This is an easy way to have the frass (poop) from crickets, roaches, super worms, horn worms, and silk worms be "automatically" removed from the feeder bin.
What ever size plastic bin you use for the feeder, buy a second one.
On the 1st bin the beasts live in, cut out the BOTTOM, and replace with aluminum window screen. I use wood strips along all 4 bottom edges, sandwich the screen in between the wood, and hot glue it also.
The second bin is the catch bin for the frass, put the feeder bin in the second bin, dump it once a week.
Some tricks:
Bigger frass needs bigger holes
For bigger frass, as larger horn worms and larger silk worms, you can buy plastic "place mats" at Joann's Fabrics. They come with 2 size of holes, and can replace the screen bottom. They can be sprayed with an out door hose for cleaning, they are very durable.
For LARGE horn worms (1/4 inch diameter), restaurant supply companies sell soft flexible plastic mat with a grid about 3/8 inches.
No money for a second container?
If you don't want to buy a second container, you can always use a plastic lid from another container you are not using to catch the frass. The advantage to the second container is that it keeps escapees contained.
What are the negatives?
For supers, if you use a fine dry gut load, or bran as a bedding/food, they will also go through the screen. I use oats for supers to solve this, and dry gut load is put in a lid with a 1/8 inch lip so the supers can climb in and out. This contains most of the gut load, and I am not throwing it away.
What are some advantages to this system?
For crickets in large populations, you will smell less unpleasant aroma. When I have had lots of crickets, I would dump the catch bin 2 times a week.
If you use a lid to catch the frass, and the container is on blocks, the airflow dries it out quickly, resulting in less odor.
Any time we can remove a feeder from living in it's own waste seems to make sense…
CHEERS!
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Nick
What ever size plastic bin you use for the feeder, buy a second one.
On the 1st bin the beasts live in, cut out the BOTTOM, and replace with aluminum window screen. I use wood strips along all 4 bottom edges, sandwich the screen in between the wood, and hot glue it also.
The second bin is the catch bin for the frass, put the feeder bin in the second bin, dump it once a week.
Some tricks:
Bigger frass needs bigger holes
For bigger frass, as larger horn worms and larger silk worms, you can buy plastic "place mats" at Joann's Fabrics. They come with 2 size of holes, and can replace the screen bottom. They can be sprayed with an out door hose for cleaning, they are very durable.
For LARGE horn worms (1/4 inch diameter), restaurant supply companies sell soft flexible plastic mat with a grid about 3/8 inches.
No money for a second container?
If you don't want to buy a second container, you can always use a plastic lid from another container you are not using to catch the frass. The advantage to the second container is that it keeps escapees contained.
What are the negatives?
For supers, if you use a fine dry gut load, or bran as a bedding/food, they will also go through the screen. I use oats for supers to solve this, and dry gut load is put in a lid with a 1/8 inch lip so the supers can climb in and out. This contains most of the gut load, and I am not throwing it away.
What are some advantages to this system?
For crickets in large populations, you will smell less unpleasant aroma. When I have had lots of crickets, I would dump the catch bin 2 times a week.
If you use a lid to catch the frass, and the container is on blocks, the airflow dries it out quickly, resulting in less odor.
Any time we can remove a feeder from living in it's own waste seems to make sense…
CHEERS!
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Nick
