We're Famous! Antlion Farms Featured on Taylor Mason's YouTube Channel

Every once in a while, running a small family business hands you a surprise you never saw coming. A few weeks ago, we got one of the best surprises in our 20+ years of antlion farming: we discovered that Taylor Mason featured our antlions in a video on his YouTube channel — and it has racked up over 640,000 views!

"I Bought an Army of Sand Monsters Online"

About nine months ago, Taylor placed an order right here on our website. What we didn't know was that our little doodlebugs were about to become internet stars. His video, "I Bought an Army of Sand Monsters Online", follows his adventure raising the antlions we shipped him — and honestly, "army of sand monsters" might be the best description of a group of antlions we've ever heard.

▶ Watch "I Bought an Army of Sand Monsters Online" on YouTube

We had no idea the video existed until recently, which made watching it for the first time all the more fun. Seeing someone discover the same things that hooked us two decades ago — the doodling trails, the pit-building, that dramatic moment when an ant wanders too close to the edge — never gets old.

Why Antlions Make Great Video Stars

If you're one of the many folks who found us through Taylor's video: welcome! Here's why these little creatures are so mesmerizing to watch:

• They're engineers. Each antlion digs a perfectly conical pit trap in the sand, flinging grains with its head like a tiny excavator.
• They're patient hunters. An antlion will wait at the bottom of its pit, jaws open, for as long as it takes.
• They doodle. Before settling down, antlions wander the sand leaving winding trails — which is how they earned the nickname "doodlebugs."
• They transform. After months (sometimes years!) as larvae, they spin a sandy cocoon and emerge as delicate, damselfly-like adults.

Want Your Own Army of Sand Monsters?

Everything Taylor ordered came from Antlion Farms. Visit our shop to find a kit for every kind of antlion enthusiast:

• The Antlion Kit for Kids — a starter kit with two live antlions, fine white sand, a clear viewing habitat, and an illustrated care guide.
• The Antlion Zen Den — a calm little desert world for your desk that's actually alive.
• The Antlion Class Project — ten antlions, habitat materials, and printable resources, perfect for classrooms.

New to antlion keeping? Our FAQ and care guide cover everything from feeding to pit-building conditions.

Thank You, Taylor!

A huge thank-you to Taylor Mason for giving our antlions their moment in the spotlight, and to everyone who watched the video and came to visit us. Whether you're here for a classroom project, a unique gift, or your very own army of sand monsters, we're glad you found us.

Here's to the next 20 years of doodlebugs!

— Artie and the Antlion Farms family