Matttoadman

Man they were crazy. It’s the first time I have had them in my two plus years of roach keeping. These red runners have been a challenge. First they were too dry, so I bumped the humidity and the babies came. Of course so did the grain mites. It seems there is a delicate balance in some species between heat, humidity and failure.

So my pile of oats in the corner of my red runner bin looked weird. I looked down at it and it was churning. Thousands of grain mites had turned yesterday’s oats into crumbles. I had them on coco fiber with oak leaves and bark. But now it’s boring egg cartons sigh.

Hmm it’s fairly dry

So I keep finding empty ootheca that have been clearly eaten or gone all together. They have plenty of food at all times. Fish flakes, oats, potato flakes, cat food and dog biscuits. Fresh veggies and fruits given a few times a week. Kept on a thin layer of coco fiber with bark and dead oak leaves. Suggestions?

Unfortunately that’s hard to do in a tank of small millipedes because it’s jammed full of pedelings

I guess in reality the fungus gnat larvae are beneficial it’s just the adults are a nuisance

I’m always leery about things like that. I know it’s not chemical but. I can see the news now. Zombie apocalypse linked to the bacteria found in mosquito dunks. I am still trying to develop a trap that is out side of the habitats. I wonder about carnivorous plants ability to get a percentage of them?

It’s actually interesting to think about. I have been in pest control for 17 years, and it seems the typical infestation only begins with one female.There was a 16 floor building in Louisville infested horribly with bedbugs (I know not roaches but insects so point remains). U.K. Entomologist department DNA tested them and determined they all came from a single ancestor. So it would appear insects do not suffer from inbreeding in the same way as vertebrates.

Very nice. I would keep them separate. If only to see if there are any differences between the two stocks. I never understood glue boards in a pet store. Is really worth catching a had full of occasional invaders to risk catching an expensive escapee lizard or snake? They say you can remove them but not before inflicting damage. There are typically safe places to use pesticides in a pet store without causing issues. Employee breakrooms, utility rooms the outside perimeter. There shouldn’t be pets kept in these areas. If you guys have a service with a professional company be aware he could be using cockroach bait. I wish I could find some of those

These pictures remind me of a story my boss told me. He was having a horrible time getting rid of a P. americana infestation. So finally he decided to go down into this old houses crawl space. Inside he found a forgotten stash of dozens of pounds of potatoes harvested two years prior. With thousands of roaches tunneled all through them.

Very nice. I am always on the hunt for a more alive roach terrarium. Do the nibble on them? Have you used them in with other roach species?

I will have to take note next time of the weather. But yes it is crazy noisy.

Oh they are fun. When you sprinkle food on the substrate the nymphs and adults come pouring out of the ground like zombies, grabbing the oats and dragging it down into the depths. The adults from time to time go nuts! Running all over the tank full speeds. I’m guessing it’s cause some freshly molted female roaches have emerged.

Actually you can go to Walmart and get an inexpensive in tank filter that will run in a few inches of water. They are a little bigger than a small drink cup. They have an internal pump that sucks up water and it flows out the top like a water fall. You could place a slanted rock or two user it to get a riffle effect. You could do the same idea as I mentioned just would need a larger dish. Or you can fill the bottom with a layer of rock or gravel and keep the whole tank full of a few inches of water. The latter might prove harder to maintain with roaches. You’d be surprised the deals you can find of people selling used aquarium supplies on Craigslist. I love habitat design

Beautiful species! What species of plant is that in with them? Is that part of their enclosure or just added for the photos?

Now see I would be challenged with this idea. I would take a dish and glue rocks, sand and gravel to the sides and bottom. Then sink it in the substrate. Fill with water. The just remove and rinse as needed. I would also make stack of rocks to create an aquatic look.

Yes a tank full of roaches in much more impressive then one full of shy nymphs. The funny one is the small gyna tank. You see nothing but mist it and tiny nymphs go scattering.

In my experience, they are great. Some species seem to even require them. Hardwood species are recommended. Oak seems to last the best without decaying too quickly. Plus oak are easiest to identify. I spend the fall and winter collecting oak leaves to keep for the late spring and summer.

From my researching, it would appear mantis are seasonal insects. It seems you can buy mantid ootheca year round. Assuming they are viable do the hatch at the appropriate time or will they hatch earlier under certain conditions? Are there better times to buy them?

Separating them out will be a challenge. Those things are fast.

Oh nice! I thought the striped ones looked a little different.

I’m digging the variability in this species. Now I have young running all over so I can see how the genetics work, sooner or later.

So I went to remove my lid on my millipedes and found this little thing already taking up residence. I don’t even have to wait til spring lol p. I’m guessing it’s a hitchhiker in my oak leaf bucket.

Nah a tiny predator would be cooler lol

I’m actully going to experiment this spring with some sort of tiny predator. A jumping spider for example. Idea. They wouldn’t bother the millipedes and the humidity should be too much of an issue. Plus if they got out, I find them in my house all the time anyway. I guess you could also set a mantid nymph mesh enclosure on the top? I mean why waste a perfectly good feeder?