Dubia Roach Cleaner Crew Suggestions

[CamrynTheCham22]

I am in need of some dermestids because during the winter I can't clean the roach bin as often (we have loads of snow/rain) and I think a cleaner crew would be very beneficial. I don't know how many I should buy, though. I was thinking about 25 beetles. I have a medium storage bin, not huge, but it still houses up to 150 dubias at one time. There is usually some kale or other greens in with the roaches, but I am not sure if this will affect anything.
So how many should I buy and how long do they last? Will the dermestids eat other dead dermestids? Also, do they require any extra care or can I just throw them in with the roaches?

 

[Andee]

Dermestids are aggressive eaters and will eat dead dermestids, but not live likely. They will eat freshly molted, currently molting, slower, or dead roaches. Depending on how hungry they are depends on how many live things they destroy. They arent heavy vegetation eaters though will eat it, they prefer inverts and meat. Their colony will grow faster than your roach colony.

 

[nick barta]

I would suggest cleaner beetles instead of Dermestids, for a small colony, one culture will be enough. fullthrottlefeeders.com is my website where you can purchase them.

CHERS!

Nick

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

Maybe I should stay away from them then, because since I live in a desert with next to no humidity, the dubia roaches don't really breed. I even struggle getting my cham's cage to a moderate humidity level, which is dealt with by lots of mistings. I will look into getting the cleaner beetles. Are they as aggressive eaters as the dermestids?

 

[Andee]

No i use the same types as Nick, and they are a wonderful mix. Good for large or small colonies.

 

[AZChamFan]

Maybe I should stay away from them then, because since I live in a desert with next to no humidity, the dubia roaches don't really breed. I even struggle getting my cham's cage to a moderate humidity level, which is dealt with by lots of mistings. I will look into getting the cleaner beetles. Are they as aggressive eaters as the dermestids?

I live in Phoenix, AZ - very dry. My dubia colony breeds so quickly I am constantly having to give them away or thin them out. If yours are not breeding it's highly unlikely that it's due to low humidity as I personally do nothing to raise humidity for my dubias and the dryness has never had a negative effect on them. Make sure you are keeping them warm enough and feeding them properly and they should breed like crazy!

 

[jamest0o0]

I can speak for @nick barta cleaner beetles. They are excellent, I keep them with most of my roaches. Never seen them cause any problems. They also tend to reproduce on their own just fine and do well in both dry and humid set ups. If you use substrate, I would also recommend using isopods. Some species do very well in dry enclosures, just give them a little moisture in a spot of the bin. I agree with the others about dermestids, I personally wouldn't use them.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

I live in Phoenix, AZ - very dry. My dubia colony breeds so quickly I am constantly having to give them away or thin them out. If yours are not breeding it's highly unlikely that it's due to low humidity as I personally do nothing to raise humidity for my dubias and the dryness has never had a negative effect on them. Make sure you are keeping them warm enough and feeding them properly and they should breed like crazy!

If it's not the humidity then it is probably the heat, because they live in room temp and I know they need higher temps to breed. Hopefully they will during the summer though. Is there a specific food that they can eat they encourages breeding or can I just keep feeding them kale, carrots, etc.?