# Dubia roach colony bucket



## KevinsWither (Jun 11, 2016)

Is it possible to raise a good amount of roaches (Dubias) in a bucket? The bucket is 5 gallons and that egg crate will be used. Would a heating cable on the bottom of the bucket work? I also plan to make ventilation holes with screen metal mesh.


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## Tenevanica (Jun 11, 2016)

A bucket would work just fine. The keys to breeding dubias are heat, fruit, and dark hiding spots. An opaque bucket might actually be ideal. Use whatever heat source works best for you!


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## KevinsWither (Jun 11, 2016)

Any heat source for the bucket? On the bottom of it? Will it be big enough for medium production? Do you need substrate?


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## pannaking22 (Jun 11, 2016)

You can go as fancy or simple on the heat source as you'd like. Since it's the summer and my bug room tends to stay warmer, I just leave them be. If it gets too chilly during the winter I put a small heat mat on the side of the enclosure. Once your colony gets going it should be good enough for medium production. Substrate is optional. I keep the bottom of mine bare, but I know others use a layer of newspaper or even cocofiber sometimes.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## KevinsWither (Jun 11, 2016)

Could a heating pad work for a bucket bottom?


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## Blackout14 (Jun 11, 2016)

Could always wrap it in heat rope then cover that in foil tape.  Would help reflect the heat inward and hold the rope on.  Plus you would have a very shiny bucket when you are done


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## KevinsWither (Jun 11, 2016)

Blackout14 said:


> Could always wrap it in heat rope then cover that in foil tape.  Would help reflect the heat inward and hold the rope on.  Plus you would have a very shiny bucket when you are done


Good idea but I do not know about using heat rope. I am a little unsure about it. Now will the heat at least radiate upwards if a big heating pad is used (like an exo terra 8x8 heating pad)? How many could potentially be in the bucket at a time? Any cleanup crews for dead bodies and feces?


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## Blackout14 (Jun 11, 2016)

KevinsWither said:


> Good idea but I do not know about using heat rope. I am a little unsure about it. Now will the heat at least radiate upwards if a big heating pad is used (like an exo terra 8x8 heating pad)? How many could potentially be in the bucket at a time? Any cleanup crews for dead bodies and feces?


Heat rope works just as well as a heat pad but will provide more even hear in a tall bucket.  Heat Mat will work find on the bottom as well.  I have no cleanup crews roaches really don't smell in a few months you will want buckets with different size holes drilled in em to seperate em out but that's about it they aren't to hard

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Dark (Jun 12, 2016)

Heat sources make me anxious so all my roaches are kept at room temperature & my dubias still breed. This summer the dubias are kept at roughly 75 F during the day and around 67 - 68 F at night and I still get babies. If you don't care about not having tremendous numbers I don't think a heating element is necessary. Plus like pannaking22 said, it's summer so if I really want to boost my numbers I just keep them in a non air conditioned room and allow the natural heat that seeps in to help me out. Good luck, a bucket sounds like a smart idea for a colony, I might do that at some point.

Eric

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Kumo Punch (Jul 13, 2016)

I keep a couple my Dubia roach colonies this way. I don't give any supplemental heat but I'm in SoCal. They seem to tolerate cooler conditions during the winter and production explodes during the warmer months. I've kept other roaches like orange heads in the same manner and they didn't survive with cooler winter temps.

Reactions: Like 1


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## runCMD (Feb 14, 2017)

@KevinsWither did this work out for you? I've just finished my setup and will be adding some adult females and males to the bucket soon.


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## KevinsWither (Feb 15, 2017)

I got a much larger container, but for discoids. I like the discoids as they are always active and grow a bit larger than dubias. Now, I was thinking of doing a 4 gallon panchola nivea colony.


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## runCMD (Feb 15, 2017)

Ah bummer - really hoping my bucket project will work out and wanted to get the confirmation like every noob wants


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## KevinsWither (Feb 15, 2017)

runCMD said:


> Ah bummer - really hoping my bucket project will work out and wanted to get the confirmation like every noob wants


Actually it could work and I found a way as it works for almost every suitable container including buckets, use  heating cable and wrap it around the bucket (1.75 inches apart) and then put vents in the lid.


