Deap python example showing how population lists can be combined for use with hybrid initialization methods such as heuristic + random.

deap_heuristic_random_hybrid_init.py

import array
import random

import numpy

from deap import algorithms
from deap import base
from deap import creator
from deap import tools

creator.create("FitnessMax", base.Fitness, weights=(1.0,))
creator.create("Individual", array.array, typecode='b', fitness=creator.FitnessMax)

toolbox = base.Toolbox()

# Attribute generator
toolbox.register("attr_bool", random.randint, 0, 1)

# Structure initializers
toolbox.register("individual", tools.initRepeat, creator.Individual, toolbox.attr_bool, 100)
toolbox.register("population", tools.initRepeat, list, toolbox.individual)

def evalOneMax(individual):
    return sum(individual),

toolbox.register("evaluate", evalOneMax)
toolbox.register("mate", tools.cxTwoPoint)
toolbox.register("mutate", tools.mutFlipBit, indpb=0.05)
toolbox.register("select", tools.selTournament, tournsize=3)

def main():
    random.seed(64)
    
    # How we normally make a pop
    pop = toolbox.population(n=200)
    print(len(pop)) #200

    # You can combine different init mthods and append them like so sice they are just lists
    pop += toolbox.population(n=100)
    print(len(pop)) #300

    # What if we have a case of known individual, but not yet and Individual object?
    known_but_not_an_ind = [
        [1,2,3,4,5],
        [2,3,4,5,6],
        [3,4,5,6,7],
    ]
    # Can manually add items too
    pop += [creator.Individual(new_ind) for new_ind in known_but_not_an_ind]
    print(len(pop)) #303

    hof = tools.HallOfFame(1)
    stats = tools.Statistics(lambda ind: ind.fitness.values)
    stats.register("avg", numpy.mean)
    stats.register("std", numpy.std)
    stats.register("min", numpy.min)
    stats.register("max", numpy.max)
    
    pop, log = algorithms.eaSimple(pop, toolbox, cxpb=0.5, mutpb=0.2, ngen=40, 
                                   stats=stats, halloffame=hof, verbose=True)
    
    return pop, log, hof

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()