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vfox

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Everything posted by vfox

  1. That's one of the main issues I had. I should try that trick too. Thanks for the advice. I adore having native roaches so hopefully I can finally get my culture working.
  2. I finally caught up on this threat. Loads of great photos, thanks for sharing them and the information everyone!
  3. My Parcoblatta pennsylvanica and virginica both died out without viable ootheca. I've collected both again this year and will be trying again. I'm hopeful with the setup this time.
  4. I'd go for Keith since he seems to be a very earnest member of the hobby and this forum.
  5. I had someone tell me the other day they worked for a bio facility and found an American cockroach. Then they said they blasted the roach wth radiation and it grew huge, almost 8 inches. I couldn't help but laugh and explain to them that it's impossible for that to happen. They stopped ranting about by simply saying it got away and they didn't see it again.
  6. I've seen a few clips with wild cockroaches being filmed but they are normally short. Look up videos of bat caves and clips from the show Insectia. You can also find some cool videos of day active Australian roaches.
  7. http://bugguide.net/node/view/488579 Oh man I'm jealous, I love native roaches. All I've ever found around my house is P. pennsylvanica and virginica. Those small orange males are almost certainly P. virginica, if you have access to a magnifier or microscope grab a male and toss it in the freezer for ten minutes. It won't kill it but will slow it down. Use blue painters tape or junk grade masking tape that isn't all that sticky and tape it's wings open. Look for the structures under the wing like my images on bugguide. It took me a few tries but I got some of okay images.
  8. I have these in my hisser tank. When the substrate dries out I tend to see them more, when it's really damp then they tend to drown. They are kind of annoying but as you said, harmless. Other than messing up your substrate I don't see them as a problem.
  9. That is certainly unusual. I recently treated a home with an immense population of German cockroaches and a majority of what I had seen had been females. Males were certainly present but females had a vast majority. Imagine trying to observe several thousand running roaches though, haha. It's an interesting task.
  10. Time to play devils advocate. Do you have proof that each adult is male? Have you inspected their rump for styli and cerci or horizontal versus vertical openings? Remember, adult Americans look the same excluding those features. I'm with Orin, those are incredible odds. Over the past few years I've always had a fairly even ratio.
  11. It's amusing to me when I tell clients I raise the very thing they are hiring me to kill off. All my friends and the local community know me as the roach / bug guy, but not in the same way as most pest control folks. Granted that job is more recent than my insect artwork and website. I love my pet critters, even when I kill off large roach colonies I feel bad for not saving a few for my own ranks.Hehe. My turks are kept in a sterlite container and I've never had an escape. Weird. Vaseline also works as a cheap barrier but can also be a tad messy.
  12. Neither. This is pretty normal for mine. My sub adults are almost always as large or larger than their adult morphs. I have a feeling it has to do with wing development in males and wingpad development in females. The extra body parts need to be stored somewhere under the old sheds beforehand so their body needs to be a little larger before the final molt. That's my opinion.
  13. I'd assume their social order is constantly in flux from one dominant roach to another. I've seen one roach dominate a particular spot for short periods of time but then relent moments later and group together with the others. I imagine they prefer to be in contact with surfaces and other roaches as a comfort thing and are less likely to remain territorial. Fighting over mating rights seems to be trivial and once the receptive female is mated, they all hang against each other again. Other than mating and food I rarely see conflict.
  14. I need to re house it so it has a better terrestrial setup. Also the basement was not flooded but it's in the woods with a creek about 300 yards off. It's a damp area though so that would likely explain it. I used to find these at the local lake when I was a kid, they made great bait for bass. Lol.
  15. I feed once a week at most. Dry dog food, banana or orange and the occasional bit of leftover dinner stuffs. I really think people over feed their insects, which is fine if you're using them as a breeding colony, but weekly feedings will more than suffice. I go a month in between feeding my Periplaneta to keep their numbers tame and twice a month on my Panchlora because they eat so little. I have no issues with reproduction or overall colony health. Personally I suggest twice weekly feedings to others simply because you need to learn how much a colony can and will eat before you reduce their schedule.
