Jimbobtom Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 So for like 30-50+ colonies, what do you guys find to be the best way to heat? I've been using a space heater on low setting, but even that is more expensive than I'd like. Safety is also a major concern. I think I may have even asked this before, but can't seem to find the thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottbot84 Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 I'm only using this method for a dozen colonies, but I use small heat mats used for starting seeds with a thermostat (probe goes in the substrate of one of the bins). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0829G6VGY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E9IO6N0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 More expensive up front than a space heater but loads cheaper in the long run and much easier to control temps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All About Arthropods Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 7 hours ago, Jimbobtom said: So for like 30-50+ colonies, what do you guys find to be the best way to heat? I've been using a space heater on low setting, but even that is more expensive than I'd like. Safety is also a major concern. I think I may have even asked this before, but can't seem to find the thread. I use one large brooder lamp with a 250 watt heat bulb for each of my shelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbobtom Posted August 11, 2020 Author Share Posted August 11, 2020 13 hours ago, scottbot84 said: I'm only using this method for a dozen colonies, but I use small heat mats used for starting seeds with a thermostat (probe goes in the substrate of one of the bins). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0829G6VGY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E9IO6N0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 More expensive up front than a space heater but loads cheaper in the long run and much easier to control temps. Thank you, I'll have to look into that. Wondering if there are large ones that could connect to multiple bins. Other wise it might be an overlord of electrical cords everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbobtom Posted August 11, 2020 Author Share Posted August 11, 2020 12 hours ago, All About Arthropods said: I use one large brooder lamp with a 250 watt heat bulb for each of my shelves. Do you have lis on your bins? How do you keep it from melting the plastic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottbot84 Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 One mat heats 3 small bins (long 6qt) for me, I only heat one end to provide a gradient. So for my 12 bins I only use 4 mats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbobtom Posted August 11, 2020 Author Share Posted August 11, 2020 Oh that's not too bad at all. Has anyone here used the flexwatt heat tape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All About Arthropods Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 On 8/11/2020 at 10:58 AM, Jimbobtom said: Do you have lis on your bins? How do you keep it from melting the plastic? Oh, I keep it on a stand about 4 feet away from the shelves, so things only ever reach the mid to high 80s in the center of the beam. Of the 3 racks on the shelf, it heats the center one thoroughly and then about 1/3 of the others. I usually keep my stuff that only requires room temps for breeding on the top and bottom shelves because of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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