Flying report + Odd frenzy

[Zephyr]

I came into my room on this hot day to find some of my colonies whipped into a frenzy.

My E. distanti were going nuts over some unseen female; I checked the colony and saw none, so I assume one of the females is going into cycle again.

Another odd thing I saw was the males; They were jumping and running, and FLYING around! I was actually a little afraid of their antics. So, just as a note, E. distanti are fliers, if they're in a breeding frenzy.

I was also wondering, seeing as I didn't see any female, if there could be another cause for the swarm..?

My B. dubia were doing the same, minus the fliers, and I actually saw a newly-molted female.

[BugmanPrice]

I’ve had a similar experience with Blatta lateralis. Usually the males are content to scurry about but once when I opened the cage every male clambered to the highest point of the wood I have in the cage and tried to fly out of the cage repeatedly (actually they are pretty good!). I wonder if a colony reaches a max density and then they go into some sort of dispersal mode. It makes a lot sense evolutionarily.

[Matt K]

This happens with just about every species of roach- it can (seems to) be induced by female roach pheromones (even as a female nymph molts to a larger nymph stage) , food, and sometimes just the "smell" of a freshly molted roach or nymph. I hear one of my colonies daily doing this very thing, and sometimes several species at once. I have had that start when I walk into the room peeling an over ripe banana too. For what its worth....

[Zephyr]

I just found it incredibly odd to see such a "calm" species acting like this. It was nuts.

[OBJ]

They were jumping and running, and FLYING around! I was actually a little afraid of their antics. So, just as a note, E. distanti are fliers, if they're in a breeding frenzy.

Thanks for that warning. At least once a week my culture of E. distanti is going nuts around dusk. The adults emerge from their soil and sprint around chasing before the mating. But until now there was no flying. So I will keep the lid on while the hormones are flying and keep an eye to see if also the males will take off.

Is there an explanation to this behaviour - like new DNA if many males are attracted?

Their tank is not so big - could that be making it hard to get the wings airborne?

BR/

Ole

[Zephyr]

Mine were desperately trying to take off from the plastic bottom of the sterilite container.

They might not get as whipped up as mine do due to better ventilation. (They can smell the pheromones better so it would really get to them, know what I mean?)

[OBJ]

Mine were desperately trying to take off from the plastic bottom of the sterilite container.

They might not get as whipped up as mine do due to better ventilation. (They can smell the pheromones better so it would really get to them, know what I mean?)

So in the bottom of the container, the concentration of pheromones becomes higher than normal making the males react in a non-rational manner that confuses them in the task to seek and mate?

Could you test the theory by enabling a small ventilation when they start to frenzy - just to see if they cool down somewhat or it continues?

BR/

Ole

[Zephyr]

So in the bottom of the container, the concentration of pheromones becomes higher than normal making the males react in a non-rational manner that confuses them in the task to seek and mate?

Could you test the theory by enabling a small ventilation when they start to frenzy - just to see if they cool down somewhat or it continues?

BR/

Ole

What I mean is... You have a fish tank with yours in it, correct? If the top is open there's better ventilation.

My enclosure uses ventilation on one side of a sterilite bin, therefore the pheromones would build up on one side.

Also, seeing as the pheromones are really volatile and it was pretty damn hot in my room that day, those chemical particles would really be bouncing around in that container.