Really simple, and easy way to clean your roach Bins.

codykrr

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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!
 
Last edited:

codykrr

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Also I put this here since most Tarantula keepers use B. dubia to feed.

i know it should go into the "insect" section, but i felt it would get more traffic here and help alot of people who normally dont check the "insect section"

sorry if that was a problem.

Also feel free to sticky this, as this question has been asked numerous times.
 

Tapahtyn

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this is nice to see, since I'll be recieving my first colony in a couple of days. Thanks and I'll see you this weekend!
 

Kathy

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Hey that was good, Cody. I'm such a visual learner, that explains a lot. What is the food on the left? And you say you replace the water crystals daily? Or did I read that wrong? How often should water crystals be replaced? I like the idea of the card board in between the egg crates too.
 

codykrr

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i feed only "old roy dog food" i grind it up with a dedicated blender untill its a fine powder.

it varies on watering. i try my best only to give them just enough so it doesnt last more than 2 days. after they consume all the water i usually wait a day or two before watering again. same with food.
 

Endagr8

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No offense, Cody, but I think that's a tad superfluous, from the use of a vacuum to clean something that produces only a couple cubic feet of waste per year to your excessive cleaning frequency.
 

codykrr

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Think what you will, but like i said, this yeilds RESULTS for me. Also no one i have ever shipped roaches to have been disapointed. I have been told many times by several people i have given, sold and traded roaches too mine were some of the healthiest they had ever seen.

I also never said you HAVE to do it this way either. I have been asked TONS of times how i keep my bins so clean and my roaches so healthy.

So i posted this. Like it or hate it, thats on YOU

But i really dont see whats so "superfluous" of it? nothing wrong with over the top care in my opinion. Besides, it takes less than 5 minutes...not that extravagant really.
 

xhexdx

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Did I miss where Cody said how often he cleans his roach bins?
 

codykrr

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No you did not Joe. I did not state that at all.

But i will. For my B. lateralis, since they lay egg cases that need around 2 to 3 weeks to hatch...i clean them maybe once every 2 months. Or when it gets a little to much odor for me to handle(there will always be an odor with them, just not a very pungent one)

For the B. dubia, i clean them probably twice a month. since i place water crystals directly on the floor of the bin i find it needed so there is less chance of mites and mold from water and frass.

I will admit, i do clean them A LOT more than most, but i dont want them stinking. nor do i want my feeders to have mites. besides i usually sell off roaches periodically just to thin my colony down. i mean i just got rid of 100 adult females..because i had to many...then another 100 of sub adult roaches. i dont want people unsatisfied with what i send them.
 

mhill

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Ok, I was under the impression that SOME frass needs to be left in the bin for the nymphs to feed on. Is this correct or did I get some crappy (couldnt resist) {D info?
 

codykrr

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nymphs will eat the dog food. i have seen them. besides. My bin is not spotless ALL THE TIME! sheesh. this is just showing how to clean a dirty bin.

My bin wasnt all that dirty, but for the purpose of showing HOW TO CLEAN YOUR ROACH BIN WITH A VACUUM. i proceeded in cleaning what crap was there. i stated this before the very first picture. normally, by 2 weeks, i have about an inch of frass on the bottom no joke. i just cleaned this bin 3 days ago. but wanted to show you all.
 

xhexdx

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Ok, I was under the impression that SOME frass needs to be left in the bin for the nymphs to feed on. Is this correct or did I get some crappy (couldnt resist) {D info?
Nymphs will feed on whatever the adults eat. I'm sure they'll eat frass too, but why let them eat it when you could be feeding them actual food? :)

Cody, I thought you did a good job with the tutorial.
 

shanebp

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I agree with Joe, I thought this tutorial was awesome, and I think your roach bin looks really nice and organized cody (i'm an organizational freak :p ).
 

codykrr

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Nymphs will feed on whatever the adults eat. I'm sure they'll eat frass too, but why let them eat it when you could be feeding them actual food? :)

Cody, I thought you did a good job with the tutorial.
I agree with Joe, I thought this tutorial was awesome, and I think your roach bin looks really nice and organized cody (i'm an organizational freak :p ).
Well thank you.
 

Kathy

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I don't care how often he does or does not clean them. I thought this was really interesting and informative! Gave a newbie like me some good ideas on how to keep the roach bin cleaner. I, for one, appreciate it!
 

Endagr8

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I don't care how often he does or does not clean them. I thought this was really interesting and informative! Gave a newbie like me some good ideas on how to keep the roach bin cleaner. I, for one, appreciate it!
Appreciate it as you will, but be informed that B. lateralis oothecae can take much longer than the two to three weeks to hatch that Cody suggested, so clean accordingly. An absence of babies isn't good if you're planning for a sustainable feeder colony. Also, frequent disturbances are rumored to lower proliferation in cockroaches.

Hopefully codykrr disposes of the vacuum's contents properly; I wouldn't want to see any stray B. dubia/B. lateralis that made it into Cody's vacuum scuttling around a Missouri landfill this summer.
 

xhexdx

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Appreciate it as you will, but be informed that B. lateralis oothecae can take much longer than the two to three weeks to hatch that Cody suggested, so clean accordingly. An absence of babies isn't good if you're planning for a sustainable feeder colony. Also, frequent disturbances are rumored to lower proliferation in cockroaches.

Hopefully codykrr disposes of the vacuum's contents properly; I wouldn't want to see any stray B. dubia/B. lateralis that made it into Cody's vacuum scuttling around a Missouri landfill this summer.
Interesting points. I'm sure a few hours in the freezer before disposal would do the trick.
 

MichiganReptiles

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Interesting points. I'm sure a few hours in the freezer before disposal would do the trick.
I was actually wondering about how to properly dispose of them because I am totally freaked out at the thought of roaches being anywhere except for in their enclosure or being eaten by one of my reptiles or Ts.
 
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