Ants marching into spotlight as hobby of ant-keeping rise in popularity

They are tiny insects that are often overlooked or stepped on, but ants are marching not only into people’s backyards, but also their homes, as the popularity of ant-keeping rises in Canada.

They are tiny insects that are often overlooked or stepped on, but ants are marching not only into people’s backyards, but also their homes, as the popularity of ant-keeping rises in Canada.

“It’s one of the fastest growing hobbies in the world,” said Zachary Liu, owner of Canada Ant Colony, a business that sells ant farms, colonies and supplies.

Liu says ant-keeping is very popular in Europe and Asia and in the last decade or so, more and more enthusiasts in Canada are turning parts of their homes into bustling ant farms.

“What I would estimate in Canada as a whole is somewhere around 20,000 or 30,000, or maybe I would guess it’s a little bit larger than that,” Liu said.

Popular YouTube channels like AntsCanada that features countless high production videos of ant colonies and ant-keeping, have also contributed to the rise in popularity in the country.

James Wingert,13, was inspired by AntsCanada to start ant-keeping. He had a colony two years ago, but the small group of 20 worker ants didn’t make it. He’s now trying to grow another colony.

“I have four queens in test tubes, a queen with five workers and I have a queen and a setup I made by myself,” said Wingert.