tunnel network is then filled with a transparent epoxy resin which is permitted to harden in the tunnel network; the bag containing the gel body with set epoxy removed from the container and, the gel is then separated so that the hardened epoxy forms an ant sculpture replicating the network of ant tunnels. The epoxy resin is Bisphenol A epoxy resin.
