6 replies to this topic

[specimen24-6]

I don't even remember how long I had these but finally one of my nymphs matured into adult
Nymphs

Adult

I'm sure that there are some members here that aren't fans of roaches, but interesting thing about these, is that the adults don't look like roaches they are a black and white beetle mimic. It took almost a year for him to reach maturity. I hope that a female molts soon because if they start breeding then I will be very happy. You probably never thought that some one would ever be happy about breeding roaches, but look at these guys how could you say no to this

[Crystals]

I would have loved a colony of dubai roaches as feeders for my ants, but sadly, like most non-native insects in Canada it is illegal to have them.

[specimen24-6]

Do you have American cockroaches, I'm sure you can use those as feeders. Unless you don't like the gross factor.

[Crystals]

Your roaches look neat.  How many nymphs do you have?

 

 

Technically Canada has no native roaches.  The only roaches allowed in Canada are 3 pest types - German cockroach, Russian cockroach, and Prussian cockroach (which are serious pests that climb, carry disease/allergens, and no one in their right mind would want to keep).

Canada has strict import laws on insects.  If it isn't on the list, you need a permit which is expensive and normally only granted to museums and zoos and require yearly inspections of the location they are kept.  Technically, even Superworms are in a grey area.

 

I am fortunate that a science lab near me has a permit and occasionally freezes extras and I can take them and feed them to my ants.

[specimen24-6]

Periplaneta americana is a good feeder candidate, believe it or not they are kept by roach keepers here, and escapes are prevented by Vaseline barrier and a screen lid. They also can't infest a house due to there moisture requirements, they can only linger then die from dehydration. Most of the periplaneta you find indoors are lost and must have been looking for food. There isn't enough humidity indoors for egg laying or molting. If you want clean specimens then you can turn to a biological supply store or buy from a breeder who can ship to Canada. The ones you should worry about is Blattela germanica they are very prone to infesting the house, I should know because my aunt waged a war on them and they won. As far as I know the roaches kept the apartment, it belongs to them well at least till some one else rents it then its their war 

 

I only have three domino roaches, one is a adult ,the other one is a sub adult, the third is nowhere close to being a adult. but, if I'm lucky number two will molt into a adult and I will be able to breed them.   

[specimen24-6]

My second subadult has molted to a adult and if I'm correct and they are of two different genders then they will breed and I will get many egg cases but on the down side it will take forever for them to hatch and even longer for them to go from them new born nymph to a adult. We roach keepers often call them "pet dirt" due to the fact that they spend a lot of time in the substrate, only to emerge when hungry or thirsty.

[specimen24-6]

Domino roach anatomy 101
How tell if it's a boy or girl (sorry for the bad pick)



On the left, you see the male, you can tell by the fact that the wings overlap the the abdomen also they show some behavior aspects, I'm not sure if it vary from individual but the male tends to be the one who is quick to escape.
On the right, you see the female, her abdomen is about the same length as her wings. She is more calm and would rather stay with the substrate.
Now they won't breed yet, it will take a few weeks until I see some egg cases.