5 replies to this topic

[futurebird]

I don't have a garage or basement and my roof deck is exposed to wind and get way too cold. Also, my food fridge is small... and eh... IDK if I want to see "the girls" next to my leftovers... as much as I love them. Also my food fridge is really inconsistent, I find frost on my veggies from time to time. 

 

So, in a month or two I plan on getting a mini fridge to put the ants away for the winter. I'm looking for one with good temperature control, and some of the cheap "wine fridges" seem good. 

 

But have any of you use a mini fridge in this way? Which one do you use?

[Antkeeper01]

yeah i need a cheap one before I have to put my ants into diapause please say I don't have to get rid of the ones who need diapause

[Manitobant]

Mini fridges are the best way to hibernate ants in my experience. Unlike a garage or basement, they stay at a constant temperature for as long as you plan to hibernate your colonies. Most mini fridges also have temperature control, which allows you to experiment with which temperature your ants hibernate best at.

[m99]

This'll be my first winter confronting the same question, and I've got two tiers of options in mind, based on whether I'm stuck in this same apartment or able to move and do some upgrading.

 

If I'm stuck here, it's gonna be this adorable bunkhouse (even though Fakespot tells me I can expect one good year out of it max lol, it's just so cute):

https://www.amazon.c.../dp/B07K6Z2SWY/

 

More realistically, I plan on springing for one of these larger ~$200 ones, since they can be used as actual coolers in the off season, and are plenty big enough to accommodate the maximum amount of antkeeping I ever plan to do. And most importantly, they're all Fakespot approved and seem to be legitimate enough that I'm comfortable buying them as appliances from Amazon, which is sketch otherwise.

 

In no particular order:

 

https://www.amazon.c...uct/B08BJCB52G/

https://www.amazon.c...uct/B07PKD9N93/

https://www.amazon.c...uct/B0864S2FPR/

https://www.amazon.c...duct/B07F9RNZPB

 

Would also love to know what firsthand experience folks have had with other models though, definitely 

[ANTdrew]

I’m lucky to have an unheated basement in my parents’ house I use. They love it when I fill it up with ants!

[Mettcollsuss]

I've got a mini wine cooler in my room that I got last year for hibernation, since my mom was tired of ants taking up room in the main fridge for months at a time. Most of the mini fridges had temperature ranges too cold for hibernation, so I went with a wine cooler. It fits neatly under my desk, and has worked well for me.