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Roaches are great for winter feedings. You just have to have the right species. Anything that is active and can climb is easier to feed, but harder to contain. Not that they will escape, but you just have to modify properly. With an active climbing species, sealing pet food containers work great. Just use a hole saw, sand paper, some fine metal screening, and Hot glue gun.

After drilling the ventilation holes, use the sand paper to rough up the plastic so the glue will adhese better than it would to a smooth surface, (a serraded knife can rough it up good enough, too). Hot glue the screen to the prepared plastic, make it safe and nicer looking by folding under the prickly parts of screen and gluing them under as well. Wash it good, and set it up for the roaches.

The reason I use Hot glue and not low temp, is because if you need to keep the roaches heated, the low temp glue will fail and ruin the integrity of your container, causing escapes. I also use vaseline to keep alot of them from hanging around in the top, ready to run. LOL Clear topped containers are the best because you can see where the roaches are before you open it. ;)

I have never had roaches waiting to make a run for it, but I am a real stickler for containment. Usually they run straight down into the substrate that I provide. They like their home if they are spoiled with the right conditions and foods. :D

 
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Vaseline to keep them from the top, Very Good Idea! Did you by chance read "Praying mantis keeping Aliens"? ^_^

 
Ha I need to pick up that book one of these days. I don't know what it is about roaches that creeps me out so bad. Luckily, I have a good little reptile store down the street with them for when I change my mind. I'm going to try springtails too. Anyone ever use these? I ordered a culture from Josh's. I'm also trying to get some wax worms to cocoon, but the worms don't seem to be surviving well. Maybe I put the food in before it had cooled enough. hrmm. Stupid Wisconsin is like a barren wasteland for fluttery flappity foods right now.

 
Here's another question: Has anyone ever kept Jewel Wasps? I'm looking at carolina.com and they're $13 for 50 and it says they can't sting humans and can feed on houseflies. On the other hand, the term "parasitic wasp" is rather intimidating. What if Ms. sassypants Idolo doesn't care for them? Then I have 50 parasitic wasps on my hands.

 
I googled and found this :ninja:

CockroachandGreenJewelWasp.jpg


.. and mantids are very close relatives of cockroaches.. lol so be careful with those wasps!

 
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The silkworms and moths don't move a whole lot, but I guess you could get mantids to eat them if you have patience. I don't think that the moths can even fly, but they flutter and turn if they are disturbed.

The wasp looks so pretty. I am not sure that I would be able to feed them to anything even if it wasn't dangerous.

 
They are kinda pretty. I never expected wasps to be good-looking. I keep trying to think of other flying food as my Idolo gets bigger. I tried to give her a cricket once, and she acted like I was trying to KILL her. Drama queen.

 
Over here in Mass, I have been seeing huge amounts of small brown moths in the area. They get very active at dusk/early evening, and can be found all over outside.

 
My humble advise is to at least, and at first get some reliable Hydeis from Rebecca (Mantisplace) and do this: Feed only what you need to and then divide the rest into three or more parts. Use 32 oz. deli-cups with vented lids. Using instant potato flakes make up some of the potatoes enough for an inch of it in the bottom of the cup. I add the following before micro-waving: 1 tablespoon of Brewer's yeast powder, a squeeze of real lemmon juice, and a tablespoon of vinegar. Then to get it to cool quicker I add another bit of vinegar, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and one teaspoon of honey. I then place a little raffia or excelsior in the container, add at least 40 flies (once it is cool enough) and let it sit for for five or six days. You should see the little wiggly larva in six days. Then they will pupate, then they will eclose into some Hydeis and for some weird reason, sometimes they change into others species. I have never had them turn into mantids. The last couple of sentences are more for making a few people wonder how an educated person could write such. Some things are for entertainment value. This is a paraphrase of something Rick wrote. You can feed off the flies you put in the culture after you see the larvae, if you really need them for feeders.

 
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