Roaches

[MichiganReptiles]

I told myself months ago that I would never have roaches in my house. That changed when we decided to get a Dubia colony. I don't mind the Dubia at all. But then we decided to get lats also because obviously the Dubia burrow. The dubia are fine for our Bearded Dragons and even for some of our other reptiles, but for the Ts - at least until they are larger and might tong feed, Lats will work better.

Here's my issue - I am TOTALLY FREAKED OUT by the Lats! They are super fast and I'm scared to death that one (or more) will escape while we are in their enclosure. My husband opened it today to put some in a small tub so we could go around and feed everyone. He grabbed the paper towel roll and started dumping them in the small tub. One ran up his arm and hit the floor. Luckily my husband grabbed it but I am SOOOO freaked out.

Any tips? besides find someone to sell them to.. lol

 

[Dragoness]

I'm not very familiar with Lats, but couldn't you put a line of packing tape around the edges of the container(s)? I know it prevents some insects from crossing it. I know someone also makes something called Bug Boundary. I have not used it, but it is supposed to accomplish the same goal - keeping the bugs where you want them.

Another option would be to refrigerate small batches of roaches for 10 min prior to feeding to slow them down.

 

[Matt K]

Lateralis will absolutely NOT infest any home in Michigan, unless you have a pile of food under your refridgerator or somewhere warm with access to moisture....

...if any escape you will find them a few days later dead/dried out somewhere more than likely. All things being equal, it may find a place to live for 2-3 weeks and then die. Michigan is a horrible place for semi-tropical roaches....

 

[ZephAmp]

I must beg to differ.
I live in Michigan and recently started finding B. lateralis in the sewage drain in my basement (Not orientalis, I know the difference.) They probably got out of their container before I started strictly adhering to the "3-inches-of-free-space-at-the-top-of-the-container" rule. I don't know if they're reproducing or not. It might just be a congregation of escapees; I've seen small ones but they aren't hatchling size.
On the flip side, I also have lobster roaches, which, whenever they've gotten out in the past, lingered around for about a week and then turned up dried and dead.
**EDIT- I'd also like to note I've had Periplaneta americana and fuliginosa get out in my house before, and although both stuck around for a while in my basement, they both eventually died off without any hint or suggestion that they had bred.

 

[MichiganReptiles]

I'm not very familiar with Lats, but couldn't you put a line of packing tape around the edges of the container(s)? I know it prevents some insects from crossing it. I know someone also makes something called Bug Boundary. I have not used it, but it is supposed to accomplish the same goal - keeping the bugs where you want them.

Another option would be to refrigerate small batches of roaches for 10 min prior to feeding to slow them down.

Well, they don't climb the container, but when my husband picks up one of the egg cartons or the paper towel rolls they can easily crawl on him. I guess I'll just have to get over it... or get rid of them. It's funny that I love my tarantulas, but can't stand any other spiders and get freaked out by roaches.

 

[andy375hh]

When I feed I shake some off in A plastic bowl then grab em with tongs to feed to the T's. I have also had a few escapes, thank god my wife belived they were something else, but I dont belive they can survive here for long if they escape Just as Matt K Stated.

 

[MichiganReptiles]

Survive or not, I just don't want them crawling around my house. We do the same thing, put them in a tub and then make our rounds. I just freaked when it ran up his arm and ended up on my floor. I guess there's really nothing I can do except hope none get loose!

 

[belljar77]

Just what I was looking for- Michigan people with roaches. We have a colony of lats and a colony of dubia, each in a tub on top of a regular heating pad. They don't seem to be breeding very well, which we're assuming is due to not being warm enough. What do you guys do to keep them reproducing? Would adding some humidity help? And leaving those heating pads on makes me nervous, what else could we use that won't melt the tubs? Thanks alot!

 

[ZephAmp]

Just what I was looking for- Michigan people with roaches. We have a colony of lats and a colony of dubia, each in a tub on top of a regular heating pad. They don't seem to be breeding very well, which we're assuming is due to not being warm enough. What do you guys do to keep them reproducing? Would adding some humidity help? And leaving those heating pads on makes me nervous, what else could we use that won't melt the tubs? Thanks alot!

I have a heavy duty heat pad on directly under a sterilite bin. I've been keeping roaches with setups like this for 4 years and nothing's ever burned. Underneath the heat pad, though, there is metal bar shelving; this creates air flow and prevents excess heat from building up.

Lats can be hit and miss with breeding, but if you get a lock-lid container with no air holes and keep it hot and humid with plenty of food you should have no problems. My dubias reproduce at room temp (whatever temp it is outside in the summer down to 75, about 68-70 in the winter) and room humidity with a single weekly spraying. Increasing the temperature and humidity almost always helps (82 is good; not high enough to stress out a starting colony and not too low to stunt it.) Try adding fresh fruits; my staples are apples, bananas, and strawberries. Some people have had success with oranges, but these sometimes mold over in my containers so I use them sparingly. Old lettuce (particularly the leafy romaine heads and "spring mix"; avoid iceberg lettuce since it's mostly water!) is also relished by most species.