# Keeping Dubias Outside



## Tokendog (Jun 22, 2009)

Hi,

I havent posted in a while but I had a question.  I did search for an answer first but didn't see any thing specific to my question.

I have a small Dubia colony (about 500) and I moved in to a new house.  I do not have any where to keep them and my wife has noticed the smell.  I clean the bin every so often but she still notices it and wants them out.

I am looking to keep my roaches outside, with no AC, in 90 degree temps in South Louisiana.  I know this will help them breed but I am concerned about mites, ants, and other insects/creatures/dangers getting in to my colony.

I am hoping a more experienced roach keeper can chime in with some good ideas, pictures of an outdoor setup, etc. so that I can make sure my colony is fine outside?

They will be inside of a shed but the shed has access points all over it and already has wasp inside.

Thanks.


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## JLee (Jun 22, 2009)

As far as crawling bugs in a shed, you could always use one of those large shallow pans put water in it and set the bin in that. That would prevent the crawling bugs from getting inside. I have no suggestions on the flying ones. Accept get the fine mosquito screen from Lowes or something like that and use it. Perhaps even double the screen up. 

Good luck!


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## Matt K (Jun 22, 2009)

If properly maintained B.dubia do not produce any noticeable smell.  You may want to find another means to conduct your husbandry practices.  The only roaches that are particularly smelly are Blatta lateralis....


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## OxDionysus (Jun 22, 2009)

Matt K said:


> If properly maintained B.dubia do not produce any noticeable smell.  You may want to find another means to conduct your husbandry practices.  The only roaches that are particularly smelly are Blatta lateralis....


I have a large colony (4-5k)that I maintain very well, and it still has an odor when I feed them any kind of crushed up dog, cat, or fish food. If you try chicked feed "non medicated" the odor with go down dramatically. They will not chow down as much either. 

I have a mixture of crushed dog food, bran, oatmeal, and some ground up  bearded dragon pellets I had left over. I mixed it all in a big blender and  when I feed them this they will eat like 3 cups in like 5 hours.

I give them the same in chicken feed and they eat that much in a week.


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## Pacmaster (Jun 22, 2009)

I keep all my roaches outside, now that its hot and staying hot . . .

I got myself a shelf/rack that has 4 skinny legs, I put each leg in a wide/deep bowl of water.
Havent had any issues with ants/flies/bugs in general.

Make sure you dont put it somewhere that has been or will be sprayed . . .

Another tip is to put just enough food for the roaches to fully consume, so the excess doesnt attract unwanted guests . . .

I find the smelliest part of a roach colony is the old eggcartons, replace those regularly and it should help reduce any smells, more so than cleaning all the (important) frass outta the bottom.


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## djb (Jun 22, 2009)

so are roaches ok to be kept outside. I might leave them somewhere in the sun or where it is a little warm its probably bad to keep them in the sun. so leaving them somewhere warmer will that make them breed


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## Pacmaster (Jun 24, 2009)

djb said:


> so are roaches ok to be kept outside. I might leave them somewhere in the sun or where it is a little warm its probably bad to keep them in the sun. so leaving them somewhere warmer will that make them breed


Yeah, dont put them in the direct sun . . .
Mine are kept in a spot in my backyard that stays in the shade all day, but still warms up to the 90+ degree weather we been getting.
It cools to around 80 at night, so keeping them outside is the perfect thing . . .

My roaches like it hotter than my pets, so I can easily cool my herp-room and let the roaches breed like crazy in the free summers heat, by keeping them outside . . .

Make sure they always have a good watersource available, as I find the crystals and fruits dry out much faster when outside.

I expect sufficient heat till about late september, and my colonies should be massive by then.


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## Tokendog (Jun 24, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> Yeah, dont put them in the direct sun . . .
> Mine are kept in a spot in my backyard that stays in the shade all day, but still warms up to the 90+ degree weather we been getting.
> It cools to around 80 at night, so keeping them outside is the perfect thing . . .
> 
> ...


Any chance I could get some pics of your setup and colony?

Thanks for the info guys/gals!


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## Matt K (Jun 24, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> My roaches like it hotter than my pets, so I can easily cool my herp-room and let the roaches breed like crazy in the free summers heat, by keeping them outside . . .
> .


Fact is, most roaches do best at the exact temps that most herps do best at.  Roaches do not prefer it hotter- that is a wives tale.


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## Pacmaster (Jun 25, 2009)

Matt K said:


> Fact is, most roaches do best at the exact temps that most herps do best at.  Roaches do not prefer it hotter- that is a wives tale.


Well, its been workin for me, and is what I was told by a well-known roach dealer/breeder, so thats how I do it- the hotter the better.
I dont got em in direct sunlight, but the summer heat is ok in my book.

The colonies have almost doubled their food/water intake in the last few weeks, and I got so many nymphs, its gotta be due to something.
The population explosions I have had are not due just to oranges, its gotta be the higher temps . . .

When I said that about my roaches and reptiles and temps, I keep alot of species that like the coolness of high 70s to low 80s(75-82) such as Ts and crested geckos, MOST of the pets I keep like those temps, my frogs do like it a little warmer, but I get a temp varient depending on location in the room.
The roaches seem to do best at 85+, so the ~90 weather outside is perfect, I just keep them well-hydrated . . .

Just out of curiosity here Matt, why are you so adverse to keeping the roaches outside in the free heat?
I understand there is a risk of pest species invading, but if one takes the necessary precautions, good results can be had . . .


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