3 replies to this topic

[Bryce]

As I sometimes enjoy a good cigar, and after reading lots of post about humidity control. It dawned on me that heartfield beads might have a place in humidity control in ant keeping. I live in Phoenix where it's 30% RH, so keeping ants from drying out could be problematic. Cigar smoking is a very small niche and this product maybe unknown to most who don't smoke cigars. It's a little white inert balls that keep a constant humidity level. I use the 65% rh beads in my cigar humidor. You just dunk them in water give them a shake, and it's keeps a perfect 65% rh for months. I don't know how to post links, but a quick Google search will pull it up. I know they are completely non toxic and you could even eat them, I won't. Just a idea someone could maybe use, I really don't know.

[drtrmiller]

I wonder if they're made of polyacrylamide (aka water crystals).  Are they kind of jelly when hydrated, or do they remain hard?

 

With polyacrylamide, water is absorbed into the polymer structure and the polymer expands to accommodate the volume of water.  Because the polyacrylamide is hydrophilic, and has a defined surface area, it naturally takes significantly longer for the sequestered water to evaporate.  For this reason, polyacrylamide crystals are used in agriculture to stabilize moisture levels in soil.

[Bryce]

No they stay hard. I know they are passive, meaning they absorb rh, and put out rh. That's what keeps it at a set rh. I know they don't grow mold and are wonderful for keeping rh perfect. You buy them by the amount of space you need to keep humid. You can buy mesh bags or use panty hose to place them in. No those gels and such are terrible. They are not passive and only put out rh which you can't control rh.

[Foogoo]

No they stay hard. I know they are passive, meaning they absorb rh, and put out rh. That's what keeps it at a set rh. I know they don't grow mold and are wonderful for keeping rh perfect. You buy them by the amount of space you need to keep humid. You can buy mesh bags or use panty hose to place them in. No those gels and such are terrible. They are not passive and only put out rh which you can't control rh.

I recall those beads when I went through my cigar phase. IIRC, they maintain a "preset" humidity right? They'll release water when it's dry and absorb when it's too humid. That could be interesting to experiment with, though I think mold will be an issue if it's used inside the nest.