Blatta lateralis roach colony

[Endagr8]

ask people in the insect thread. lol. ;P ;P ;P ;P

 

[Kamikaze]

I put my B. lateralis colony inside a big plastic container. I also drilled some holes on the top for ventilation.
I use eggcrates (around 8 eggcrates) inside the plastic container to house them.
I feed them chicken feeds and vegetable material.
My slings love the newly hatched roaches. my subadults cant resist them.
Good luck in your setup!

 

[jmiller]

I got a colony set up in a 30 gallon tank. The silicon is coated with vasoline to prevent climbing but it doesn't seem to be working. Need help ASAP.

You can also try clear packing tape. They can not climb that very well. You can also use the tape and coat it with Vaseline. It will cover up the silicon which as you know they can climb with ease.

 

[biomarine2000]

Heres a little update on the colony. As you guys know I set it up only a few days ago. They seemed curious to check everything out but have now settled in. They are not even attempting to get out. I just wanted to see how the T's react to a different type of food from crickets. They NAILED them like they were candy. Plus to my suprise they were very easy to catch. I figured since they are as fast as grease lightening that they would be hard but they just sit there until I catch them with the tongs. I was thinking about switching to dubia but I think I will stick with what I've got. Also I may switch from a 30 gallon and use a tub with some packing tape around the top. Thanks to everyone that posted here. The information is so much appreciated.

 

[burmish101]

My slings attack them like a starving fat man on a cupcake. Make sure to coat it very thin or else the hatchling nymphs can easily crawl out.

 

[EightLeggedFrea]

I've kept B. lats for quite a while now and apart from me dropping them there have been no escapes. You don't need any bug stop or anything like that. They can't climb, unlike lobsters. I even keep my colony in a 10-gallon without a lid. They are fast, but a simple head crushing slows them down enough for even my leopard gecko to snag them.

As for care, I keep mine in a bare enclosure with nothing but egg crates. They reproduce like mad. They may be my favorite feeder roaches, and I've got dubias and discoids.

 

[deadly_elegance]

here's how I keep my latts

i keep them in a large plastic tub with cylinder cartons I feed them crushed dog foods,chicken pellets, fish food, fresh fruits and vegetables I'm lucky I'm here in the philippines the temp here rarely drops 85 so they're breeding fast. . .

I've managed to create a simple automatic feeder made from plastic bottles
I melted couple of holes at the bottom using soldering iron and let gravity do the thing. . .

this is how I water them. . .
I am using a commercial bird feeder with paper towels in the mouth so the nymphs won't drown. . .

I am using lats as my staple food for my smaller tarantulas and scorpion without any problems. . I only encounter problems with leopard geckos since this roach are so fast. .

my solution is to pull the antennae of the roach, this way they be disoriented and can be easily catch by my geckos

 

[biomarine2000]

Converting to the tub.

Ok guys I have taken your advice and went and got a plastic tub. The question I have about the tubs is, How do I make it escape proof? What I mean by that is keeping them from crawling out the top. I know to cut holes in the side for ventilation and hot glueing mesh to the sides. I was told to put clear tape at the top. Is the only thing I need to do to insure that they dont get out?

Ps: The fish tank is making me nervous of an escape.

 

[biomarine2000]

One more thing I am concerned about is the possibility of some getting out and infesting my house. I REALLY dont want this to happen. I live in Texas and have heard that they can infest here. Has anyone else heard, or experienced this? Should I switch to dobai?

 

[deadly_elegance]

Ok guys I have taken your advice and went and got a plastic tub. The question I have about the tubs is, How do I make it escape proof? What I mean by that is keeping them from crawling out the top. I know to cut holes in the side for ventilation and hot glueing mesh to the sides. I was told to put clear tape at the top. Is the only thing I need to do to insure that they dont get out?

Ps: The fish tank is making me nervous of an escape.

when you use plastic tub there will be no escapees these roaches cannot climb smooth surface just make sure tha tub is tall enough. . . i cu holes on top and not on the sides and glued screen on the holes for ventilation. . .

 

[Matt K]

I live near DFW Texas (Denton area), and have dozens of roach species.
* I am not concerned at all about any of them infesting my house. The only two species that seem to be able to live for any length of time away from thier colony are lobster roaches and surinames, and even then under good circumstances.
* Regarding vaseline: I use it in all my plastic tubs and have never had an escapee. Only roaches that ever get out are the ones I drop or otherwise let out accidently while cleaning a tub.
*If you are concerned about an escape, leave a sticky pest trap on the floor with a little pinch of fish food in the middle of it. You may even be suprised at what bugs get caught tring to reach the food.....

 

[biomarine2000]

I live near DFW Texas (Denton area), and have dozens of roach species.
* I am not concerned at all about any of them infesting my house. The only two species that seem to be able to live for any length of time away from thier colony are lobster roaches and surinames, and even then under good circumstances.
* Regarding vaseline: I use it in all my plastic tubs and have never had an escapee. Only roaches that ever get out are the ones I drop or otherwise let out accidently while cleaning a tub.
*If you are concerned about an escape, leave a sticky pest trap on the floor with a little pinch of fish food in the middle of it. You may even be suprised at what bugs get caught tring to reach the food.....

That is superb advice thank you. I guess I'll be sticking with what I've got. Thanks everybody.

 

[biomarine2000]

Pesticides

I have read that if you use apple crates that they could have pesticides on them from what has been sprayed on the apples. Has anyone else heard this? These are what I'm using in my roach colony. Should I even attempt to feed any of the roaches to my t's or just kill them? I dont want to risk my T's. I have already ordered new roach flats and dubia roaches. What do you guys think?

 

[biomarine2000]

Apple crate pictures

Here is a couple of pictures of the apple crates. As I said above I already have some inside the roach colony.

 

[sithlord]

I have my B lateralis in a tank with no substrate with egg crates. I've been feeding them tropical fish flakes, dog food mixed with oranges as a source of moisture. Temp about 78-80 degrees, I've had like this for several months now and they're thriving and breeding well.

---------- Post added 10-13-2013 at 04:32 PM ----------

 

[EdwardTyndall]

i also want to know about apple crates i just got abunch of them and was going to change all my roach bins to them are they good or not

---------- Post added 10-13-2013 at 10:45 PM ----------

i also want to know about the apple crates i just got a bunch of them and was going to change all my roach bins are they good or bad ???

 

[mmfh]

Lol go to Burger King and get two drinks and ask for a cardboard carrier. I use these with my roaches and they love them plus they are essentially free. I keep my enclosure dry and substrate free and haven't changed them out in a year with no problems

 

[PlaidJaguar]

I put substrate in with my B. lats and it really helped cut down on the smell. Now they just smell like wet dirt. I did have to add a lot more ventilation though, as the soil holds humidity really well and it's inclined to mold if I'm not careful.

My colony came with some carpet beetles that do all my cleanup for me as well. The beetles LOVE the substrate and I haven't seen a scrap of dead matter since I switched.

 

[DNADragons]

Apple flats

Your apple flats are safe. The apples are treated with a fungicide, which is a pesticide, but not an insecticide. People should be more concerned about using egg flats that could potentially harbor salmonella.