Hold back period after roach bins potentially sprayed with bleach?

bbyoda

bbyoda

Chameleon Enthusiast
Our landlord pressure washed out duplex and sadly our laundry room window was ajar and some of the bleach mixture sprayed inside. There was a fine mist on everything including the top of my roach bins.

We caught it almost immediately and pulled the bins into the part of the house that has better ventilation. I wiped them down with a clean rag and investigated the inside and nothing was wet inside. Nothing smells like bleach in their bins either.

Is there a hold back period for clearing out a roaches system before feeding to my chameleons? I just ordered silkworms and can stop by Petco for hornworms and fruit flies to tide them over a bit. I plan on watching the roach colonies of course. Give it a month? I can't imagine bleach stays in their system or on their skins forever, even if a bit got in there.

Thanks for the advice!
 
This is a new one for me. If I was cleaning the bins I would rinse them thoroughly and let them dry in the sun if any smell of bleach was gone they would be ok for use. I have no idea on the roaches themselves. Bleach brakes down into fairly harmless compounds in the presence of organic material but does that include living tissue??

I might go a month removing the frass weekly. If they seem fine go from there. If you have a larger than average die off maybe just start over with a new colony.
 
JacksJill said:
This is a new one for me. If I was cleaning the bins I would rinse them thoroughly and let them dry in the sun if any smell of bleach was gone they would be ok for use. I have no idea on the roaches themselves. Bleach brakes down into fairly harmless compounds in the presence of organic material but does that include living tissue??

I might go a month removing the frass weekly. If they seem fine go from there. If you have a larger than average die off maybe just start over with a new colony.
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Thanks! Yes it's a very weird situation. Their bins don't smell like bleach at all, and I will keep an eye out for die offs and clean out the soil & frass as well.
 
Sadly I'm seeing some intense die offs, so I'd like to start over.

How does one go about disposing of their roaches in their roach bins? I don't want to just dump them out and cause environmental issues.
 
bbyoda said:
Sadly I'm seeing some intense die offs, so I'd like to start over.

How does one go about disposing of their roaches in their roach bins? I don't want to just dump them out and cause environmental issues.
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If they keep dying off, the problem may solve itself.
I'd just take them outside, but it's just above freezing here. Is it a legal species in FL?
 
Klyde O'Scope said:
If they keep dying off, the problem may solve itself.
I'd just take them outside, but it's just above freezing here. Is it a legal species in FL?
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Good point, I just hate to think of even roaches suffering. They are both legal species in Florida.
 
I’d freeze them in airtight bags. Roaches apparently need to be below 14 degrees for several days straight to die. They’ve been known to revive after a single day below freezing. Unsure if it will kill the eggs.

If you use ziploc bags, you can press the extra air out once frozen… so if they thaw and revive, they’ll run out of oxygen at some point.
 
snitz427 said:
I’d freeze them in airtight bags. Roaches apparently need to be below 14 degrees for several days straight to die. They’ve been known to revive after a single day below freezing. Unsure if it will kill the eggs.

If you use ziploc bags, you can press the extra air out once frozen… so if they thaw and revive, they’ll run out of oxygen at some point.
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I'm gonna need a lot of bags lol
 
snitz427 said:
I dont know of a more ethical way to kill roaches. Can run over your ziplock bags with your car and hope the bag doesnt pop and you don’t create a roachnado
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Roachnado!! 😮

With the luck I've had I'll cause one. Maybe I'll keep feeding them and picking out dead feeders for the rest of their lives. New pets.
 
snitz427 said:
I dont know of a more ethical way to kill roaches. Can run over your ziplock bags with your car and hope the bag doesnt pop and you don’t create a roachnado
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They're ostensibly contaminated anyway, right? :unsure:

1649727821483.png
(Half kidding... :rolleyes:)
 
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MissSkittles said:
That’s what I would do, but I’m incredibly overly ‘soft’.
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Can absolutely relate to this. Last month, some of my pantanal roaches got out. I found them around Beau’s cage where I had just used the wet vac.. I hadn’t yet had the chance to mop, and with coccidia to contend with, I couldn’t risk putting them back and infecting the whole colony. Two adult roaches got flushed and I felt like a wretched human being for doing it. My fiancé was pretty bummed about it as well. I know these guys are being kept for food, but having to end anything’s life feels ugly. Can’t stand it

@bbyoda I’ve not experienced this myself, so no advice to add. I just wanted to say that I am so sorry you’re going through so much at once. 😢
 
PlanetRemulak said:
Can absolutely relate to this. Last month, some of my pantanal roaches got out. I found them around Beau’s cage where I had just used the wet vac.. I hadn’t yet had the chance to mop, and with coccidia to contend with, I couldn’t risk putting them back and infecting the whole colony. Two adult roaches got flushed and I felt like a wretched human being for doing it. My fiancé was pretty bummed about it as well. I know these guys are being kept for food, but having to end anything’s life feels ugly. Can’t stand it

@bbyoda I’ve not experienced this myself, so no advice to add. I just wanted to say that I am so sorry you’re going through so much at once. 😢
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Thank you I really appreciate that! I will keep feeding and taking care of the roaches til I decide what to do. 😅 I don't think I want to take care of them forever though.
 
JacksJill said:
Reasonably after a couple/few generations any effects of the bleach should dissipate. You would just need to gauge the life span.
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I don't remember which species we're talking about, but if it were dubias, that could take years! :eek:

Live fast, die young, and leave 500,000 eggs/nymphs. Sounds like a plan! :p
 
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