The "Nano feeding station" is perfect for use during the founding stages, allowing the first nanitics (firstborn workers) to forage and feed in a tiny space without the hassle of inserting food into test tubes. 
 
It is effortless to lift the lid and deposit food in the unit compared to inserting food directly in the test tube; it also prevents us from disturbing the calm and peace of the colony as moving or handling the test tube is not required. The colony will not be disturbed as long as the lid is lifted carefully and the food is deposited or removed gently.  
 
For those ant keepers with multiple quantities of young starting colonies, this product helps save space by providing only the minimum required area to forage. Once you have many workers and the room is too small, you can upgrade to a bigger outworld.
 
A couple more uses or notes:
 
It is a small practical solution for semi-claustral species as they need to forage to survive. 
However, you can use the nano feeding station from the beginning for fully-claustral species. The tube has more water by moving the queen towards the front next to the silicone fitting. On such fitting, insert a tiny piece of cotton tightly, and remove it once the first workers arrive, enabling them to come out to forage.
It can help species that need high humidity levels; it does so by slowing down water escaping from the tube, this is due to the reduction of the front opening with the silicone fitting, paired with a cotton plug (if there is no need to forage), and the lid restricting airflow.
 
We do not recommend using a liquidy or viscous anti escape barrier on the TOP LIP portion that is in contact with the glass LID and the LID itself, as it may interfere with the air exchange that happens in the gap in between them. 
 
The 3d printing process creates mini ridges that allow for air exchange while keeping ants inside, if this surface gets coated with a viscous liquid, this could seal the gap, and no air will exchange. Therefore, only apply an escape barrier on the inside walls and under the rim lip; in other words, the contact area between the glass and the top plastic lip should be clean. 
 
If you find it hard to open the station without having workers escape or walk out, it is time for a larger outworld. 
 
The station includes a 1 cm silicone fitting, a plastic/glass lid and a matching borosilicate test tube, and the option to have two or four nano feeding dishes. 
 
We recommend adding "the black jacket" to your test tube, making it darker than the nano feeding station, ensuring ants will not choose the outworld as their nesting area. We also recommend adding at least one ring at the back, allowing the test tube to stay level with the ground; if not, it will have a very slight rear slant as the back of the tube rests on the surface.  
 
Shipping weight: w/test tube  19 grams // w/o test tube 6 grams. +/-3%