Insect Chill Plates - Effective Insect Cold Immobilization

Insect Chill Plates / Tables. Exposure to cold is the most common method to immobilize insects. When insects are sufficiently cooled, they suffer an initial loss of neuromuscular function ("chill coma") caused by decreased membrane potentials and reduced excitability of the neuromuscular system. For sorting and/or manipulation of immobilized insects (e.g., cooled down in a refrigerator, etc.), cold plates are a versatile and effective lab tool - allowing to define exact cooling temperature compared to the often practised cooling on ice.

Upon request, we can design custom passive water-cooled chillers (connected to bench top laboratory coolers). Since these products do not use fans, they are ideal for applications where vibration is not allowed. In addition, the use of external cooling devices allows for very low profile (4-5 cm) bench top designs with ergonomic benefits when used extensively. Both water-cooled only (laboratory coolers; with temperatures set by the cooler's thermostat) and/or 24 V DC systems with additional Pelltier elements (e.g. for field station use together with untempered tap or rain water for heat dissipation) can be realized. Custom water cooling stages can be of various sizes and consist of a stainless steel plate with milled cooling coils, 2 connections for water inlet and outlet and a bottom insulation layer (towards the bench/table). Custom cooling tables can include hand rests.

On request, we also offer to develop suitable insect manipulation cages for the above-mentioned commercial and custom insect cooling plates, either housing the entire instrument or being placed around the edges of the cooling plate - preventing unwanted insect escape and/or allowing to cool down insects directly on the cold table. In addition, we can build insulating, removable covers (e.g. transparent PMMA front doors, insulated sides and tops), to house cooling plate-sized cages - allowing for a faster cooldown and to establish more homogeneous temperature conditions within the "insect cooling cage".

Please contact us to discuss your custom-made insect chill table needs. 

Plexiglas-made housings or special photo boxes on top of the insect cooling plates allow developing a versatile tool for insect macrophotography - with openings for camera insertion either at the top or at the front to take pictures of stationary "chilled" insects. To prevent condensation from fogging the lenses, either a recirculating air system with desiccant or a small fan can be provided inside / outside the chamber. For professional applications, complete air control systems (water vapour, CO2, etc.) can be applied. Please contact us if you are interested in developing such a specialized insect imaging cooling chamber for the advancement of ex situ macrophotography of insects.