Lateralis (turkistan) Roaches

[Niels D]

I just had my first nymphs, so I'm still needing the crickets. I've fed the gastrothecas small dubia, but I guess they need critters which are more active, cause they hardly gave any response when I put dubia in their tank. Maybe these lateralis will do the trick.

[MonsterPyxie]

I just had my first nymphs, so I'm still needing the crickets. I've fed the gastrothecas small dubia, but I guess they need critters which are more active, cause they hardly gave any response when I put dubia in their tank. Maybe these lateralis will do the trick.

understandable, lucky for me none of my critters have been that picky.

[Niels D]

Could they cause an infestation?

[JeffreH]

No - I'm convinced this species (Shelfordella lateralis)won't be able to infest the house. They are prolific breeders, but they're egg cases are simply too sensitive to really be any bother in standard home conditions. They can most certainly survive and will breed and much lower temps than B. dubia and other common feeder roaches, though. I've had ooths laid at temps as low as 72 degrees...whether or not they were fertile is another question and these ooths never hatched out. A heard of rumor of someone having them breed in a shower drain; but it was a quick fix (apparently a very unused area of the basement, giving them a chance to go unnoticed). Other than this, I've not heard a single thing.

My lobster roaches (Nauphoeta cinerea) on the other thand... I don't trust them as far as I can throw them. I guess thats poor wording, but I've witnessed litters being born at temps as low as 69 degrees F. They climb smooth surfaces, breed quickly, and as mentioned by MonsterPyxie, they are fast. Not heard of an infestation case, but I wouldn't put it past this species. I've convinced anything in the Blaptica, Blaberus, and Eublaberus genus could never infest a home even if you wanted them to, though.

[Niels D]

Thanks. I like the fact that lateralis can't climb, but it would be perfect if they were life bearing. I've red that some people don't use any substrate though.

[JeffreH]

I know - a lot of people don't; but I've had limited success with this species without a substrate. I actually separated a two cultures of about 5k each this summer to be sold: one was allowed a substrate and one only had the bottom of the bin. I was only witnessing about a 50% ooth hatch rate in the bare bottom bin, and a lot of dried up ooths within the mix of frass and skins. Depends on the individual conditions, ambient humidity in the enclosure, what you are using to heat them and the temperature, etc.

[badkelpie]

I might do something I have heard of other people doing, leaving the colony unheated and fairly dry and hatching the ooths
separately. I'm thinking yogurt type cups with a damp paper towel and lots of tiny air holes and placed inside the heated dubia
tank. That way, I don't have to heat a whole colony and can choose roughly how many nymphs I have.