Laura519 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I have some B. lateralis that I am using for a science fair project, and I'd really like to be able to take off the lid and study them copulating, though I know they are a bit shy about that. Is there a color of light that they can't see that I can work in? Or perhaps do you have any other ideas relating to how I could count the number of ootheca produced on a minute-by-minute basis? Thank you so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vfox Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Most Arthropods cannot see red light, I use red heat bulbs on my enclosures because of this. However if your colony is large enough you should be able to observe copulation in any light. Females extend ootheca before they lay them to harden the casing so most pregnant females should be easy to spot. What is it you're testing for or noting for your science fair? Ootheca are not really produced on a minute by minute basis but over days/weeks. Are you referring to each count of copulation as an ootheca? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura519 Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 I am studying how environmental factors (change in food/hormones) affect the reproduction of B. lateralis, and I was planning on counting ootheca and then hatched eggs to check it. I know that sometimes virgins make ootheca, too, or they eat them, which is why I was also trying to include the hatched egg part. Do you have any other idea of how to quantify that? If not, when do you suggest I count ootheca? I was doing every 3 days, and then I realized they have cycles within that, so then I was doing it morning, noon, and night, but the bio teacher said it might be better to do it every 15 or so minutes within a 2-3 hour period, though he frankly knows nothing about roaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vfox Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Sounds like you have a good bit of work ahead of you. What cycles beyond your three day count are you referring? The hatched ootheca are dependent on temperature and humidity and not all hatch so counting hatched ootheca is not an accurate way to determine successful mating. You need to figure out an average first which may be beyond the scope of your projects timeline. I personally would remove ootheca daily and keep them in separate deli containers with damp paper towels. Of those I would count successful hatchings and non to figure out your average. Once that is figured out counting ootheca under specific conditions can be lumped together and a final quantum of hatchings excluding the average non-hatch should be available. It's lengthy but a little more accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura519 Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 Thanks so much. I know what I'm doing now, and your information helped put it together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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