Idea on cricket clean up crew?

[Madmango]

I dislike cleaning my cricket bin as I bet a lot of people do. Cleaning crickets every evening for years is just getting old

I have been thinking about adding a clean up crew to the bin. However I don’t want a bio active cricket bin at this time. Do any of you have experience with adding a clean up crew? Was thinking about buffalo beetle. As I understand it they live for a good amount of time and can be feed to my smaller chams.

what are your experiences and what has worked for you?

 

[jamest0o0]

For crickets people usually use dermestid(very voracious and will attack other insects if hungry enough) and lesser mealworm beetles(which also will attack, but only when their numbers are out of control. The lesser mealworm beetles tend to stay in control in dry bins, mine always explode in numbers when moisture is added.

My favorite cleaner is isopods as I've never witnessed them attack and they're just as good at cleaning things up. They also make good feeders. Downside is, they need some form of substrate and a moist retreat.

 

[Madmango]

@jamest0o0
Thanks for the info, I may have to give in and put in substrate. Do you use Coco. core with the Isopods?

 

[Arpretty]

Sorry to “lurk and like” I’m very interested in this topic as well and I know @jamest0o0 is the go-to bug guy!

 

[jamest0o0]

@jamest0o0
Thanks for the info, I may have to give in and put in substrate. Do you use Coco. core with the Isopods?

Well I think the beetles might be worth a try for just crickets since you rebuy them rather than breed them. They will probably be faster cleaners initially too until the isopods grow in population. But yeah, if you went the isopod route, coco coir would work well.

 

[Madmango]

@jamest0o0 thanks for your advice. I’m going to order some beets and give them a try.