Cleaning roach colony boxes

[BocaJan]

I finally got around to cleaning - or trying to clean my roach box - and was pretty unsuccessful. I couldn't get the little guys out of the frass no matter how hard I tried and I had several different scoops with holes which was supposed to let the frass go through and keep the little roaches in the scoop but everything went right through the holes.

Anyone got any good ideas? How do you clean your roach boxes? Getting the big guys out are easy, they just hang on to the egg crates but the little guys just like to bury down into the frass and hide.

 

[lindawaz]

I am going to start a colony and someone pointed me to the roachhut on youtube. Excellent videos BTW here is the cleaning one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DA6DcF3hQY

 

[Texas Ranger]

Take a 5 gallon bucket and drill 3/32 holes with drill all on the bottom. Dump the frass and babies all in the bucket and shake it the babies will stay and most of the frass will go threw.
Let me know if this helps

 

[Ta2Smitty]

Take a 5 gallon bucket and drill 3/32 holes with drill all on the bottom. Dump the frass and babies all in the bucket and shake it the babies will stay and most of the frass will go threw.
Let me know if this helps

then use the frass on your flower beds

 

[Dave]

I just take the egg crates out first with all the roaches, trying not to disurb them. Then take some spare egg crates, after you've scooped out as many as you can with your hands (get over your ick factor quick lol), and place them on top what's left and I shake up the bin. This disturbs all the little ones and encourage them to climb up onto the spare egg crates. Just do that about a dozen times, and you should be good And they seem to really like cardboard tubes during this time too!

 

[lindawaz]

as you can with your hands (get over your ick factor quick lol),

I have ICK factor Regarding the beetles

(maybe someday it will go away)

 

[Dave]

I have ICK factor Regarding the beetles

(maybe someday it will go away)

Here's news for you, it never goes away. It's all about controlling it. There's several times I pick up the roaches and it gets to me, ending in a shudder and flinging the adult cockroach out of my hands. Yea, it still gets to me too.

 

[BocaJan]

I put on rubber gloves, the medical type, it has helped with the ick factor, but I have been unable to get the babies to climb up on anything. They like to bury into the frass. I Now have a box of adults and a box of frass with babies. As they grow I will be able to remove them. I can get them out when they shed once or twice. GRRRR. My chams like them about 3/4" to 1" size. Well, the girls do. The boys go for the bigger ones without wings yet. It is fun to watch them pick and choose. They have learned to eat them head first so the darn things don't try to climb on them.

 

[ponders]

I take the frass & babies and put them into a small container. I put several tp tubes standing up in there pushed down into the frass. Everyday, I open it and shake out the babies stuck to the tubes. Eventually, they are all picked up. Patience is a virtue!

 

[K9Luvn]

I take the frass & babies and put them into a small container. I put several tp tubes standing up in there pushed down into the frass. Everyday, I open it and shake out the babies stuck to the tubes. Eventually, they are all pickup up. Patience is a virtue!

Wow great idea... I have been sifting and picking them out... now a much easier way!!! Thank you!!!

 

[BocaJan]

I'll do that. I have them in the big tub.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I use a large sifter. Dump a bunch of fraz into it, shake, big bits and bugs get left behind in sifter.
The bucket with holes sounds like a good idea