Places (zoo/museum?) you visit with ant colonies/displays

[greencrab]

Ds 11 is suddenly big time into ants this half term. So we went to whipsnade zoo yesterday especially to see their colony only you find out they had moved to
London zoo some years ago and I had been notified by Google AI collating search results.

We have been to London zoo before and were massively impressed and he hates the tube especially in school holidays which rules out national history museum which I think had done in creepy creatures exhibit.

Does anyone know if places with ants (anything not especially leaf cutter) they don't seem to be star attractions so aren't mentioned on all the zoo websites... After the expense and travel yesterday would be good to go somewhere recommended as I think they'll be in butterfly houses etc but I've just never really paid attention before

You can buy ant farmhouses like this. London Zoo and many others have colonies. I googled "ant colony zoo UK" and found several.

Thanks, I really really don't want ants in the house.... He has watched lots of YouTube videos of his you can set up a colony. There seems to be a large market for them though with any exhibitions roads shows and things but I know it would end in tears if they were selling them.

I have googled and like you say several zoos say they have colonies but would be really frustrating when visiting if like yesterday they have moved or like the London zoo display was really disappointing. Apparently great display at Chessington theme park cafe but have no interest in the rest of the park!

If you can get to Stratford upon Avon they have leaf cutter ants at the butterfly farm there. www.butterflyfarm.co.uk/attraction/our-displays/leaf-cutter-ants

Blair Drummond safari park

I second the one at Stratford. I have a fellow ant fanatic and it was the best one we had ever seen. They have huge rope slung from the ceiling and all the ants are on it. They are literally loose above your heads. We spent 2 hours just watching them carrying their leaves. Absolutely amazing!

and honestly, get him an ant farm. My DS has one and has grown his own colony from a queen ant and a few eggs. You can buy some quite exotic ants. We have a Spanish ant which is quite big. They are our easiest pet 😂 The ant houses are brilliant now and we’ve never had an escapee! There is also an AntCon (convention) in Wales I think. We went one year and they are so friendly to keen children. Can you tell I now know more about ants than I ever wanted to know!

Thank you, looks like Stratford worth a trip. Maybe Scotland on the summer as it isn't open yet.

Chester Zoo has one.

Twycross zoo has a kind of one in the ladies, as you wash your hands they troop across the wall in front carrying leaves along a rope!

There are ants going all round the restaurant in the Aztec restaurant… but when I visited there were ants all over the wall so not a very secure feature 😂 I notified the staff and they said this is a common issue.

Go on holiday to a rainforest. We saw amazing ones!

Dr.Beynons Bug Farm! Went there about 3 years ago and it has a whole room of ant tanks and tubes running around the room between the tanks! They have a ton of other bugs and the bug handling sessions are worth a go. But we did the whole place in a couple of hours. May be a long way to go just for that but if you're looking at other things in the area it's definitely worth a visit.

www.thebugfarm.co.uk

We've seen ants in Sea Life centres before

Also Reaseheath Mini Zoo in Cheshire have ants

Liverpool World Museum have a colony of leaf cutter ants and they walk along a rope over your head.

And it's free to get in.

There's a great one at Brighton Sea Life Centre (the oldest aquarium in the world btw! Gorgeous Victorian built). The ants march through a large sign that says ants, among other things.