I've got them housed in a well ventilated enclosure with an inch or so of a coco fiber and sawdust mix, one third kept moist, the rest dry. I'm feeding them dog food and am keeping them at around 75F°.
Here are some pictures of one of the adults:
Here's hoping I can get a colony established! They're pretty cute, everything about them is quite stout and rounded in appearance.
Now for a very exciting new addition, I was able to acquire some CBB Parahormetica bilobata nymphs from Connor Brescia! These are a brand new addition to culture, and I am so excited to be among the first to receive CB stock of them! 😁
I have them set up in a minimally ventilated bin with a few inches of coco fiber and substrate, kept humid. I'm giving them dog food and apple slices for their staple diet, and have them at around 80-85F°.
Here are some pictures of one of the nymphs:
They are still quite small and very dark, but I've seen pictures of larger nymphs online that have lots of color and patterning on them (and the adults are stunning as well), so I look forward to watching these grow!
I also got another species I've been wanting to try my hand at culturing for a while from Jeremy Morrell, some Luridiblatta trivittata! These are the first real Ectobiids I've kept (all other former "Ectobiids" I've kept have since been moved to their own families), and boy are they cute! This species is known for having unique care requirements, namely their oothecae require a cool, dry period for a few months, and then a warm and humid period to trigger hatching. There's a great Roach Forum post on them explaining the process here.
I've got the adults in a well ventilated enclosure with a thin layer of a coco fiber/sand mixture, topped with bark and cardboard roll hides. I'm keeping one corner of the enclosure moist, the rest bone dry, and they're being given dog food and fruits for the staple diet. I'm keeping them at around 80-85F°.
I was also given some oothecae, which I put in their own well ventilated deli cup, on a bed of dry coco fiber. Eventually I'll move all the oothecae the adults lay in their main enclosure to the deli cup or vice versa and put them in a cool spot over the winter.
Here are some pictures of an adult female:
I'm pretty sure I only have females, otherwise I would have taken pictures of a male too since their wings are longer (but they're still brachyapterous). Really really hope these breed for me!
I also got some oothecae of Planuncus tingitanus s.l, another Ectobiid that has become established in CA and likely has the same care requirements, so I'll be incubating said ooths the same as the Luridiblatta.
Months ago I got some Parcoblatta lata "Tuskegee, AL", from Kyle I believe. These are the second largest Parcoblatta IIRC (largest being northern P.pennsylvanica), and I haven't kept them in years. Happy to have some back, and this line thankfully doesn't require a diapause!
I've got them in a well ventilated enclosure with a 50/50 humidity gradient, a thin layer of coco fiber substrate topped with eggcrates and cardboard rolls for hides. I'm feeding them dog food and apple slices and have their enclosure at around 75-80F°.
Here are some photos of an adult pair:
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| Male |
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| Female |
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| Pair |
I've really been on a Parcoblatta kick lately, and I briefly had all described species in my collection as of a few weeks ago... but unfortunately my P.desertae just died off due to an entomophagous fungus infection... so I need that species again lol. But other than desertae that I've got all the described species ATM, though there are certain localities and color forms of some species I am looking for, and perhaps 1 or two undescribed species we know of that I need as well. 😆
Lastly, a few months back I acquired some Porcellio flavomarginatus "Crete" from Spencer Thornton, a unique locality of this species with a dark base coloration, covered in greenish-yellow speckles.
I've got them in a well ventilated shoebox with a thin layer of old roach/beetle substrate (looks like a random coco fiber and sand and clay mix), topped in leaf litter and eggcrates. I'm keeping a third of the enclosure moist, the rest dry, and have them at around 75-85F°. They're being given dog food as their supplemental diet.
Here are some pics of a couple:
They've proven to be quite hardy and prolific, and I've already got a nice colony going!
Anyways, that does it for this post, thanks for reading, hope everyone enjoyed, and I'll see you all next time! 😉
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