# of roaches needed - statistical analysis

[dfudd]

somebody, help me, please. somewhere on one of the forum boards (i'm reasonably sure it was arachnoboards), somebody posted a mathematical analysis showing how to calculate the size of roach colony needed to use as a feeder source. the analysis took into account just about all the factors involved, based on the number of feeders/week or unit time needed, and took into account the maturity rate of the particular roach species, the longevity of the mature roaches, the frequency of egg laying (or live birth for some species), the length of time needed for the eggs or birth to occur, the number of roaches produced per egg sack or birth, etc.

please help me find the post.

before i get ripped apart for not using the search feature, i must say i have attempted several searches with no luck so far.

regards.

 

[edesign]

uh...dude...use the search function please

j/k...i am interested in this as well but i never saw the original thread. I finally really realized that I need to get my roach colony going ASAP as I had to buy 35 crickets last weekend and still wasn't feeding all of my inverts.

 

[siliconthoughts]

Was it this thread?

This isn't what you were asking for, but this is the only thread I remember with actual math in it

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=35309

The factors you list are actually excessive, you really only need to know
a) how many feeders you need
b) what the birth rate is per female (this number is temperature dependent)

both in the same time units. Then divide a by b and that's the number of females. The only tricky bit is knowing the right value for (b) since it varies by species, temperature, and population size.

I.e. if you need 200/month and the birth rate is 20/month/female, you need ten females.

The maturity rate only affects how long you have to wait until the babies reach the size you need to feed them off. At that point you have enough growing out to keep you supplied indefinitely. Since the adults live on the order of 12-18 months, you just need to let a few "escape" to adulthood to replenish the breeders.

 

[dfudd]

Yes, siliconthoughts, that is the thread i was looking for.

Thanks !!!

 

[Digby Rigby]

Formula for roaches

Hello,

There are too many variables involved to be able to make an accurate calculation. Even if you are dealing with a certain animal that you are feeding to not all are the same for instance even with in the same species some grow faster than others. Certain variables such as temps and humidity can affect the metabolism of the animals they are being fed to. Types of food fed to the prey items as well as temps and humidity they are kept at also influence how fast they grow and breed. The best thing to do is just dive in and get an amount thats maybe a little less than you think you want. It is always easier to ramp up production then get rid of too many feeders. Also not all species of roaches breed at the same rates and frequency.

Digby Rigby
DigbyRigby@exoticfeeders.com

Science is the servant of the human spirit, may you always be as cool as a scientist in his laboratory.