B. Dubia for University Ecology Study

[JeffreH]

Good luck on your cell biology exam - let me know if you have any questions regarding that as well ; )

I'll browse around for some literature for you; not sure if there is anything out there specifically on B. dubia but I might be able to drag out a few relevant papers on cockroaches. There are few insect rearing journal articles I've come across as well that I'll try to drag up... One specifically discussed variable feeding regiments for Tenebrio molitor (mealworms) and the actual concepts/methods may be pertinent to your study.

There are a LOT of factors that can contribute to uncertainty, unfortunately. We probably won't get any 110% positive explanation from a semester-long research operation, but this will be an awesome foundation to draw out additional questions for future research. Regardless, it will be very cool to see if there is a notable difference in fecundity. = )

One other source of error that will be difficult to account for via only purchasing adult females is age classes - I've not actually taken the time to experiment with this, but often fecundity declines with age. For example, a female at 10 months of age will hypothetically produce more offspring in a litter being in her prime than a female who just reached maturity, or one who is near death. This will be thoroughly resolved by your plan to rear large nymphs into adulthood; so I think you've got an excellent idea there!

And naturally, I hope I don't sound like I'm preaching because that is certainly not my intent = ) but you'll want to keep as many variables constant as physically possible. Temperature, humidity, dry food type and precise weight given in an X time frame, precise weight of fruit given in X time frame, etc. Insects are so incredibly prone to environmental stoachastictiy its insane, and even slight deviations can potentially make a difference in growth rate and reproduction in both the short and long-term.

Anywho, I'll be keeping an eye on this thread and am looking forward to your experiment. Good luck on that exam!

[JeffreH]

Some relevant literature that may aid in your experimental setup and discussion. I'll keep my eyes peeled, more to come in the future:

Terpenoid influence on Reproduction: [VERY relevant]
Karr, L., Coats, J.R. (1992). Effects of Four Monoterpenoids on Growth and Reproduction of the German Cockroach (Blattodea: Blattellidae). Journal of Economic Entomology; 85(2), 424-429.

Effects of dietary Protein on reproduction:
Hamilton, R., Schal, C. (1988). Effects of Dietary Protein Levels on Reproduction and Food Consumption in the German Cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America; 81(6), 969-976.


Not as relevant, but the following discuss effects of humidity and density dependence on mealworm growth. May be applied to other insects:


Mellanby, K. (1932). The Effects of Atmospheric Humidity on the Metabolism of the Fasting Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L., Coleoptera). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 111(772), 376-390.


Weaver, D., McFarlane, J. (1990). The effect of larval density on growth and development of Tenebrio molitor. Journal of Insect Physiology; 36(7), 531-536.

[yoshimi]

This is so cool! I got my breeders as large nymphs that molted into adulthood in my care and I'm currently waiting for roach babies. And yes, there is an orange in their bin and at least two of my 24 females are definitely preggo (their oothecas were hangin out for all the world to see), and most look chubby. I still have maybe one nymph, but I haven't sexed it. I was all set to send you some after 1st litter, but you said you need virgins. Great idea, because otherwise it's impossible to tell age. I got mine from West Coast Roaches. They're in NC, do their own breeding, no idea why they call themselves "west coast." I actually won my roaches in a Christmas promotion, but their prices aren't too bad. They did go up recently and they primarily do auctions and grabs on Facebook. This is their new storefront: www.westcoastroaches.com - The Leader in Feeders right now all I see is 100 large nymphs for $37. But on facebook they auction off different quantities. They're also super nice people so if you emailed them through any channel they'll respond and most likely help you out. I don't know about a discounted rate or donation, but I'm almost positive they'd sell you what you need. https://www.facebook.com/westcoastroaches?fref=ts <-- that's what used to be the primary auction page, use it if you send a msg through fb, and this: https://www.facebook.com/groups/West...rsandSupplies/ is the new group.

I hope this helps! I am obviously extremely interested in how this turns out.


edit: i misread or don't read all the time, sorry. So you DON'T want nymphs but you want virgin roaches? If you get large nymphs, keep them warm and humid (so important!), they'll be adults in no time. If you buy adults, you really can't tell how old they are or if they're truly pure. A nymph has never been pregnant. Unlike people, they don't mess with that sh*t til they're adults.

[badkelpie]

I've got plenty, I can spare 50. Do you want adults or sub-adults? The sub adults are a molt or 2 away from being adults. I won't charge you for the roaches, but you pay shipping?

PM me.

(P.S. I have lateralis roaches too, I hate them (frogs LOVE them). If anyone wants the lats, same deal, free roaches, you pay shipping!, There's somewhere between 30 and 60? or less, or more, I don't know, they're too fast to count)

[yoshimi]

I've got plenty, I can spare 50. Do you want adults or sub-adults? The sub adults are a molt or 2 away from being adults. I won't charge you for the roaches, but you pay shipping?

Get those sub-adults, nmrobi! It really doesn't take long at all for them to molt if conditions are right, and within a week they're ready to mate and 4-6 weeks after they become pregnant, you'll have babies. It's usually 28 days, but I heard it can take longer for 1st time pregnancies. But it might depend on heat.. I'm about to find out in my own experiment.

badkelpie, are they sexed? (and sub-adults is a much clearer term to use than nymphs. nice.)

[badkelpie]

Yeah, they're sexed. From about a molt or 2 from adulthood, they are sexually dimorphic. I've heard sub-adults before, but don't remember where .

[nmrobi]

Hey everyone,

I have finished my Ecology study on Blaptica Dubia. I know that this is not perfect but it did well enough for an undergrad project. A big thanks to badkelpie for helping out with the supply of adult females, without them I wouldn't have been able to do this. Now when/if you read this please comment and tell me what you think. Also just because I didn't find and big differences doesn't mean that oranges don't help (the discussion covers this).

Thanks for all the help everyone.