Another new roach colony
- Thread starter SMCNARY
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pigglett79
Avid Member
Nice, I have about a trillion red runners now, but no one is eating them......Boooooo. I am going to wait until after winter when everyone gets back to normal before I decide to ditch the colony. You are the feeder king.
fluxlizard
Avid Member
So which 6 have you got?
I've got hissers, lobsters, dubia and blaberus hybrids (supposedly fusca x ?).
Baby lobsters are great for feeding baby chams.
The blaberus hybrids I'm really loving- they grow really big kind of like a hisser but not so heavy and the nymphs get ginormous too. Plus they grow fast and breed lots like a smaller roach - kind of like lobsters. And they don't climb (yaay!)
You ever hear my nightmare with this species in zone 7? They overwinter here outdoors just fine... Be careful in TX- these are a pest species...
I've got hissers, lobsters, dubia and blaberus hybrids (supposedly fusca x ?).
Baby lobsters are great for feeding baby chams.
The blaberus hybrids I'm really loving- they grow really big kind of like a hisser but not so heavy and the nymphs get ginormous too. Plus they grow fast and breed lots like a smaller roach - kind of like lobsters. And they don't climb (yaay!)
You ever hear my nightmare with this species in zone 7? They overwinter here outdoors just fine... Be careful in TX- these are a pest species...
pigglett79
Avid Member
No I haven't heard your nightmare story. .........kinda makes me want to go put them all in the freezer though. What happened?
fluxlizard
Avid Member
Well, short version I got a bunch in to use as breeders several years ago, they kind of made me nervous the way they looked, moved was unlike a tropical roach. So I fed them all off. Only some got out in my lizard building and in the yard outside. They survived in both locals- even through the rare year where we had snow on the ground for over a month- I found them when I flipped a board over in the snow beneath the board still alive and moving. They seemed to especially enjoy a storage/hibernation room in my building even though it was cool. They left egg casings everywhere on the shelves and such. After several years they finally seem to remain only in very small numbers now for some reason- maybe spiders and stuff increased and keep them in check outdoors. My building burned last spring so they are not in there any more. They are a pest species-pest control companies list them on their websites and are trained with how to deal with them.
Chameleon Creator
New Member
Sounds like a lawsuit, I wouldn't openly admit this lol. Do you know which type of roach they are/were? This turns me off to roaches in general
fluxlizard
Avid Member
LOL- believe me, before the wild population declined in numbers, I was keeping my ear to the ground worried they would turn up in someone's basement on the surrounding properties! Thankfully they never did- but I don't live in town and if sharing my story prevents heartbreak for someone else, then I figure I need to share it. They are the "red racers" or blatta lateralis. I cringe because they are so easy to breed and so prolific (and actually pretty attractive to lizards and soft bodied and active and bright colored for a roach) that they are a popularly sold species right now to hobbyiests. They are being sold by the millions all over the internet (just check kingsnake.com).
Actually I think since that time they may have been outlawed in my state, but I'm not positive about that. I do know that in some areas this species has been outlawed because they do infest.
Roaches in general- don't worry too much about them. There are about a zillion species and only about a handful that are "pest" species. Certainly the ever popular dubia species that most here on the forums use are far from a pest species. Most used as feeders are tropical forest species and don't like homes.
The red racers, however, are mid-eastern pest species that came to america not as feeders or exotic pets, but as invasive pests returning with military troops and equipment from the wars. In my past posts you can read about my story camping one summer at the beach next to a military base and there were tons of red racers in our campsite after dark. Eventually they died out or died back kind of like the ones here on my property- when we returned in subsequent years they were no longer there. Probably natural predators build up and keep them in check.
A better alternative to the lateralis that I use are the "lobsters" or cinera. Because they are so hardy and prolific I still wouldn't keep or feed them in my home but that is just me- they stay in the lizard building and only dubia or the new hybrids I am working with are allowed for pet lizards in my home. Lobsters are very prolific livebearers, are soft bodied, their babies are tiny enough to be fed to baby chameleons. But after feeding out about a gazillion of them for over a decade, I never see escapees that hang around and establish like the lateralis did. I do see a few escapees in the building and a few make it into my home every fall as winter sets in that have escaped from nearby outdoor cages, but they don't remain. On the other hand, not only did the lateralis overwinter outdoors, they can be found under all sorts of outdoor things like water bowls in my in-ground cages, under boards, etc. Thankfully, unlike the cinera- they've never looked for shelter in my home- they always prefered the outdoors and the lizard building. Not sure why the red racers never went for my house- maybe they don't like the warmth from the home. In the lizard building there were always more in the cool storage room and in the floor drains than anywhere else...
The downside to lobsters is that they stick to anything and are climbers...
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pigglett79
Avid Member
Well, now I totally want to get rid of the red runner colony. I have a ton! I did lose 1 in my bearded dragon tank. I just dont want to risk it. My boys eat the dubias just fine. Now to determine the best way to get rid of them..........
I have not had any problems yet in the year I have had them ( Red Runners ). I do try to be careful with them though. I tell you the ones you have to watch are the Bananas!!! I have the large and smaller ones and they are slippery little devils and just seem to pop up here and there. 
Not to worry. They do that when they do not get enough to eat. Keep them well fed and they are happy.
