15 replies to this topic

[KadinB]

I need some ways to heat my desert species. They are currently in my garage but it is getting close to fall and will soon get cold in there. I was thinking about buying a heating pad and just set them all on it. It says the heating pad is 10 degrees hotter than room temp. Which it would be at 85 degrees which is pretty good. Should I just buy a heating pad?

Desert species I have

Novomessor cockrelli

Pogonomyrmex rugosus

Pogonomyrmex subnitus

Pogonomyrmex Californicus

myrmecocystus mexicanus


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[ANTdrew]

Heating pads or heat cables would do the trick. I’ve had a lot of success just keeping my ants in our kitchen since we cook a lot.

[strawnkayden1]

Heating cable is way better.

[TestSubjectOne]

You can use heating pads or cables on their own but I prefer to use an incubator. Essentially, an incubator uses a heat source like a pad or cable and connects it to a thermostat. You can then put the cable and thermostat's heat sensor into an insulated box (for example a styrofoam shipping container) and set a desired temperature on the Thermostat. The thermostat will then turn your heat source on or off to maintain a temperature within a few degrees of what you set. One warning I have is to keep the thermostat sensor near your heating source and closer to the top of the box. This is because the box will naturally be hottest in these places and therefore the heat can get out of hand if you are not asking it to keep the temperature down. This is also why it is better to put the heat source at the bottom, because it evens out the heat of the box more. And finally, of course, make sure that your thermostat sensor is securely attached inside the box. If it leaves the box, it will turn the cable on indefinitely and your ants will be roasted. For this reason I taped down my sensor securely. Once you set an incubator like this up it is very safe, allows you great control over the temperature of your ants, is space efficient because you can stack colonies inside your box without worrying about individual heating, and costs same or less than using heat cables on their own to heat many colonies.

[cocdeshijie]

I heat my ants like this 

[Tyr_Ants]

Just use a heating cable with a heating control
Heating control: https://www.amazon.c...30-8716536d687f
Heating cable: https://www.amazon.c...8621850&sr=8-15

[AleeGuy]

https://www.amazon.c...8WNAVV1425Z545C

https://www.amazon.c...ding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.c...BDWF78HNQ3NC3QE

[ZTYguy]

Where do you get the foam cocdeshijie?

[KadinB]

Heating cable is way better.

I told you mine are all in pencil boxes so it wouldn't work. Should have mentioned that on here to. 

[KadinB]

Alright I will get a heating pad cause since there all in pencil boxes besides the pots cause I don't have them yet. I will eventually make a incubator for founding queens and stuff. Thx for the help!!

[PetsNotPests]

Where do you get the foam cocdeshijie?

I think its just ordinary sound absorbing foam. Here's a link: https://www.amazon.c...28645703&sr=8-6

[strawnkayden1]

Alright I will get a heating pad cause since there all in pencil boxes besides the pots cause I don't have them yet. I will eventually make a incubator for founding queens and stuff. Thx for the help!!

You can put heating cables under the boxes.

[ANTdrew]

A heating pad is just a heat cable that winds inside a casing. It operates exactly the same, but you can’t position it as precisely.

[NickAnter]

Well, admittedly, I use the K.I.S.S. theory when it comes to heating. Just get a heating cable, stretch it across my desk, and put the dry end of the tube on top of or below the cable. If it is a formicarium or tube that is prone to condensation, I always put the cable on top of the tube. Id say it works pretty well.

[KadinB]

I’m gonna be getting a heating cable instead. The heating pads were $50 for a 1 foot long pad. That’s expensive…


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[Antkeeper01]

I heat my ants like this 

can you put all the links to the stuff you used to make that?