spidermonkey79

fill the springtail container with water till its just above the dirtline. springtails will float, then you can just scoop them out with a spoon if you like or pour some of the water into you roach enclosure.

I agree with lovebug. there are always more options than getting a bigger bin. I believe it also depends on the species. If you are keeping a fairly long lived and slow growing species it can be a while before you need to thin them out or change containers. I have colonies in bins that range from the small 7 qt sterilite shoeboxes to the big 35 gal ones. all do ok. In my experience I usually only get escapes if the colony has grown enough where they need more food and I havent compensated. If I did not give them enough food then I will see some go wandering outside the bin otherwise they like to stay in there.

Im not a fan of water crystals. I usually just throw some fruit or veggies in there once or twice a week. If not that I will spray/mist or just pour a little bit of water in one corner. I used water crystals before and they dried up too fast, then every time I added water it increased the humidity and the roaches swelled. This was for E.Javanica by the way. I had a tone of trouble with that colony and the only thing that made sense was the water crystals, any change in humidity and some of the roaches would die off looking like they were going to explode. Now I just do veggies and add water to the corner, there are a few species that I leave a water dish but its more for humidity.

Thanks for the replies. The banboo itself is pretty tough so I was more thinking about the leaves. Ill hack some off and see if the dubias like them before I try them in some of my other colonies.

I was curious if anyone had any experience feeding bamboo to their colonies. I have a decent size bunch of bamboo growing in my backyard. all completely free of pesticides or fertilizers that I was considering feeding. Also if you have fed has there been any difference or benefit to feeding fresh versus the dried leaves. I anticipate there are no real issues but was hoping someone has had some experience and can verify for me.

I agree you could just drill some holes and throw a lock on the rubbermaid. Another thing you could do is hold onto any die offs and tell your brother than you think something is wrong with the colony and it might not be safe to feed his tarantulas right now. Make sure you have a bunch of dead roaches to show him. That should make him think twice about using your colony to feed.

I have access to collecting some but wasn't sure if they were a good addition to a cleaning crew. We have a few spots here in town where there is a lot of leaf litter and when I was poking around there I saw a good amount of silverfish. only downside is that they are very quick and not the easiest to scoop up. But if you or anyone is interested I could go see how many I could find later on this week. I am unsure what species.

I was curious if anyone has tried silverfish as a cleanup crew addition to any tanks and what their thoughts were.

I stumbled onto this video while browsing some robot videos. I knew they did some types of experimentation but this video made me cringe. Ice water anesthesia? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2zNOP6RqRk I wasn't sure where to put this, figured this was the best spot but feel free to move.

I am planning a trip to Orlando FL in January. I will only be there over the course of a weekend so what are my best options for finding some new roaches to bring back home? Does anyone know of any species that stay relatively close to orlando or should I consider taking a little road trip out of the city. I would like to find some Eurycotis floridana I have heard that B. canifer and panchlora nivea have established themselves in parts of florida but im sure its not as easy as going outside the hotel and flipping a board. Does anyone have any info on what I can realistically find in or around the city? Perhaps not too far outside it, although we may be making a trip to the beach, most likely cocoa. All I can really find from my searching online is the standard pest control info and Im more looking for what to look for to collect.

Hi All, We are making plans to take a vacation to Orlando this January. The kids are finally old enough to enjoy Disney world and it so happens that my wife has a conference there in January that we can turn into a mini vacation. I have been looking for what species of roach I can collect while there. From the online research I have been doing I only get pest sites that tell me how to eradicate them and talk about the standard pest species, chinese, german, american, etc. I have heard that Panchlora nivea are in Florida and Eurycotis floridana. I was wondering if anyone knows if there are any other species that you can find in florida? Also where might I be able to find them, meaning can they be found in or around Orlando? If so where, or what types of habitats would be good to search for them in? I know that January is a ways away but I am hoping to get as much knowledge as I can before then.

It was the same thing with my tarantulas, I tend to dive straight in whenever I enjoy something. Discoids are cool, They are on the list but not sure when I will get to them. being as I just started up again the only roaches I have are the beginnings of a dubia colony right now. I don't know that my wife would ever let me keep germans. Although she did get used to seeing a few red runner nymphs here and there every now and then. Roaches are really amazing, I like the color variations as well, they are both incredibly simple and very complex at the same time.

Hi everyone, I haven't been on here in a very long time and so figured it would be good to reintroduce myself. I originally got into roaches as feeders for my tarantulas but found out I liked them so much I get many more. I have kept colonies of dubias, hissers, and red runners, and started colonies of harlequin and zebra roaches but then moved and had to part ways with all my inverts, still regretting it. Anyways, I am back into both hobbies naw and am getting started again with a few T's and starting a Dubia colony as well as a hisser colony pretty soon. I would like to get a few more species as well. If anyone is here in new mexico and has anything I might be able to purchase off of you please feel free to contact me. Even if you just want to talk about inverts of any kind. I am glad to be back in the hobby and look forward getting to know many of you.