roaches establishing in your house (esp red runners)

[bwhatch22]

does anybody have any first hand , or direct second hand , knowledge of any type of feeder roach especially red runners establishing in a house. I don't just mean have they ever infested your house but wondering if any of them ever set up a little pocket colony somewhere.
I have read in a lot of places that they can, but have yet to read any credible post that they actually did.

 

[l4nsky]

IMHO, and after years of research and keeping a sizeable lateralis colony, I think their ability to cause an infestation is wildly blown out of proportion, even in the Southern states.

First of all, the roach in the vent is dead. Forced air through a duct, whether hot or cold, will dessicate the animal in a matter of hours.

Second of all, lateralis are prolific, BUT they are not as aggressive as the equally prolific german or american cockroaches. In fact, in areas where lateralis have been established in the US, the german and american species outcompete them in the home environment, forcing them outdoors.

So, in short, IMHO, if your home has the ideal environment for roaches to infest (food laying around, nice humidity, warm, plenty of dark places), you're going to have a problem with american and german species on a long enough time scale, even if you have a large lateralis escape as the german/american species will outcompete them once they find your place. If you're home is clean and the german/american species can't find enough resources to get established, then you don't really need to worry about lateralis either.

https://arachnoboards.com/threads/red-runner-roach-went-into-vent.370401/post-3425198

 

[bwhatch22]

IMHO, and after years of research and keeping a sizeable lateralis colony, I think their ability to cause an infestation is wildly blown out of proportion, even in the Southern states.

I agree....
... but im not really looking to start a debate or discussion as to whether or not they can or can't, those topics have been debated ad nauseam. but rather am looking for anybody with any bona fide first hand knowledge of a feeder roach setting up camp in their home.

 

[BoyFromLA]

Are you asking this question because:

• Currently have a colony with loose roach?
• Currently in mind to establish a colony?

 

[bwhatch22]

Are you asking this question because:

• Currently have a colony with loose roach?
• Currently in mind to establish a colony?

why, would your answer be any different based on why im asking ?

 

[BoyFromLA]

Not really, but I just sometimes want to have some context or motive behind the question asked.

 

[Brewser]

Hopefully other assorted House Predators as well, will be on the Lookout for Escapees.

 

[bwhatch22]

Not really, but I just sometimes want to have some context or motive behind the question asked.

sorry if I came across like a prick. I am not much of a people person, I would go so far as to say I am socially awkward. sometimes when people are being polite or making conversation (which im guessing is what you are doing) I don't really get it......

 

[BoyFromLA]

sorry if I came across like a prick. I am not much of a people person, I would go so far as to say I am socially awkward. sometimes when people are being polite or making conversation (which im guessing is what you are doing) I don't really get it......

No need to apologize at all. Totally understood.

 

[DaveM]

I have first hand experience with the opposite. I had an apartment next to garbage dumpsters, and German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) colonized my whole building. I captured some of them and started a feeder colony (waiting a few generations to be sure they weren't contaminated with insecticides). It was amusing, but not very worthwhile. B lats are much easier and better as feeder roaches.
There's some kind of good joke that I just can't seem to wrangle out of this... something like German food being the best for beer drinkers but the wurst for spiders.

 

[Kada]

Yes, in Taiwan. I know 1 pet store and 1 breeder who have had populations breed happily indoors. The pet store I don't think cares, the breeder used poison to get rid of them (boric acid bait). It's warm here, the biggest worry is they can survive outside easily and naturalize.

This link has some references of its occurrence

Periplaneta lateralis Walker, 1868

Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Free and Open Access to Biodiversity Data.

www.gbif.org

 

[NocturnalSkies]

Yes actually. I’ve had it happen with lateralis and lobster roaches. The lobster roaches are the absolute worst though. After properly sealing the bin they were in I still find clusters of them sometimes here and there.

And it doesn’t have much to do with being dirty etc either. They’ll find any little crevice to live in and go find food elsewhere.

Have also had hissers escape and happily molt and survive outside. I had an issue with nymphs escaping for a little bit. There were hisser nymphs all over the ceiling, walls, etc I re-applied the climbing barrier and caught most of the escapees. But for a while here and there I’d find hissers in various stages of life, meaning they were molting and surviving fine. Even found 2 large sub adults.

There’s a middle ground between the people who are scared of roaches and think theyre all pests and the people who say that pet roaches never escape or infest anything. SOME of the exotic roaches we keep can in fact breed and survive outside

 

[bwhatch22]

Yes actually. I’ve had it happen with lateralis and lobster roaches. The lobster roaches are the absolute worst though. After properly sealing the bin they were in I still find clusters of them sometimes here and there.

do you keep your house warmer than most?


back in the 90's I kept a colony of lobster roaches, had them for about 5 years, and very rarely found a live one outside of the bin. lots of dead ones though. when I moved the fridge I kept them in I found 20-30 dead ones under it, but nothing live. I had a lot of dogs at the time and had several food/water bowls around the house and but never a roach by them.

I currently have 17 species including red runners. while feeding my t's a couple months ago I spilled a bowl of around 100 babies. I have yet to see one in my numerous glue traps, by my dog food/water bowl, or even found a dead one. I joke with myself that they are probably off somewhere plotting to break all their buddies out. I am at most slightly concerned about them esp since it had been over two months and I haven't seen a single one in my glue traps. although I have seen a couple adult males caught up in them.

I have here and there found escapees from my mini hissers but only place I have ever seen them was on my dog's water bowl. I left them be.

I am sure they can live and breed in a house under certain conditions but over the years you are the one and only (credible sounding) person that has said "yes, it happened to me personally...." it seems it is extremely rare but not outside the realm of possibility..

all that said.....I did recently get rid of my lobster roach colony, for some reason they started to freak me out a little bit. makes no sense esp since I kept them for years before without incident. go figure....