Safe way to eliminate cricket "stink"

RyU

RyU

New Member
I have large Rubbermaid containers that I use for breeding crickets. I wash them out after every cycle but this one bin reeks. I mean a lot worse than the average cricket rank.....I cleaned it thoroughly with soap, water, and vinegar. Its been outside "airing out" all summer. It still stinks badly. 15-20$ is not much in this hobby but it feels like a waste just to junk it. Anybody got a way to get rid of that smell without potentially contaminating the cricket bin?
 
i have no idea :/ i dont know if nature miracle will be safe, and at the same time i think it may help the smell, im not sure though... >.< Let us know if you figure something out!
 
Have you tried apple cider vinegar? Or napalm? Those would be my two recommendations. Try the vinegar first.
 
It has been reported that the Banded Cricket (Ghann's Cricket carries the Banded Cricket) does not stink as bad, probably because they don't die off as do the domestic cricket.

If you cut the bottom out of your cricket container and screen it, the poop will fall through onto a tray (I use an extra lid), and it will reduce your poop smell. Just dump the lid.

The dead crickets definitely are pungent, and if you are getting lots of deaths, it is temperature, food, or hydration. You need to solve why they are dying, that is your real problem.

CHEERS!

Nick
 
Lathis said:
Have you tried apple cider vinegar? Or napalm? Those would be my two recommendations. Try the vinegar first.
Click to expand...

I'll try this. Napalm seems a bit excessive, but if I have any left from my chameleon showers I'll try it. -=)
 
nick barta said:
It has been reported that the Banded Cricket (Ghann's Cricket carries the Banded Cricket) does not stink as bad, probably because they don't die off as do the domestic cricket.

If you cut the bottom out of your cricket container and screen it, the poop will fall through onto a tray (I use an extra lid), and it will reduce your poop smell. Just dump the lid.

The dead crickets definitely are pungent, and if you are getting lots of deaths, it is temperature, food, or hydration. You need to solve why they are dying, that is your real problem.

CHEERS!

Nick
Click to expand...

That's the thing, I don't think I had any unusually high mortality rates. I'll take a better look next round because I'm just about depleted ATM and my supplier is late with my next batch. I find that the crickets I raise myself are much hardier than the ones I buy, Especially the first generation of offspring, I get almost no deaths.

I've heard about the Banded crickets and had been a bit skeptical about the claims. I'm not entirely sure where to get them in bulk where I live, but I will give them a go if I manage to find them in quantity.
 
Bleach is fine, so long as it gets rinsed well and then air dries outside. Anything that you use I would let sit for at least 10 minutes, as a lot of these cleaners need a little time to really disinfect properly. So let it soak, rinse well with water, and then air dry outside.
 
nick barta said:
The dead crickets definitely are pungent, and if you are getting lots of deaths, it is temperature, food, or hydration. You need to solve why they are dying, that is your real problem.

CHEERS!

Nick
Click to expand...

Agreed on that. Found out a long time ago that the my main reason for cricket death is too much moisture in the bin, not enough ventilation. Now I use bins they can't climb and keep the lid off, problem solved. 20 years ago it was near impossible to find a plastic bin that crickets couldn't climb so you had to use ventilated lids. Now they make quite a few as long as you don't mistreat it and scratch up the plastic on the inside.
 
Mike Fisher said:
Agreed on that. Found out a long time ago that the my main reason for cricket death is too much moisture in the bin, not enough ventilation. Now I use bins they can't climb and keep the lid off, problem solved. 20 years ago it was near impossible to find a plastic bin that crickets couldn't climb so you had to use ventilated lids. Now they make quite a few as long as you don't mistreat it and scratch up the plastic on the inside.
Click to expand...

I just use box tape around the inner rim and leave the lid open. Not even the tiny hatchlings can climb out.
 
Olimpia said:
Bleach is fine, so long as it gets rinsed well and then air dries outside. Anything that you use I would let sit for at least 10 minutes, as a lot of these cleaners need a little time to really disinfect properly. So let it soak, rinse well with water, and then air dry outside.
Click to expand...

Used some hot water is some bleach in it and left it for a few hours. Smell seems to be gone so I'll just let it sit outside for a few days. -=)
 
Lovereps said:
Lathis, you forgot to provide a link to a supplier for the napalm :D
Click to expand...

Dow chemical. Or just run the water in mount pleasant, mi... Dow spilled a ton of dioxin into the watershed in the 70s, still causes problems. I can't remember if that's a component of Napalm or Agent Orange, though...

As for the thread, couldn't he just bleach the Hell out of it? I'm under the impression the bleach will evaporate off if he lets it dry. I'd probably do bleach, air dry, water, air dry, water, air dry. But I don't have a great track record with crickets.

Also, the packaging tape border should keep them contained.
 
Well, it's a good thing most companies are so environmentally aware and conscientious nowadays ;)

Looks like he did use bleach after all.
 
Lovereps said:
Well, it's a good thing most companies are so environmentally aware and conscientious nowadays ;)

Looks like he did use bleach after all.
Click to expand...

I used to bleach and it worked great. Left the bin out for a couple days to dry and no more stink. Let me repeat, NO MORE STINK!
 
Can you use a none toxic cat litter in cricket bins? My thoughts are that it would be easy to clean, but then again would absorb moisture that the crickets need.
 
eat2muchrice said:
Can you use a none toxic cat litter in cricket bins? My thoughts are that it would be easy to clean, but then again would absorb moisture that the crickets need.
Click to expand...

If you want to use a substrate go for vermiculite. I don't use any and just dump the gunk out.
 
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