Module 3: Temperature & Timing
TEMPERATURE & TIMING
Module 3 of 6 · Initiate Certification
Heat Is the Accelerator
Warmth drives everything. Eggs develop faster, workers emerge sooner, the colony grows. Cold does not usually kill a healthy queen, it just stalls her. Overheating does kill.
Across the species we sell, target ranges run roughly 75°F to 88°F depending on the ant. Our Giant Carpenters sit around 75–82°F. Gold Honeypots want 80–86°F. California Harvesters take 80–88°F. Always check the care guide for your species rather than applying one number to everything.
Browse the Care GuidesThe Gradient Rule
This is the single most important thing in this module.
Heat one end. Never the whole thing. Your heating cable or mat goes beside or alongside one end of the tube or nest, never underneath the entire setup. That leaves a warm end and a cool end, and the queen moves herself and her brood to whichever temperature she wants.
A colony with a gradient regulates itself perfectly. A colony heated uniformly has nowhere to go if you have it wrong, and you will not find out until she is dead. If the glass feels warm to the touch, that is already plenty.
Diapause
Many species, especially California natives, slow down or stop over winter. Brood development stalls, they stop taking protein, activity drops. This is normal and healthy. It is not a problem to fix by cranking the heat.
Some keepers give a deliberate cool rest period through winter and then warm the colony again in spring to resume growth. Whether your species needs it, and how cool, varies. The species care guide has the specifics. Keep water available throughout either way.
Room Temperature Is a Valid Answer
Plenty of species do fine with no supplemental heat at all, just slower. If you are unsure about your setup, no heat is a safer error than too much heat.