stanislas Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 I finally took the time to photograph some of my Dipteretrum hanstroemi roaches. I had to take some precautions, because of their skittishness and good climbing capacity, but I managed! It's still not clear to me what 'pest' capabilities they posses. Do do not fare well at lower temperatures (< 20C / 68F), but can do quite well in dryer habitats. They can climb well, and have a high reproduction rate. So far I have managed to keep them contained to their enclosure... Video will follow soon! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Very nice, thanks for sharing! I don't think they can become houses pests like Blattella or Supella, pretty sure they are actually rather fragile in culture, pretty finicky about what conditions they'll accept. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanislas Posted July 21, 2017 Author Share Posted July 21, 2017 5 minutes ago, Hisserdude said: I don't think they can become houses pests like Blattella or Supella, pretty sure they are actually rather fragile in culture, pretty finicky about what conditions they'll accept. Well, at first I kept them moist and room temperature was at/below 20C/68F. They didn't do well at all. Once I switched to a heat mat in winter and start keeping them nearly bone dry with fruit or agar cubes and fish food, I got an explosion in numbers. They are now at room temperature 22-25C/72-77F without heat mat. I'm pretty sure they can survive outside their enclosure until winter comes. If they manage to escape and find their way to the kitchen, they might live for a while. My wife might not be pleased if that happens All my other roaches bigger, have a hard time getting under doors and in cabinets, are very slow to reproduce (I will have years to catch escapists), want to burrow and prefer hard wood leaves... I thing you're right Hisserdude. I just need to get used to small, fast climbing species. It also does not help that there are very few people keeping these roaches. So no other experiences on-line. I certainly won't have the courage to get the likes as Blattella germanica. I guess I won't sleep well if I have the faintest idea that their bin isn't tightly sealed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Yeah, dry and hot is how they like it, they do come from South Africa after all. I'd think that the oothecae wouldn't be able to survive the extreme dryness of the normal human home, of course no one's ever tried to see if they can infest houses or not, so maybe I'm wrong... Yeah, small fast climbing species are always difficult to care for lol, since they try to escape any chance they get! I think the general lack of interest for a small, finicky, drab colored roach is why these are still rare in culture, they certainly seem prolific enough to be widespread in the hobby, if they were bright neon colors I'm sure they would be. It's that way with a lot of Ectobiids, and for that reason, there's not a lot of info out there about breeding these species, even ones that have been in culture for a while. Oh yeah, I'd NEVER get B.germanica, or any species that could infest my house, I love my roaches inside their cages, lol! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanislas Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 The video as promised: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axolotl Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Just got some of these. Any advice/tips on food preferences or housing? I currently have them in a 32 oz food jug with basic roach substrate and loose dry sphagnum to climb on. They're at a constant 80-82F. I've been misting on a weekly basis, but now I see they prefer dry. Any insight is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanislas Posted August 30, 2018 Author Share Posted August 30, 2018 They indeed prefer a dry and warm enclosure. I almost lost them when I kept them more moist. They do like carrots and fish food and an occasional misting. That combined with some heating seems to do the trick here. I keep their substrate bone dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axolotl Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 Thank you! This is the info I was looking for. I adjusted their enclosure about a month ago. I've seen quicker growth since then... Still looking out for ooths. Do you have any photos of ooths next to the adults - or can you give me a size. Are they really tiny? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanislas Posted October 16, 2018 Author Share Posted October 16, 2018 On 10/9/2018 at 2:50 PM, Axolotl said: Thank you! This is the info I was looking for. I adjusted their enclosure about a month ago. I've seen quicker growth since then... Still looking out for ooths. Do you have any photos of ooths next to the adults - or can you give me a size. Are they really tiny? There is a roach with ooth in the video I posted above, around 1:00. They are not very tiny (compared to the adults that is). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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