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## runCMD (Feb 15, 2017)

I did you one better: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/small-dubia-housing.291091/

Just lowered the temperature so that it hits 80 max though(I was running at 85) to try to prevent the Dermestids I just added from flying.


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## KevinsWither (Feb 15, 2017)

That is quite an excellent bucket setup. Frankly from what ecology taught me is that normally the larger the space, the more roaches you can sustain forever. With adequate resources and whatnot.


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## runCMD (Feb 15, 2017)

Thanks! I'm already worried I'll have too many with only 3 Ts and I don't want to waste time trying to sell them to support my hobby that I just expect to spend money on anyways . We'll see what happens but the bucket is small and portable which I like.


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## KevinsWither (Mar 15, 2017)

Here is my own setup with the bucket:
















B discoid roach colony



__ KevinsWither
__ Mar 15, 2017
__ 2



						This is how I set it up with a heating cable
					
















B discoid roach colony



__ KevinsWither
__ Mar 15, 2017



						Interior


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## runCMD (Mar 15, 2017)

Nice thanks for the update. I like how you turned it sideways.  In my case attaching the screw-on/off lid has been a lifesaver.  I already have babies that I am able to feed my C. Versicolor sling on so I am calling this a success.  I am a little concerned that I believe most of my dermestidae have either died off or matured into beetles.  Hoping they reproduce and I see pupae cleaning up old skins/etc soon.


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## KevinsWither (Mar 15, 2017)

Another thing that I was going to do is fin done of those lids that can close/open with out taking off the lid. That way I can simply when I need to clean or get a few open the flap and get the roaches. I would do dubias, only thing is that they can smell sometimes and that they play dead. Now if I did that for p nivea roaches. Actually now thinking about it, I can potentially do a bunch of roach colonies in 5 gallon buckets (with the exception of very few species). 

PS... Hmm there is potentially a very nice idea to do the same, but with a barrel or plastic trash can and like a crap load of roaches....


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## runCMD (Mar 15, 2017)

I think that once you want to scale larger, the bins are really the better options and have lids like you were talking about.  The buckets are nice for portability and space saving.  If you want multiple smaller roach colonies(to be able to move them around easily or having different species for example) I think the buckets are a great solution. In my case it wasn't necessarily the cheapest because I had to insulate and heat the bucket separately from the room but I do not wan to keep my garage hot .  In summer time the heating mat will probably be off more often than on.  It is the most convenient for me though.


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## user 666 (Mar 15, 2017)

I just got started, and my colony is in a quart deli cup - in my closet. I plan to upgrade as my colony grows, but this works okay for now.

BTW, how do you go about selecting, say, all 0.5" dubias - and only that size?

I am wondering what the trick is.


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## runCMD (Mar 15, 2017)

I am not sorting for shipment so it's as easy as just picking up a section of egg carton and grabbing the one I want.  If you want to sort, people make systems where they have multiple buckets with specific-sized holes in the bottom stacked on top of each other.  They dump all the roaches in the buckets and sift them through.  You end up with the big ones in the top, and sorted down by size for each successive bucket.  The amount of dubia that would fit in a quart cup would not work for breeding I don't think.  The males tend to not want to hang together and they are quite large when mature.  Keeping your feeder supply that you replenish would work in something that size but not breeding.  you can check out the thread I linked for picture of my setup if you want.

Reactions: Helpful 1


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## user 666 (Mar 15, 2017)

I will probably upgrade, yes.  I didn't know how much space 100 quarter inch dubias took up until I got them. (I was also under the mistaken impression I could keep them the same as crickets.) Now that i know, I can buy larger sizes and guarantee that I have room.


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## KevinsWither (Mar 15, 2017)

I would recommend if it is a small space like a bucket setup. Another thing I would say for that is that 100 quarter inch dubias do take up like 1/3 of the space estimated in a container that is 16 ounces. Honestly, I would get the bucket (or small container) and get like 25 females and 10 males. Then there is quite enough for a nicely sized colony. What are you feeding?


