Blatta Lateralis as feeders?

[cyris69]

Ok, so I've been buying Canadian night crawlers by the 1/2 flat ~250 worms. Runs me about 38$ after tax at a local outdoor shop. My dubia colony is running slow so I am leaving them alone.

I drunkenly ordered 1k lats I had been researching them for a while but the drinking made me impulsive

They where cheap, 32 bucks for 1k from arron pauling. The biggest reason for these roaches.

Sample Moisture Protein Fat Fiber Ash


B. Lateralis 63.63% 36.5% 5.31% 2.19% 1.95%


B. Dubia 61.18% 35.6% 6.75% 3.25% 2.01%

They are just as nutritious as dubia, but smaller and breed MUCH faster. Also having 5 pyxies, 3 being males these guys destroy food. They can easily take almost 2 dozen crawlers every other day each, daily if I let them. So my wallet is on fire constantly. Also the fact these don't burrow and play dead like dubia.

My question is, if you've had experience with these roaches or currently have them what are your thoughts? Also, in a central Indiana climate what are the chances of infestation if some get loose? I've read so many mixed thoughts on this, some say no way the egg casings wouldn't survive and other say yes. Some live in much more tropical areas in the US and have kept them for 5+ years and never had an infestation even with escapees.

Did I make a poor choice? I know my frogs love crickets and can handle those easy and having the sheer breeding power of lats I figured I could have an endless source of food.

[Mentat]

I've had a B. lateralis colony and did not like it much. They do breed like crazy, but are very fast (and the males fly a bit) and hard to control when feeding. Expect escapees and be ready to handle that. Since I was feeding mostly males, got no infestation in house, but was always worried a female would get loose. A local shop has brought some larger than Dubia hybrids and will try a colony of those next to supplement the producing Dubia colony I got going. Good luck !

[cyris69]

Thanks for the reply, the frog room is sealed pretty tight and the furthest from the kitchen. I'm just tired of slow dubia colonies (I have thousands of nymphs), expensive worms, and lats are so cheap. I was a bug guy first so I don't like feeding my dubia off much as I find them quite attractive and interesting. I think lat females are quite pretty but still more "roach" looking than dubia so I don't see much attachment so to speak if that makes sense.

My only real concern is infestability, there are to many yes/no arguments. Most people say that it's just hard, they may linger around in your house but the egg sac will dry out and even if it magically hatched the babies would dry up and die. I've found several dubia around the house (males only) either dead or about to be usually not very far at all from the frog room.

[Herpguy]

Latteralis are probably the best feeder out there, as long as your animals aren't too big. They are EXTREMELY fast. You have to shake them into a container, you can't just pick them up like dubia. However, this makes them the most attractive feeder for animals, they never stop moving like crickets, and they will never burrow. You may get escapees, but they need a very high humidity. I have never seen a live one in the house, only dried up husks.

[cyris69]

Thanks for the reply Herpguy, makes me feel better. I think it's just how they look more "roach" like compared to what I'm used to. The worry is fading, now how about this so called smell? I plan on no substrate as well. I haven't cleaned my dubia colony in maybe 6 or so months and no smell at all. It is time for a cleaning though. However my dubia are in a 55 gallon tank

[Herpguy]

No problem. I don't know what people are talking about when they complain about the smell, because I never had that problem.

[cyris69]

Yes, they are only an inch but breed faster, and are just as nutritious as dubia, also softer bodies. They are around the size of a fat adult cricket.

Though the numbers they reproduce is quite staggering so you'd never need food again.

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