Is a 15 wattage heating cable to much?

#1 Offline B_rad0806 - Posted June 9 2018 - 10:35 AM

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So when I am in my room my parents always turn on the AC and it’s always around 75-80 degrees. I’ve had a heating cable for a while but I have not been using it. Someone said to keep it around 85-90 degrees but I can’t. I would like to use the heating cable to keep it around this temperature. Pleas tell me if it is to much, THANK YOU!

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#2 Offline drtrmiller - Posted June 9 2018 - 2:31 PM

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When providing a heat source, it is important to give ants the option to use a heated area or a non-heated area. This way, you do not overheat your ants.

75-80 F is a perfectly fine temperature for brood development for most ants native to North America and Europe. A heating cable may be used to provide local areas of increased temperature, allowing the ants to choose which temperature zone they prefer.

Those wishing to purchase a heating cable may do so here:

Heating Cables on Amazon

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#3 Offline super_oil - Posted June 9 2018 - 2:42 PM

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How effective a heating cable is depends on the setup your ants are in. If you're ants are in a test tube then you should heat the entrance of the test tube so your tube doesn't flood. Once you are heating the entrance your ants might react to the heat and move closer or not move at all. If the ants get closer to the heat source then move it a bit closer to them, if the ants move away from the heat source then don't move the heat, and if the ants don't react just move the heat a bit closer so the ants are more likely to react to the heat. If you have a formicarium, I usually tape the heating cable somewhere and change positions based on how my ants react to it. Just do some testings but try to avoid condensation because it causes flooding in test tubes or can startle your ants. If you have big ants like Camponotus, then a small amount of condensation wouldn't do much to them, but if you have small ants it might startle them more. Also, I think 85-90 is way too hot, you don't have to make all your ants live in a certain temperature, each colony has their own preferences and I believe you should let them slowly work out their own through testing.

Just a little boy that likes ants. I try my best to be mature and competent.

My Colonies

Camponotus floridanus

Crematogaster pinicola