“Ew! Do I have to touch the roaches?” 

Just like cleaning your reptile’s enclosure is an important task to keep them healthy, cleaning your dubia roach container is also vital to your reptile’s health. After all, you don’t want your lizard’s food to be dirty or sickly!

But yeah…there’s the “ew” factor.

Luckily, cleaning your dubia roach container only takes a few minutes – and you don’t have to touch a single roach in the process.

The “Bug Keeper” Dubia Roach Container

While the cleaning process we’re about to explain may work for various dubia roach containers options, the container we recommend is our Bug Keeper.

This reusable dubia roach container is the perfect size to keep dubia roaches for a week or two before feeding. You can read more about the features that make this such a popular product in our Bug Keeper article here.

Now, let’s get into how you can easily clean your dubia roach container in just a few minutes.

Cleaning Your Bug Keeper

A bug keeper with dubia roaches in it, an empty deli cup, and a tupperware bin.

Before you get started, there are just a few things you’ll need. First, of course, is your bug keeper! You’ll also need the deli cup your roaches came in (with the vented lid) and a bin or bucket with straight sides tall enough that the dubias can’t climb out. We recommend no shorter than 4 inches.

A piece of egg carton covered in dubias sitting in a tupperware bin. In the corner of the image, the dubia roach container can be seen with frass and a few dubias in the bottom.

1.      Remove any large pieces of cardboard or egg carton to the bin. Use a glove or tweezers if you don’t want to touch it.

Frass and dubias are being poured from the dubia roach container into the deli cup they came in.

2.      Pour the remaining roaches and frass (feces) into the deli cup they came in. Replace the lid.

The deli cup is being shaken over a bin to remove roach frass.

3.      Turn the deli cup upside-down, and gently shake from side to side to remove the frass.

4.      Give your bug keeper a quick rinse or wash if it needs it.

The lid of the dubia roach container is being replaced.

5.      Replace the cardboard and roaches, then secure the lid of your dubia roach container.

That’s all there is to it!

What to Do with the Frass

After your clean your dubia roach container, you’ll have a small amount of frass, or roach feces. But wait! Don’t throw it out. Use it! Frass is a wonderful fertilizer for plants. Here are a few ideas to make your plants happy:

Dubia frass being poured onto the soil of a potted plant.

1.      Give it to your houseplants. Roach frass is gentle, so it won’t burn the roots of your plants. Just sprinkle it on top of the soil and water it in. It will provide nutrients over time and help your plants grow strong and healthy!

2.      Sprinkle it on your lawn. Do you have any spots of grass that don’t grow well? Insect frass can help with that! You can even shake the cup directly on your lawn so you don’t risk spilling any frass inside. (Just keep in mind that frass is high in nitrogen. So if your bare spots come from dog pee, it won’t work there. But it’s great for greening up grass on poor soil!) 

3.      Use it in your garden. Another great property of insect frass is that plants recognize it comes from potential predators. As a result, if you use frass in your garden your plants will grow extra big and healthy in anticipation of an insect invasion. Your neighbors will be jealous of your lush foliage!

If you don’t have any use for frass yourself, someone you know might! (Or you could send it to your worst enemy… we won’t tell).

Get Your Own Bug Keeper Today

Easy to clean, escape proof, and good ventilation are just some of the reasons why so many of our customers love the Bug Keeper. Buy yours today and see for yourself!