Riding High as King of the Ant Hill : Entomology: Afton Fawcett and his son are the main suppliers for Uncle Milton’s Ant Farm. The popular Christmas gift has captivated millions of enthusiasts and helped delight many wide-eyed children for years.

Afton Fawcett has been king of the ant hill for more than 25 years, sticking straws into the earth and blowing angry ants out of their holes.

Never mind the tedium. The insects have made him and his progeny a good living, captivated millions of ant-farm enthusiasts and helped delight many wide-eyed children opening presents under Christmas trees.

“Most of the time they’re called pests, but not by me,” said Fawcett, who can wax rapturously about ants as one-for-all colonists. “If there’s a job to be done and one can’t do it, they rally around. They never fight within their own group like we do.”

Fawcett and son Kent are the main suppliers of ants for Uncle Milton’s Ant Farm, the nation’s only supplier of the popular Christmas gift.

Each farm includes a certificate for live ants. After it is mailed to Uncle Milton’s in Culver City, Calif., the company tells Fawcett to ship his southern Utah ants to the new farm owner.

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When he ships in the winter, Fawcett watches weather reports. For example, if Minnesota is too cold, he would delay a shipment there until the temperature rises. No sense in having a child disappointed by a vial of frozen ants, he said.

Most people call them red ants. Entomologists know them as pogonomyrmex, or harvester ants. To Fawcett, they are the perfect pets, hardy survivors in captivity and always active during the day.

Over the years, Fawcett said, he’s come to believe that ants communicate.

“I’ve heard them chatter sometimes. They chirp and stuff,” he said.

Sometimes Fawcett talks back.

“Not that I expect an answer or anything. But it’s like talking to a pet,” he said. “I just tell them I’m giving them a free airplane ride and then they shut up.”

Fawcett also has collected rocks for school geology kits, wildflowers to press and sell, and black widow spider webs sold as cross hairs for gun sights. But capturing ants has been his most successful venture.

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Uncle Milton’s depends solely on the Southwestern desert ants supplied by the Fawcetts, except during the Christmas rush when the company also turns to Southern California suppliers.

Hurricane, a town of about 4,000, has an endless supply of ants, said Steve Levine, Uncle Milton’s president. “It’s tough work bending over all the time, but it’s a volume business and they can make some good money.”

How much? Neither Levine nor Fawcett will say, but Uncle Milton’s sold 500,000 farms last year. The sets range from $9.95 for a basic farm to $19.95 for a deluxe model.

Fawcett’s business has been good enough to employ his children, their spouses and numerous neighboring children through the years.

Fawcett, 65, retired in July and turned most of the business over to Kent, although he still helps with the trapping and shipping.

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To nab the ants, Fawcett uses a drinking straw to blow air into the holes. That prompts them to come out, where he can catch them in a jar.

For shipping, the Fawcetts use funnels to get the ants into the vials, 25 to 30 per container. They use long-handled spoons to push the ants off the jar walls. A few escape, but disasters are rare.

“Sure, you spill them once in a while. If we do, we get a dustpan, scoop them up and start over,” the elder Fawcett said.