  16. I found this a few days ago in my friends basement. It was between the window and outside screen... Apparently for well over a week. It was my payment for helping move some stuff, haha. This is, as far as I can tell, a Dolomedes tenebrosus, the Dark Fishing Spider. I don't know a lot about them but this girl is fairly large and somewhat sluggish. I haven't seen her eat just yet but I'm hoping she takes a roach soon. Pretty looking, if you ask me.
  17. My Periplaneta have done this as well. I never thought it was really that odd. I figured it was more of them cleaning for food, as in eating fungal spores or something similar. I don't imagine they are very conscious of a desire to clean another roach for relations, more for an easy small meal. I'd be curious to know a little more about this though. The German cockroach has a ton of lab study done on it, has anyone ever read anything about them doing it?
  18. Hey guys, Just wondering if anyone here works in pest control. I've been thinking about a job change lately and this seems like something I'd probably enjoy doing. A friend of mine's father owns a company and may be needing a new tech soon. What do you like about the job? What do you hate? How long have you been at it? Is it still fun after a few years? What dangers do you face? I'm curious about it, I am pretty stoked to be able to get out of customer service. Some of my family views it at a poor job choice for me. They say I'm too smart to do that sort of work and bah blah blah. Personally, other than working in an insect zoo there isn't much out there that let's me get into all sorts of bug filled environments. My only complaint will be needing to occasionally dispatch raccoons and skunks. I'd feel bad about that, unless I have a chance to relocate them. But honestly I grew up on a farm, it's not a huge deal putting down nuisance animals. I'm just curious if anyone here does this as their profession. And if it's really work getting into?
  19. Oddly enough you absolutely can send honey bees in the mail. It's very common for small time apairists to get their starter colonies through the usps. I've never seen a permit issued on their packages. Here is a useful article. Not exactly the best info for a usda website but it's a start. http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?docid=10141&page=12
  20. Periplaneta americana, they are the quintessential cockroach, the icon known around the world. On top of their overall known appearance they are also very intelligent for a cockroach and follows patterns regarding danger, sex, and food. They are easy to care for, rather prolific, long lived for a medium roach, and very fun to watch. They lay ootheca so population control is a snap and they are much easier to contain than one may think. A drawback is their roachy odor and their need for a damp/very high humidity container. Otherwise they are one of the easiest to care for, even when grossly neglected.
  21. A whole heck of a lot. My single bearded dragon tore through my 1,000 strong colony faster than the adults could mature. In the end I switched to dubia just because I didn't need to feed her as many and they were able to mature and breed in time. Lats are small roaches, it takes quit e a few to satiate a beardies appetite.
  22. Honestly, in a moist container you'll rarely be able to stop cardboard or paper items from growing mold. Just make sure they are easily replaced and cheap like egg flats. With those you can certainly replace them every few weeks once the mold gets deep into them. Otherwise, use cork bark or cork boards, they work well and rarely mold up.
  23. Haha, thanks Peter. Yeah I certainly am not worked up over being divorced. The first one was obviously not meant to work out so I'm happier as i am now. Besides, now nobody can complain about me having all of these spiders, scorpions, and roaches... Haha.
  24. I feel like I under feed my roaches when you guys talk about this stuff... Haha. I feed once a week at most, a few bits of dog food, loads of oak leaves, fruit every once in a while and mist twice weekly or when needed. My main feeders get better food and the ones I sell get pollen added to their diets. My pets though do well, really well on very little. After years of keeping I've come to the conclusion that most (not all, mind you) species do best when bothered and fed the least. But hey, that's what works for me.
  25. Looks like a normal male that had a molting issue. I see it every so often; not sure of the exact cause but it's not fatal or anything.
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