8 replies to this topic

[StopSpazzing]

So if you haven't noticed yet, I am an idea's person. This is another idea I have been thinking about doing but haven't started yet.

 

It's to mod a common egg incubator you can find online to support test tubes and temp control for people that live in cold areas or to speed up growth of fledgling colonies still in test tubes. Some people have already expressed positive feedback on this so may start this project also. If people are interested could also sell them for reasonably priced.

 

All thoughts are welcome.

Edited by StopSpazzing, April 2 2018 - 4:30 PM.

[KBant]

What about a styrofoam box with foam holders inside to hold the test tubes, a heat source and a heat control to keep it consistently toasty. Boom you have central heating for your ants.

Now here’s why it’s a bad idea, if you keep it a consistent temperature without offering a gradient you can do harm to your colony and your brood as you won’t allow them to self regulate. In the winter even if I’m bundled up and super warm under the blankets, occasionally I stick my leg out.

[AntsMaryland]

What about making it warm and at the end were the test-tube touches (the cotton plug end), hits a cold wall. Some sort of cardboard wall on that side connect to 3 walls of styrophome with a lid filled with ice?

[noebl1]

I was also looking into temperature control a bit too with some crazy ideas.  Right now I'm looking into a temp controller that I can monitor/set via wifi using a modifier win chiller:

http://www.formicult...rature-control/

[StopSpazzing]

What about a styrofoam box with foam holders inside to hold the test tubes, a heat source and a heat control to keep it consistently toasty. Boom you have central heating for your ants.

Now here’s why it’s a bad idea, if you keep it a consistent temperature without offering a gradient you can do harm to your colony and your brood as you won’t allow them to self regulate. In the winter even if I’m bundled up and super warm under the blankets, occasionally I stick my leg out.

Thanks, that clears a few things up. I'll go back to drawing board.

[nurbs]

No need to reinvent the wheel, just use heating cables or ceramic heat lamps. You can position to create a heat gradient.

 

[drtrmiller]

No need to reinvent the wheel, just use heating cables or ceramic heat lamps. You can position to create a heat gradient.

In areas that get relatively cool, applying directional heat can cause moisture to condense on any non-absorbent material not being heated. I recently experienced this first hand, where I heated the top of several all-plastic formicaries kept in a cool room, which caused water to condense on the nest floor. This caused lots of problems, such as food particles stored on the floor to be consumed by microorganisms, and small ants to become stuck in the moisture and die.

While formicaries made of absorbent stone materials appear to be less susceptible to this, uniform heating of all sides would eliminate the problem completely.

I'd very much like to explore the idea of a spacious acrylic incubator with integrated lighting and heating if I can find the time.

Edited by drtrmiller, April 2 2018 - 7:12 PM.

[CoolColJ]

I just tested a heat cable inside a small enclosed 10x5 inch styrofoam box, with a lid, kinda like a mini esky

I cut 2 slits to allow my heat cable to run into and inside, perpendicular to the box, hugging the walls and floor

With an ambient of 20 C degrees
My 15w 3m long heat cable heats the the air inside to 25 degrees, just about ideal

Inside a sealed test tube, with the heat cable touching the open end, it reaches 27 degrees near the water dam, pretty close to ideal
It hits 32 degrees right where the heat cable is

If I pop the lid open, temps drop 2 degrees across the board

So your standard test tube sitting on the same heat cable, out in the open, never really gets much over 26 degrees at the point of contact and much less everywhere else with the same ambient temp

--

currently have a few test tube of queens in it to test

Edited by CoolColJ, October 12 2018 - 10:35 PM.

[DaveJay]

An early version of an incubator/hospital cage for birds -
A box inside a larger box. One side/end of the larger box has an incandescent globe mounted connected to a dimmer switch. A row of ventilation holes are drilled both below the light globe and at the top of the opposite end panel. The front can be a glass panel that slides up and down (a simple wooden frame to hold it) or a hinged door. There is either doors on both boxes or one large door for both. The ventilation holes create an air flow going from below the globe, across the top and out of the holes in the upper part of the other end. One end therefore has a warmer wall than the other. Temperature is controlled via the dimmer switch.

This is a most basic description, but it works, just don't burn the house down!