# roach hell



## coraje (Aug 11, 2013)

Nasty smell, spied a dead'un and thought I should bite the bullet, pick up the egg crates and have a proper look under...OMG, slurry and half a dozen dead.
Panic. Wife returning in 25 mins and major clean up/rescue needed without any escapees to greet the returning missus, let alone the stench.

1. Where's the slurry from - poo and liquid from the fruit and veg?

2. I've now put in containers with bigger 'lips', to keep the food from spreading, but will the nymphs be able to get in to the food?

3. There were a few small (3mm) wormy/maggotty things, one or two of which may have gone back into the cleaned out rub (new egg crates too obviously)- what are they and will they harm the roaches?

This is proving way trickier than I had hoped...


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## coraje (Aug 11, 2013)

Anyone?

After 24hrs already there is liquid in one corner (well away from the food), and what looks like poo or even mini slugs (1mm) on the side of the rub above the liquid.

Temps are only 21 or 22 at the bottom but 28-29 at the top. Heat sensor in the middle. 

I've go at least 250 mini drilled holes in the roof for ventilation.

Following an earlier post from the dragon farm I've slid a sheet of newspaper along the base to help roaches right themselves if they get upside down, and hope this will also take out poo/moisture daily, but surely it shouldn't be getting wet anyway?

any ideas or help greatly appreciated.


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## Dragon Farm (Aug 7, 2009)

It sounds as if its a simple problem of lack of ventilation. Most of us cut a large panel in the top, and fix mesh to that for better ventilation. 

There are small flies that will quickly take advantage of any wet food/poo and breed in it. Almost certainly you will be seeing the larvae of those flies.


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## Dragon Farm (Aug 7, 2009)

I would suggest you leave the lid off for a while until the box dries out fully.


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## johne.ev (Sep 14, 2008)

What species of roach are they? Agree with DF, sounds like ventilation (or lack of it) is the problem. You can cover the top with fine fly screen mesh, cut the middle out of the lid & use the frame that's left to hold mesh in place. If they are dubia, you don't even need a lid. Used to breed them in large 60cm x 45cm x 45cm tall tubs with no lids or mesh. Don't try it with lobsters though... They are an absolute nightmare.


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## Dragon Farm (Aug 7, 2009)

Before he said dubia


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## coraje (Aug 11, 2013)

Thanks for the advice.

I will double the drilled holes in the lid until virtually all of it is 'bullet-noodled' (sorry, that expression just sprang to mind - my all time favourite newspaper story headline from a paper in Uganda). I can't risk no lid or I will be thrown out with the roaches.

I will also try a bit less veg and fruit to reduce the humidity input (they don't seem to be eating much of it anyway..?)

I have to make this work as 5 little fire bellies arriving at Christmas...


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## Dragon Farm (Aug 7, 2009)

Remember that veg/fruit is mostly water. Any consumed will result in lots of water being breathed out, and poo-ed out by the roaches. They need plenty of 'wet' food if they are to thrive, so don't limit it to 'solve' the problem of lacl of ventilation.


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

when I had my colony I cut a huge hole out the lid and cut the misses old tights up and stretched them out bit of duct tape, plenty of ventilation and no escapees


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## coraje (Aug 11, 2013)

The whole lid is now peppered with holes, so hopefully this will do the trick.

I did start to try and cut a section out to go with the mesh idea, but struggled to cut through the ridged lid, even with a brand new stanley blade. If I'm still getting a moisture problem (its only on the bottom, not on the walls-does that make sense?), what's the best tool for cutting out if I finally resort to the mesh option? 

Definitely enough fruit/veg for them.

Last night it was wet after only 24hrs- fingers crossed that tomorrow night it won't be.

Should it be completely dry, so the frass comes out like dust after a couple of months? This is how it appeared to be on the Roach hut (very good )videos. It's just that Dragon farm, you mention that the poo will be wet, so does this just desiccate with a combination of high temps and ventilation? Could it be that it is too cool at the bottom of the rub, so poo not drying out, and therefore should I lower my sensor to raise the heat further down?

Sorry to ramble but writing this is helping me think it through...please let me know if any of this is plausible and thanks for all the help so far.

P.S the evening started really well when I drilled through the heat sensor cable while drilling holes in the lid (luckily had a spare) - I'd love a dart frog viv one day but not sure I'm the man to build it up...


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

for cutting either a dremil or a soldering iron,


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## Dragon Farm (Aug 7, 2009)

If the conditions are right, then the frass should be free flowing and 'dry', not wet and stuck together. 

If you are saying that the conditions have not improved since adding more ventilation, then that would suggest that the ventilation is still not enough. You have the heat mat under the tub ? That should dry things out on the bottom. Assuming the heat mat only covers a small part of the base, you could move it around to dry section by section. 

I have seen some of the roach hut videos, and what you see there is how it should done. I was doing it that way 12 years ago, but I do things differently now. The methods he shows are good to follow for small scale breeding at home.


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## coraje (Aug 11, 2013)

Duh! 

My heat map goes round the sides, as on the videos, so I think you have cracked it - I think my ventilation is now sufficient and if I place a small heat mat under the base that should warm it enough to evaporate any moisture. (The base was only registering 21 degrees, whilst the top was 33). If this doesn't solve I'll go with the cutting option, thanks for the tool advice.

I'll let you know and thanks again.


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## Dragon Farm (Aug 7, 2009)

I (and I think most people) heat from below. The heat will rise. Any excess mosture in the air will condense on cold spots, and in your box its obviously the base.


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## vukic (Apr 9, 2010)

I have my heatmat underneath too.. 
With cutting the lids for vents, try warming the plastic.. Makes it easier to cut and less brittle.. 

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