All About Arthropods

That's awesome! Glad that you were able to dole them out to some other hobbyists. 🙂 Wish Parcoblatta spp. were more popular in the hobby - the sheer deficiency of people interested in keeping cultures makes it pretty easy for species/localities to be lost whenever just one or two hobbyists' colonies crash. I actually still have a relatively large culture of the Apsena! Thought they had the fungus for a time (like I, all too easily, assume everything does now lol), but I've recently realized that what I had to be observing was just the result of sub-par husbandry and them being outside of their breeding season. Was contemplating asking if you wanted some again, but doesn't look like that's the case anymore. 😂

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 🙂 I'm extremely thankful for all the amazing bugs I got to see this year. Among my favorite finds was Mydas tibialis, the Golden Legged Mydas Fly. What was your favorite find of 2021? 😃

I can imagine! We didn't decorate much at my place, so I'm just anticipating the passing of the chilly months and the grand return of the bugs. 😅

Happy Halloween from the spoooky Death's Head Roach, Blaberus craniifer! 🎃 This sharp Blattodean spans across Mexico, Cuba, Florida, Belize, and the Dominican Republic, where it serves as a detritivore, cleaning up and fertilizing the native ecosystem. But most important of all - it has a literal JACK-O'-LANTERN on its pronotum!! 😃

Thank you for sharing your experiences and suggestions! They are much appreciated. 🙂

Good! Fingers crossed they just remain as harmless residents of the compost bin. Ouch! 😬 Sorry to hear! I'm fairly allergic to both mosquitoes and roaches as well, so I feel your pain on some level. 🙃

Hello everyone! 🙂 Over the years, I've struggled with containing climbing roaches. It seems like every barrier is climbable by some species or has longevity issues. The larger "airtight" containers like Sterilite Gasket Boxes, etc. basically always have some sort of gap around the rim that, as small as it may be, young nymphs can escape from. Not to mentioned that they are pricey compared to their non "airtight" counterparts and are offered in limited sizes. So my question is - have any of you experimented with wrapping things around the tops of your containers to contain your climbing roaches? It seems like the perfect way to make any container escape-proof, but I have never heard of anything being used that was impervious to the possible gnawing of little roach jaws. If you have any other effective containment methods, I'd be open to hearing about them as well! Thanks for any input. 😄

Welcome to the forum! I'm sure you'll learn lots here. 🙂

I haven't found any either, besides those couple times they found me. 😂 Yeah, I 10/10 would not recommend.

Not sure about @Mwewe's species, but at least some of them do also provide.....exploratory bites. 😅 They're not TERRIBLE, but shocking enough to where I've involuntarily jumped on the 1 or 2 occasions where I was bitten and hastily went back inside my house to contemplate why the bug gods had forsaken me so. 😢🤣

They can indeed climb smooth surfaces once they are sizeable nymphs and adults, so you'll either want to house them in a secure container, use a slippery barrier, or, if you wish, both. I keep mine in one of the enclosures that @Blatta mentioned - a Sterilite Gasket Box. Specifically this size: Sterilite 20 Quart 1932 Clear Gasket Box with Blue Aquarium Latches & Gasket - Walmart.com

Hey there! The main thing to focus on for American Roaches is making sure their enclosure doesn't get too dry. Desiccation seems to be their number one killer in captivity. Other than that, you'll want to make sure that you're keeping them in a secure container (like a Sterilite Gasket Container or something similar) since adults and larger nymphs can climb well. Hides can be provided in the form of bark, egg crates, etc. They aren't picky about food; the average roach diet of dog/cat/fish food, fruits, and vegetables works fine for them. Temps should ideally be kept within the low 70s to mid 80s, but they can handle a few degrees less or more.

Oh, for sure!

Welcome, Kody! 🙂 That's crazy lucky about the apartment manager. Hopefully you can get that house soon enough though and really expand! P.S: I had to look up the species, but those Megascolia procer are seriously some of the most impressive wasps I've seen. 😮

Nice assortment of inverts you have there. Welcome to the forum! 🙂