Blaptica Dubia Colony

[kylerenz]

For those who raise their own colony, how long does it take to establish a colony that will replenish itself as you feed out of it? I am wanting to start a colony and have seen that many people on here do so as well. Let me know your input.

Thanks,

Kyle

 

[lbesok]

It would depend on a few things. The more breeding pairs and the warmer the temps, the more they will reproduce. We've had a small colony for a while, when we moved them inside for the winter they were barley reproducing. Now they are back in the warm garage and we have hundreds of babies, a couple adult males and maybe 15 or so pregnant females! Have not gotten to the point though were they are the only feeders, but once summer comes that should be the situation.

 

[Duke]

I ordered some blaberus hybrids a couple of months ago. They are not reproducing very quickly right now, but I am hoping that will increase when warmer weather comes. I have a heater underneath the tank and a light too. The young ones matured and I do have quite a few pinheads that are new, but not much inbetween. I ordered 100 and thought I would be swimming in them in within 2 months, but so far it is not the case. They are not eating much right now either which, once again, I am hoping is because of the cooler weather and is about to change.

Duke

 

[kylerenz]

I ordered 200 mixed and also have 7 adult pairs. I keep a light on them which maintains the tank temp at about 85. Would hotter be better? Because I could set the lamp on the screen to increase the temp about 5 degrees or so. Right now I have it clamped onto the side of the glass aquarium.

 

[dodolah]

dubia loves darkness.
if you use glass aquarium you can use a tape heater or an under tank heater (http://www.circlepet.com/images/HEATER02.JPG).

 

[Justin Carl]

Yea, they like it to be dark.
Try a heating pad under the bottom of the cage.
I use a Sterilite tub, but my pad is on the side with the egg flats.

 

[Dankmeleon]

I use a under the tank heater for germinating seeds