Anyone else have problems with dermestid beetles escaping?

I tried searching old posts and the internet but couldn't find anything to answer this. My clean up crew is giving me grief.

I have a problem with dermestid beetles and larvae escaping the bins I keep them in with my dubia roaches and crickets (two bugs I keep at all times). Over this year I upgraded the dubias to a rather large bin with a lid. The cricket keeper is about the size of 2 or 3 shoe boxes with built-in ventilation, and they still escape.

I've tried keeping a layer of olive oil around the top lip of both bins, that didn't seem to do anything. The cricket keeper is now inside a larger bin to slow down the escape process since it is two bins they have to escape through, the second bin is extra huge a full grown man could easily curl up inside of it.

It is not a major problem...I just vacuum up the beetles that escape but it is annoying. Anyone else deal with this? Do you know the solution I'm looking for?

Have you tried a layer of shipping tape at the top? The wide stuff. It's what I used to use in my bins. I never used those as cleaner insects though so I cant really speak from experience. But it's at least a thought to try

-Brandon

Haven't tried that, makes sense to add a non-slip surface like that! Great idea

The dermestid beetles came with the dubia roach colony I got on Craigslist. I added some to the crickets container too since crickets die fast (the dead ones stink the most), the beetles eat up the dead ones quick. It honestly reduces the smell of the crickets container quite a bit. I don't breed crickets, just buy in bulk occasionally. I do nothing special for them...they are thriving as far as I can see. Always making babies and trying to take over my house, lol

I had to look up what dermestid beetles are--this is the first I recall hearing of them.

DorgEndo":2ub1k8ay said:

The dermestid beetles came with the dubia roach colony I got on Craigslist.

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OK, Now I get that the dermestids are to clean up after the dubias, but who/what cleans up after the dermestids? :roll:

I'm reminded of the old woman who swallowed a fly! :lol:

MrSpectrum":1psl9bh7 said:

I had to look up what dermestid beetles are--this is the first I recall hearing of them.

DorgEndo":1psl9bh7 said:

The dermestid beetles came with the dubia roach colony I got on Craigslist.

Click to expand...

OK, Now I get that the dermestids are to clean up after the dubias, but who/what cleans up after the dermestids? :roll:

I'm reminded of the old woman who swallowed a fly! :lol:

Click to expand...

They eat their own dead :wink: Nature is wonderful isn't it?!

DorgEndo":371e73gh said:

They eat their own dead :wink: Nature is wonderful isn't it?!

Click to expand...

You do realize how regusting that is, right?
Nature is... IME, very often unfathomable. :silent:

YMMV.