Start with what they need
A founding queen doesn't need a sprawling setup. Space, food, heat and humidity all depend on the species and the stage of the colony.
It started with keeping ants. The rest got a bit out of hand.
I'm Tom. I keep ants, make videos about what happens, and design equipment when I find a problem worth solving. No grand workshop, just a hobby that's grown into something more.
I thought I knew what I was doing.
I'd been fascinated by ants long before I started keeping them. I had some experience with insect husbandry and assumed I'd done enough research. It didn't take long to discover how much I still had to learn.
There was plenty of advice out there, but it was often scattered, contradictory or aimed at people who already knew the basics. Meanwhile, the reality of keeping a tiny founding colony was quite different from the enormous setups you see online.
So I started documenting the experience: the quiet successes, the mistakes, the questions and the surprising things the ants do.
The approach
There is plenty of room for curiosity and excitement in ant keeping, without rushing the ants.
Ask questions, test ideas
Experiments and observations are useful when they're thoughtful and welfare comes first. Not every assumption survives contact with an actual colony.
Show the mistakes too
The hobby isn't a highlight reel. The builds that fail and the lessons that follow deserve a place alongside the milestones.
Sometimes the best advice is simply that you don't need to buy anything yet.THE IDEA BEHIND THE SHOP
Designed at my desk. Tested with my colonies.
Antastic Tom doesn't have a dedicated workshop. Most of the designing happens at my office desk, and the kitchen table gets pressed into service when there's something to assemble. The core modular nests and outworlds are designed and made by me in the UK, using 3D printing, laser-cut acrylic and cast gypsum.
Usually a new design starts because I've run into a problem with my own setup. I sketch an idea, make a prototype, see what needs changing and try again. Some of the smaller tools and accessories in the shop are sourced rather than made by me, but they're selected because they're useful.
It's a small operation, and the aim is practical equipment that grows with a colony — not a reason to buy everything on day one.
Help shape what comes next.
Testing my own designs with my colonies is useful, but there's plenty I won't spot on my own. That's why I've opened a UK-only Product Testing Programme to ant keepers who want to help me improve future nests, outworlds and accessories.
Beginners and experienced keepers are welcome. I'm looking for thoughtful feedback, including the things that don't work, and no colony should be moved purely to take part.
Explore more than the shop
Watch the projects develop, find an answer to your question, or see equipment made for real colonies.
Follow the coloniesVideos, nest designs, observations and experiments from the ant room.Watch on YouTube ↗
Learn at your own paceCare guides about founding, feeding, housing and colony growth.Explore the Guides Hub ↗
See what I makeModular setups and practical equipment for different stages of the hobby.Visit the Shop Hub ↗
Got a question or an idea?
Get in touch ↗Antastic Tom has grown through conversations with keepers, creators and people who are just getting started. You're welcome to get in touch.