Mass suicide... (3000 of a kind..)

[Neraz]

Hi there.
First of all, sorry for my bad English, but i hope you can understand me.
Sorry for a wrong forum also. But im really need help.

So,
My roach colony (Nauphoeta cinerea) was about 3000-5000 roaches.
Today i found that about 95-99% of them are dead.

Conditions was good (normal humidity, natural food (poison-free), etc.)

But... a week ago, i sold about 500 of them to one guy. The day after he phoned me and told that 50% of roaches are dead. I checked mine - they was okay.
But, as i already told, today i found that most of them are dead. And that happened about 24-35 hours!
So, the question is: what happened? what should i do with the rest of colony (should i burn them by inceniration like medical trash or what?) or can i feed my spiders whith them.
Also i have some other pets (Iguana, snakes, etc) if this is virus or smth else - are my pets in danger also? And what about my spiders? I have about 49 genus of them and about 150 of spiders.. that will be sucks if they all die.

Thanks.

 

[bliss]

Hi there.
First of all, sorry for my bad English, but i hope you can understand me.
Sorry for a wrong forum also. But im really need help.

So,
My roach colony (Nauphoeta cinerea) was about 3000-5000 roaches.
Today i found that about 95-99% of them are dead.

Conditions was good (normal humidity, natural food (poison-free), etc.)

But... a week ago, i sold about 500 of them to one guy. The day after he phoned me and told that 50% of roaches are dead. I checked mine - they was okay.
But, as i already told, today i found that most of them are dead. And that happened about 24-35 hours!
So, the question is: what happened? what should i do with the rest of colony (should i burn them by inceniration like medical trash or what?) or can i feed my spiders whith them.
Also i have some other pets (Iguana, snakes, etc) if this is virus or smth else - are my pets in danger also.

Thanks.

Don't feed them to anything. You could harm or even kill your pets if they are given sick food.
I personally would eradicate the colony, and sanitize the tank you keep them in (I would use a bleach/water solution, 10% bleach, 90% water, followed by a good clean rinse with water).

 

[bobusboy]

If they just randomly died with no radical change in conditions then I wouldn't feed them to my pets. As for disposing of them I'd just toss them in the trash.

PS: Your English is fine, better than a lot of north Americans lol.

 

[Neraz]

bliss, thanks, i think i will put them in quarantine then. But this all smells like in a morgue or even worse... This is the terrible smell i ever smelt in my life.

bobusboy, thanks. I think i should learn English a bit better.
For the roaches.. They died (i think) after i feed them with some apples i grow on my backyard. But in soviet russia apples eats you.... you know

UPDATE:
Some of roaches have a molt problem that was result of death. I think it's inbreeding or genetic problem. But there also a lot of dead imago.. i dont know..

 

[Redneck]

Maybe it was a chemical that was on the apple? Just a thought.. If they just up & died.. Then it might be something you fed them.. IDK though..

Have you used any pesticides on or around the apple tree? Know anyone else that might have used pesticides? On or around your property?

I agree.. Dont use them as feeders.. I say dispose of all of them & start a new colony..

Have a good one.. :razz:

 

[Arachnethegreek]

Also what part of Russia are you in? Anywhere downwind from the forest fires earlier this year and you could have had the old Chernobyl forest radiation come to you in the smoke, smoke hit ground, rain bring radioactive isotope into the water, tree uses water, contaminates apple. Long shot but possible, which would also give you a whole news reason, besides pesticides, not to feed WC feeders to your T's.

 

[Arachnethegreek]

And pardon my terrible grammer, just got off work and it's past midnight

 

[Neraz]

Thanks for reply, Arachnethegreek. Im not so far from Moscow, so, i think it possible. But as i know radiation can't actually go this way and harm anything, this is just a radiation, not chemical or biological threat. Anyway, i already killed my roaches with 98% hydrogen peroxide, this was reaaaally funny.

 

[sean-820]

I would not feed any remaining ones to your ts' and dispose of dead ones. Id probably rehouse all healthy ones and keep them under quarantine for a couple months at least while feeding some other food to t's. I would think there must of been something in the air or food that killed them, but generally roaches are pretty hardy and shouldnt be effected by something like an apple that would probably be for human consumption if they didnt eat it.