Drosophila and Small Insect Chambers

For over 20 years, Powers Scientific drosophila and small insect chambers have offered a comfortable and controlled environment for breeding, rearing, incubating, or observing insects. We offer cabinets in a variety of sizes, from a 6 cubic foot undercounter unit to a 43 cubic foot 2-door upright model. The full range of sizes offered is detailed in the tables below.

Our drosophila chambers are available with 2 different types of refrigeration systems to maximize performance based on your research needs and ambient conditions. For applications where colder operating temperatures are desired, or where ambient conditions are not well controlled, we offer chambers with climate-friendly R-513a vapor refrigeration. These units have an energy-efficient compressor that only cycles on when cooling is required. They have a temperature range of 5-60°C with a Watlow PM Plus™ temperature controller that allows setting in 0.1°C increments. Electrofin™ coated refrigeration coils are included to protect against corrosion from acids released by growth media. All chamber sizes are available with this refrigeration system.

For chambers operating near or above room temperature, we also offer chambers with Peltier thermoelectric (TE) cooling instead of a traditional refrigeration system. TE systems are entirely solid-state: they work by running a direct electric current between two parallel semiconducting plates to transfer heat energy from the plate inside the chamber to the one outside. This makes them more climate-friendly and eliminates the potential for a breakdown due to a refrigerant leak. Their main shortcoming is that their cooling capacity is not as strong as a traditional refrigeration system, so they are limited by a minimum operating temperature that is ~7°C below the ambient temperature (about 15-18°C for most rooms). This system is available on any single-door upright models.

Because different insect species, and research with them, requires differing levels of temperature/lighting/humidity control, we offer several different options packages for our drosophila and small insect chambers:

Level 1 – temperature control only, with a glass door for room light penetration, an interior door light with an on/off switch, and an RH meter to observe humidity levels. The undercounter model and the thermoelectric models must have a solid door, so this level of control is not available on those units.
Level 2 – temperature control, with a solid (opaque) door to block out room lighting, 2 lights (vertical lights in the upright models, horizontal lights in the undercounter model) with the on/off cycle controlled by a programmable digital clock, and an RH meter to observe humidity levels. This level of control is available on all models.
Level 3 – the same temperature and lighting control as in level 2, but with a digitally-controlled ultrasonic humidity generator to provide additive humidity. This level of control is only available on thermoelectric models.

The temperature flexibility in our drosophila and small insect chambers allows our incubators to be used in the rearing of many different types of insects, not just drosophila and mosquitos. The chambers come with temperature failsafes to protect the chamber in the unlikely event of a temperature excursion. Casters, epoxy-coated wire shelves and a 60°C mite cycle are standard features on all models. Additionally, there are many available options to customize the chamber to meet your specific needs, such as: