hey all..
well i guess this is now the insect forum

i'm just wondering what you's think about using foam boxes (brocoli boxes) for breeding insects in.. would they be able to eat through them after some time? i plan to keep all kinds of insects.. and this is the cheapest housing i've come across apart from carboard boxes... but i dont wanna go that cheap
cheers
Megz

I know that it takes a long time for them to eat through cardboard, but they only do that if they don't get enough food. So I think that would apply to foam also.,Be carefull though some foams can be harmful. I wouldn't think that the foam they store food in would be harmul though. It could possibly work.

I dont know about foam megz, might depend ALOT on exactly what kind of insects you planning on breeding in them. For instance, crickets will eat anything, and I do mean anything!
I had some crickets in a plastic tub with soft flyscreen mesh over the top. (the kind on your windows) Safe enough youd think right? Wrong! they actually ate holes in the mesh and escaped!

I removed foam faux rock walls from my exoterra tanks because crickets were eating the foam (this despite haviong food avail for the crickets at all times.
I removed it as soon as I noticed it, The lizards (geckos) and frogs were ok after eating the crix but it could have been different, and I certainly would not have fed these foam gutloaded crix deliberately.

Tall plastic tubs (prevent cricks reaching mesh) with fluon painted around the rim are probably the best for breeding insects Megz.
If you go to cheap shops like Go_lo, the warehouse, the reject shop etc, yopu can buy large sturdy plastic tubs very cheap.

When I first starting with feeder crickets I used that same type of mesh screening, and they also chewed through it. You are right about the crickets, they will eat anything.

thank you for the replys
i was planning on getting plastic tubs.. but i need more then 20 of them.. and the cheapest ones i can find are about $11 each (and there not even the right size for the space i have) so if ya do the math (or get a calculator like i did) it works out to be over $200... so i was looking for a cheaper alternative...
i plan to breed...
more roaches
crickets
mealwoms
superworms if i can get my hands on some..
snails
can you see a problem with any others eating through it? if all the other ones are fine i can just get a couple of tubs for the crickets and foam boxes for the rest
i'm still on the look out for cheap tubs but i'm not holding my breath..
Megz

4 the worms it should be all good i looked worm farm up on the net n they showed a disign and it was 2 brocoli boxes....the roaches n crix ate the wall in my exo terra to b4 i started feedin them out side the cage, so i wuldnt put roaches n crix in them
my mealies i just got rid of 2day and move the baby roaches in the box cos i looked up nutrition values and the roaches are the best so far also mealies dunt breed well up here but i might start a worm farm just from worms in the yard in a couple brocoli boxes,
y do u need so many insect feeders? or u just like variety?