B. lateralis Colony

[kitty_b]

i have a colony that is now mature and dropping lots of egg sacs, but none seem to be hatching. i've got them on about 1" topsoil, and while i try to mist the soil, they seem to mainly be just laying there indefinately or even drying out. i had them at a constant 80 degrees, though they've been at about 70 the last couple days because i had to relocate the tote and need an extension cord to plug the heat lamp back in.

this is driving me nuts because i've been waiting for the colony to mature for a couple months now, and their reproduction isn't taking off like i'd hoped. what the heck am i doing wrong? i thought these guys were supposed to be like rabbits.

:wall:

 

[i-zombie]

How long have the eggs been in there? I don't keep mine on susbtrate. I'd say their container is around 80 degrees. Seem to do pretty well, too.

 

[kitty_b]

i may try separating the eggs and letting them incubate separately. hmm....

 

[Digby Rigby]

hatching rates

The egg cases should hatch in 2 weeks, and can have 20 or more nymphs. If they are taking more time then that to hatch then increase the temps 85 is a good place to start but no less. If they are drying out than that means the humidity needs to be increased. Also what is the diet you are feeding them?

Digby Rigby

DigbyRigby@exoticfeeders.com

 

[kitty_b]

they're on science diet adult dog dry food, with fresh veggies.

i've separated the egg sacs and put them in a shallow deli cup on a damp paper towel, inside the main container. i also got the heat lamp rigged back up (last one fell and broke... yay...). i'll probably mist the deli cup every other day and watch for progress.

not many cases looked dessicated, and some where busted open and empty, though i don't know if that means adults are eating them, or the are hatching... i haven't seen any nymphs yet. the egg crates are secured to each other, so i can't take it sheet by sheet and examine it. but i see females with egg sacs halfway out their butts all the time.

 

[Steffen]

Could you be wrong? Are you sure they are drying out? I keep mine bone dry and it works fine. Feed them bananas and oranges.

Btw. the species is called Shelfordella tartara. The whole Blatta lateralis thing was a misunderstanding.

 

[james]

egg cases

The babies hatch very very small and light in color and you may just not be seeing them yet. many people seperate them anyway just to let the adult breed and pick different sized nymphs out of another container. In Europe these roaches are called Shelfordella tartara and in the US they have been call Blatta lateralis. There are other roach naming issues with certain hissers as well. Steffen you never contacted me after I shipped to you!!!
James

 

[xelda]

the egg crates are secured to each other, so i can't take it sheet by sheet and examine it.

That's probably why you haven't seen any nymphs. They're all hiding. If you're seeing open empty oothecae, then that probably means they've hatched.

From what I understand, Blatta lateralis is more consistent with current roach phylogeny. It's more descriptive and immediately tells you about the species classification. Shelfordella tartara was the original name based on the guy (Shelford) who first described the species, but he also described a ton of other roaches so the genus Shelfordella loses specificity. The same thing happened with Princis and princess hissers.

 

[Steffen]

In Europe these roaches are called Shelfordella tartara and in the US they have been call Blatta lateralis.

They were named Blatta lateralis in Europe for a while aswell, but the mistake was corrected several months ago.

Steffen you never contacted me after I shipped to you!!!

It's not me you are refering to, is it?

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Btw. the species is called Shelfordella tartara. The whole Blatta lateralis thing was a misunderstanding.

Sure? I've heard the opposite... :?

 

[Steffen]

Sure? I've heard the opposite... :?

Yes, we all heard the opposite.... and a few months later we heard the opposite of the first opposite... again.

We had this debate on a danish forum a while ago, but unfortunately the threads are not kept in the database for very long and therefor I cannot find the correct documentation for you, sorry. I'm to stupid to remember the exact explanation myself aswell.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Yes, we all heard the opposite.... and a few months later we heard the opposite of the first opposite... again.

We had this debate on a danish forum a while ago, but unfortunately the threads are not kept in the database for very long and therefor I cannot find the correct documentation for you, sorry. I'm to stupid to remember the exact explanation myself aswell.

Hm.. ok so until I know why I have to go with both then

 

[nomad85]

I dont really think its a subject up for debate in forums, is it? Its fairly scientific blatta and lateralis are decribing where the speices fits in the genus. Shelfordella was just a play on words after the guy who described them.

 

[kitty_b]

i spotted a couple tiny nymphs last night while collecting egg cases and feeding/watering.

 

[padkison]

I got my colony at the same time as kitty_b from the same source and also just noticed some new nymphs. This is a week or so after I sealed up some of the ventilation and a couple weeks after I added slightly damp vermiculite. Who knows?

Hope they take off now, they make good feeders because they are so active.