randommonks
Sub-Adult Member
Yesterday when I went to put in some broccoli stems for the breeder roaches, I noticed what I thought was dust on the top of the bin and under the lid. Upon closer inspection, they were tiny white moving mites which I identified as grain mites. Infestation, overnight. 
Not sure if they hitchiked on the cat food or the stale hot dog buns, but I spent 3 hours last night cleaning out my bins and transferring as many of the adults and nymphs as I could without getting frass mixed in.
I plan on feeding non-grain foods to starve the mites for about a month as well as keeping the lid off of the bin to keep humidity down. I was wondering what a good source of protein would be if I can't give them cat food or breads. I already feed carrots and the trash parts of veggies. Will that be enough to keep the roaches well fed for that time, or should I still feed a small amount of cat food. I had water crystals in there, but the mites seemed to love that. Will the moisture from the veggies be enough to sustain the colony?
At this point, I'm more concerned about getting the mites gone than the breeding of the colony. I have them in a very tiny container at this time with some egg crates, and that container floating in their original bin with an inch of soapy water to catch any mites that try to climb out of their temp container. No lid, roaches have not eaten since last night. I plan to get some vaseline to put around the edges of the bin to prevent any mite escapees from getting into my closet. Is it even worth keeping the colony (I have over 100 adult females and close to that number in males, along with a few hundred small nymphs) or should I just seal up their container and start over? :?
Not sure if they hitchiked on the cat food or the stale hot dog buns, but I spent 3 hours last night cleaning out my bins and transferring as many of the adults and nymphs as I could without getting frass mixed in. I plan on feeding non-grain foods to starve the mites for about a month as well as keeping the lid off of the bin to keep humidity down. I was wondering what a good source of protein would be if I can't give them cat food or breads. I already feed carrots and the trash parts of veggies. Will that be enough to keep the roaches well fed for that time, or should I still feed a small amount of cat food. I had water crystals in there, but the mites seemed to love that. Will the moisture from the veggies be enough to sustain the colony?
At this point, I'm more concerned about getting the mites gone than the breeding of the colony. I have them in a very tiny container at this time with some egg crates, and that container floating in their original bin with an inch of soapy water to catch any mites that try to climb out of their temp container. No lid, roaches have not eaten since last night. I plan to get some vaseline to put around the edges of the bin to prevent any mite escapees from getting into my closet. Is it even worth keeping the colony (I have over 100 adult females and close to that number in males, along with a few hundred small nymphs) or should I just seal up their container and start over? :?
