- Joined
- Sep 22, 2008
- Messages
- 3,112
Ok so i have been asked how i clean my roach bins with a vacuum cleaner several times.
This method works very well for me. But you will need a dedicated vacuum cleaner(i prefer bag less, as sometimes the moisture from water or whatever can ruin a bagged vacuum)
ok step one get you roach bin and access the filth.
here is mine(i keep all my egg crates and card board in the center for ease of cleaning and feeding)
mine isnt that dirty but to show you all i will proceed.
ok now what i do is i take the bin and tilt it to one side.
ok so now what i do, is shake it up and down making sure all the frass and dead roaches/molts falls to the bottom. then i lift the egg crates and cardboard in one motion and push to the other side to reveal all the frass and what not(note- you will have roaches mixed in with the frass, let it sit at this point for 10 min or so untill most have returned to the safety of the egg crates)
this is what it will look like after shaking, and the egg crates are pushed to the other side.
After most of the roaches return to the egg crates, simply vacuum the mess up.(note- you will loose a few nymphs every now and again, but with a healthy colony it shouldnt matter much)
just vacuum
after you vacuum all the mess up, shake it some more to get any left over frass and stuff. After you do that it should look like this.
Once that is done i like to water and feed. I put the crates in the middle and place food directly on the bottom of one side, and water crystal directly on the bottom of the other side. This helps prevent mold, and mites. I also only feed what they will eat and drink in a day or 2 day period.
(Note- i add food coloring to my water crystals because they seem to eat them better with it added. THIS IS NOT NECESSARY, JUST SOMETHING I DO)
when all done and complete, you will have something like this
This method of care has provided me with countless roaches, never had a mite problem, nor mold problem.
I know not every one will agree with the way i keep them, but it works. and i use the same method for my lateralis too, i just clean them less often because of egg cases on the floor of the bin.
enjoy!
This method works very well for me. But you will need a dedicated vacuum cleaner(i prefer bag less, as sometimes the moisture from water or whatever can ruin a bagged vacuum)
ok step one get you roach bin and access the filth.
here is mine(i keep all my egg crates and card board in the center for ease of cleaning and feeding)
mine isnt that dirty but to show you all i will proceed.
ok now what i do is i take the bin and tilt it to one side.
ok so now what i do, is shake it up and down making sure all the frass and dead roaches/molts falls to the bottom. then i lift the egg crates and cardboard in one motion and push to the other side to reveal all the frass and what not(note- you will have roaches mixed in with the frass, let it sit at this point for 10 min or so untill most have returned to the safety of the egg crates)
this is what it will look like after shaking, and the egg crates are pushed to the other side.
After most of the roaches return to the egg crates, simply vacuum the mess up.(note- you will loose a few nymphs every now and again, but with a healthy colony it shouldnt matter much)
just vacuum
after you vacuum all the mess up, shake it some more to get any left over frass and stuff. After you do that it should look like this.
Once that is done i like to water and feed. I put the crates in the middle and place food directly on the bottom of one side, and water crystal directly on the bottom of the other side. This helps prevent mold, and mites. I also only feed what they will eat and drink in a day or 2 day period.
(Note- i add food coloring to my water crystals because they seem to eat them better with it added. THIS IS NOT NECESSARY, JUST SOMETHING I DO)
when all done and complete, you will have something like this
This method of care has provided me with countless roaches, never had a mite problem, nor mold problem.
I know not every one will agree with the way i keep them, but it works. and i use the same method for my lateralis too, i just clean them less often because of egg cases on the floor of the bin.
enjoy!
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