Ants in the Media: Esthetic Ants in the Spotlight

What a time for Esthetic Ants! Over the past weeks we received a lot of attention from the media, and we love it. It is wonderful to see our passion for ants reaching and inspiring more and more people. At the same time, we understand that keeping ants as pets is still a new and sometimes strange idea for many people.

We want to use this moment not only to thank the media, but also to take away some worries. One of the biggest misunderstandings is that the hobby increases the risk of invasive species. That is simply not true, and we are happy to explain why.

Thank you to the media

We are incredibly proud that so many big names shared our story. Among others NOS, NPO 2, NPO 3, De Limburger, L1, Hart van Nederland, NOS Jeugdjournaal and Zo Nieuws covered Esthetic Ants, on television and on social media. Smaller channels picked up the story too. All this attention helps put ant keeping on the map as a hobby.

It is great to see so much interest in our shop and what we do. Many people reacted with curiosity, others shared doubts and concerns. We value both, because it gives us the chance to explain the hobby and clear up misunderstandings.

No invasive species, but responsibility

A common worry is that the hobby helps invasive species spread. We want to make clear that this is not the case. At Esthetic Ants we follow strict rules and only sell species that are legal and pose no risk to local nature.

We also design our products with safety in mind. Our nests and accessories are made to prevent escapes, even for very small species. On top of that, we encourage our customers to keep their colonies responsibly and never release them into the wild. Read more in our guide on preventing ant escapes.

For us, the wellbeing of the ants and protecting biodiversity come first. The goal is to connect people with nature, not to harm it.

Ants as pets: unique and educational

Just like Marijn used to peek under his grandfather's flower pots to see what was crawling around, we hope more people will discover the world of ants. Keeping ants is educational and a way to experience nature up close. Thanks to the media we can inspire even more people, and we want to thank everyone who shared our story. Curious? Read our guide on keeping ants as pets or get in touch with any questions.

Watch the Hart van Nederland item on Kijk.nl.