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## user 666 (Mar 15, 2017)

I am using the food I got from the seller: 
https://www.dubiaroachwarehouse.com/shop/dubia-roach-feed


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## Jeff23 (Mar 15, 2017)

user 666 said:


> I will probably upgrade, yes.  I didn't know how much space 100 quarter inch dubias took up until I got them. (I was also under the mistaken impression* I could keep them the same as crickets.*) Now that i know, I can buy larger sizes and guarantee that I have room.


Crickets may let you jam them together, but they actually need space as well.  When crickets are jammed together cannibalism occurs.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## runCMD (Mar 15, 2017)

Agreed, they definitely need more room. And if you're going to be feeding out of this colony I would suggest following Kevin's advice and ordering the adult females and males as well to start with the breeding right away.  I did the 25/10 order and it seems to be working - I am feeding from the bigger nymph order and the babies they have already produced.  It can take many months for them to mature.


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## user 666 (Mar 15, 2017)

runCMD said:


> Agreed, they definitely need more room. And if you're going to be feeding out of this colony I would suggest following Kevin's advice and ordering the adult females and males as well to start with the breeding right away.  I did the 25/10 order and it seems to be working - I am feeding from the bigger nymph order and the babies they have already produced.  It can take many months for them to mature.


Can you recommend a vendor?


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## runCMD (Mar 15, 2017)

Not sure if it's a recommendation but my last order from Rainbow Mealworms here in California went fine and was a decent price.  I would suggest looking for something more towards your side of the country though.

Reactions: Helpful 1


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## user 666 (Mar 15, 2017)

runCMD said:


> Agreed, they definitely need more room. And if you're going to be feeding out of this colony I would suggest following Kevin's advice and ordering the adult females and males as well to start with the breeding right away.  I did the 25/10 order and it seems to be working - I am feeding from the bigger nymph order and the babies they have already produced.  It can take many months for them to mature.


It looks like I won't have any trouble with space for the first 100; I am going through them faster than expected. I just gave a dubia to each of the Ts I fed on Monday/Sunday and they are all chowing down. (Do you know what I like most? Dubias don't jump away and escape like cursed crickets.)

How many eggs will the 25/10 colony produce, and how often?


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## KevinsWither (Mar 15, 2017)

They give live birth, and they produce 40 per female per month. So doing basic elementary arithmetic, it would be if all of them produced 40 by the end of a month, would give us 1,000 baby roaches, assuming they all produced 40, give or take 5 less or 5 more.

Reactions: Helpful 1


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## N1ghtFire (Mar 15, 2017)

I have about 30 adult dubias in a kritter keeper with egg crates, and they are reproducing very nicely! I think a bucket would work pretty good, maybe get a second bucket and seperate the adults and babies. I keep them seperate so I can observe how fast they reproduce. :3

Reactions: Helpful 1


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## runCMD (Mar 15, 2017)

If you have a lot of animals to feed out of it you may want to make a separate breeder colony that you don't feed out of. I only have the 3 and one of them is a 3i spiderling so I am good.  Thoguh honestly you may notice they need much less. 1 dubia=several crickets, especially if you are gut loading the dubia.


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## user 666 (Mar 15, 2017)

runCMD said:


> If you have a lot of animals to feed out of it you may want to make a separate breeder colony that you don't feed out of. I only have the 3 and one of them is a 3i spiderling so I am good.  Thoguh honestly you may notice they need much less. 1 dubia=several crickets, especially if you are gut loading the dubia.


I have 30-ish Ts (many are pet holes, so ... )


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## KevinsWither (Mar 15, 2017)

runCMD said:


> If you have a lot of animals to feed out of it you may want to make a separate breeder colony that you don't feed out of. I only have the 3 and one of them is a 3i spiderling so I am good.  Thoguh honestly you may notice they need much less. 1 dubia=several crickets, especially if you are gut loading the dubia.


About that, that's actually something I'm considering now knowing that I have space for two more of those buckets. And seeing how they are much more warm and humid then my last setup. Using one for green banana roaches for sure, could have one for hissers, so hard to choose, ughhhh.


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