Antlion Care Guide

Setting up

Fill your habitat with 1–2 inches of fine, dry sand. Some of our kits include sand; if yours didn’t, any clean, fine play sand (dry) works perfectly. Gently place your antlions on the surface — they will burrow within minutes and start building their pits.

Feeding

Feed each antlion one or two small ants (or pinhead crickets/fruit flies) about once a week. Drop prey near the pit and watch the ambush. Don’t overfeed — antlions are patient and eat very little.

Water

Antlions get most — often all — of their moisture from their prey, so they need very little water. It’s fine to mist lightly around the pit about once every two weeks if you like, but keep the sand relatively dry: if it gets damp, the pit-trap won’t work.

Environment

Keep the habitat at room temperature, out of direct sun. That’s it!

Life cycle

With care, your antlion larva will eventually spin a sand cocoon and emerge weeks later as a delicate, lacewing-like adult. A complete metamorphosis you can watch at home.