DonaldJ

This is a minor milestone, but the second generation of my B. Orientalis have started hatching. There are now about 25 little nymphs running around, maybe more as they are too quick to count accurately. With more than forty oothecae yet to hatch I should end up with quite the colony; the adult females are still producing. Yikes! What I found significant is that I read that this species takes about a year to reach maturity, but it's only been ten months between generations (hatching to hatching). Thanks to all in this forum for their help with these critters!

It's not something that was planned. I found a big female in my kitchen last summer after new windows were installed; it probably hitched a ride on some packaging material. My initial impulse was to squash it, but it would have made a big mess. And then I had this strange insight that, in the cosmic scheme of things, we were both on the same level of existence and killing it no longer made no sense to me. Releasing it outdoors seemed a death sentence exposing it to poisons and predators, so I decided to give it a happy home and see what happens. She dropped six ootheca, only two of which produced nymphs. I've enjoyed watching them develop while I've experimented with different habitats and food, and have learned quite a bit. Their movement and social behavior are of particular interest to me. They are not feeders and I don't plan on collecting any other species; I don't consider them pets. They are a fine, basic bug worthy of study and an interesting topic of conversation at the local tavern ;-)

I ran out of other sources of protein for my B. Orientailis so I decided to give them a piece of the hard boiled egg i was eating (no salt). Although there was plenty for all of them they didn't want to share; first time I've seen them fight over food. The adult females were especially enthusiastic over chowing down, which make sense because they have become ootheca factories. For me, this is an easy solution for their protein needs, unless it kills them ;-)

Me too! I have about thirty so far that have passed the "float test," and they're still coming.

All of my B. Orientalis sub-adults reached maturity at least 5 weeks ago except for two. Is there such a thing as roaches never fully reaching maturity?

The little piece of egg carton in the container seems to be working. There is only one compartment but they put some food in it and there were three oothecae when I switched out containers today. I emptied the compartment and will see if they add the food again before depositing their treasures. Thanks again for the tip!

Okay, I put a piece of egg carton in the container and will know in a day or two if it makes any difference; two females have oothecae protruding. They must find the egg carton tasty...it looks like they enjoy nibbling on it. Thanks for the tip! By the way, what is the LOPWHHSOTHATPP Squad ?

Ack! A different (non gravid) female just chowed down on another ootheca. Is this some kind of crazy feeding frenzy?. There are still four or five ootheca in the container and I will transfer them shortly. Any idea what's going on?

I just observed one my adult female B. Orientalis eating an ootheca. She is ready to drop one herself. There are five adult females in the container, all seeming to drop oothecae at the rate of one per week each. There is plenty of food, including dry cat food which should provide enough protein. Is this a case of the female destroying the offspring of rival females?

I've had B. Orientails for about a year now, and they can tolerate quite a range and don't mind the cooler temps. I've read that they can live outdoors in the winter in parts of western Europe but I don't know how cold they were talking about. I'd guesstimate that around 50F is a safe lower limit; they may not breed but it shouldn't kill them. They really slow down above 80F, more than 87F may be fatal...I don't know. It hasn't gotten that hot in my apartment yet (no air conditioning). When I transfer them to a different container I put them in the 'fridge for a while, about 40F...it puts them in a stupor and makes for easier handling. No ill effects unless they're adult females ready to drop an ootheca. They may abort and die shortly thereafter.

Oh, yeah. Originally all the critters were in one container, about half adult male and half adult female and subadults. Their behavior was crazy, and I thought the females were being overly stressed. A lot of activity, but little mating (according to time lapse video); the females were being coy and ignored the males. I put six males in a separate container, leaving one male with the females and subadults, and they all calmed down. The last two subadults are sure taking their time for the final molt, though...if it *is* the final molt. They look relatively small. There is also quite a variation in the size of the adults, which I find interesting.

Good suggestion. As an experiment I gave the oothecae the "float test" in a solution of water with a little bleach. Out of 19 oothecae, 8 were floaters which were then destroyed. The remaining 11 were gently wiped down with a cotton swab and left to air dry. These were then placed in a container which was also rinsed out with a bleach solution. Time will tell if this an effective protocol. One thing is bothersome, though. Some of the oothecae are showing signs of puckering, like they may be drying out. I don't know what that means.

There is a white mold growing on some of the oothecae (B. Orientalis) that I've transferred to a separate container. This cannot be a good thing. What is the proper incubation environment for oothecae? Too little humidity and they dry out, too much and you get mold. I am perplexed. Is there a remedy? I was thinking of a water rinse, or pehaps a quick dip in a diluted bleach solution, followed by a fresh water rinse. Thanks for any tips!

Do any of the roach species eat ants? I've read that the orange heads are pretty voracious.

I suspect genetics have a lot to do with it; another death yesterday. A sub-adult died with some white discharge at the posterior. Am keeping a close eye on them.