Lost two pepper roaches

lovebugfarm

lovebugfarm

Eleventh Instar
I lost 2 peppers what seems like over night. One an adult had maggots the other was just limp. Are there parasitic flys I should worry about? The maggots were slightly larger then those of fruit flys. I got them from a guy who admited he wasnt paying much attention to them. They have been in the mid 70s but might have droped to 60s temp wise. I found a little molded food are these guys highly mold sensitive?

 
I find it unlikely that the maggots were parasitic, they were probably fungus gnat larva that found the dead roach and started eating it. They could have died of old age, as well as poor care from the previous owner. I hope no more die on you.

 
Thanks hisserdude the adult could be old age. I did lose one large nymph to. Its so odd they died in such a close time frame. Luckily I have babys from them already but I am a bit nervous I did something. I guess I will know if more pass on.

 
lovebugfarm said:
Thanks hisserdude the adult could be old age. I did lose one large nymph to. Its so odd they died in such a close time frame. Luckily I have babys from them already but I am a bit nervous I did something. I guess I will know if more pass on.
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Hmm, weird. Sometimes roaches just die, even if you seemingly did nothing wrong. I'm guessing it's just a fluke. Let us know if any more die unnaturally.

Roach collector said:
A final request I have hisserdude is a post on the therea regularis on your blog ��
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Ok, sure! :)

 
Do phorid flies affect health roaches? Should I throw in a predator to eat any remaining in the substrate? I typically put in a solitary unmated darkling in most bins to eat mites and such. I havnt done this to this bin but might do it now to be safe.

 
First of all, no. Phorid flies eat dead roaches I believe, not live ones. Secondly, darkling beetles don't eat mites, don't know why that rumor is getting spread around. Certain darklings can eat leftovers and dead roaches, therefore out-competing mites, but they don't eat them.

 
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Its true they dont actively hunt them but most insects are opertunistic especially in a captive environment. Ive seen lots of bugs do things that are out of character. My hissers seem to have less mites now. Thats by no means evidence but it doesnt hurt. I know my dermestids would but after watching them take down a healthy cricket I dont trust them. Lol

 
Yeah, but mites are.. tiny. A darkling beetle would have to deliberately try hard to eat a mite, and unless it was a species that specializes in eating mites, I find it highly unlikely that they would eat them. They probably just out-competed them for food, like most cleanup crews do.

I have a few dermestid beetle larva that I caught in my house and man, they are growing so SLOW! I thought these were supposed to grow fast! Sure I'm only feeding them cat food and dead insects but that is what they were eating in my house so... One thing's for sure, they won't be used as a cleanup crew in my cages at the rate they grow! :lol:

 
They need heat and alot of it they do best at 90° meat scraps help to. I use chicken heart cause its cheap and small. Keep them frozen in bags of 3 to prevent them spoiling before their eaten. Just do one at a time never more then they can eat in a day or two. They drown in open water so they need a sponge to drink from and a piece of styrophom to pupate in. The strophoms optional. Also I feed powdered cricket and cricket/roach feed. The real key is heat and access to water. Then they will be going good.

 
Oh and the beetles fly at temps above 75-80 so watch for that. Also if they are climbing to the highest point they can its cause they are hungry and sniffing the air to find the dead.

 
lovebugfarm said:
They need heat and alot of it they do best at 90° meat scraps help to. I use chicken heart cause its cheap and small. Keep them frozen in bags of 3 to prevent them spoiling before their eaten. Just do one at a time never more then they can eat in a day or two. They drown in open water so they need a sponge to drink from and a piece of styrophom to pupate in. The strophoms optional. Also I feed powdered cricket and cricket/roach feed. The real key is heat and access to water. Then they will be going good.
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Yeah, heat would probably help. I'm keeping them as a side project, so I'm not too concerned about their slow growth. I'm vegan, so I won't be using meat scraps for them. I only buy meat in the form of dog food for my bugs, and I am contemplating using a plant based protein source for them. I haven't given them any water, that would speed up growth I bet. Last time I kept dermestids moist they all died, so I've been keeping them bone dry.

I gave them wood chunks to pupate in, the wood is rotten so they should be able to bore into it. I assumed they would be able to fly, thanks for the head's up!

Thanks for all the tips! :)

 
No prob glad to help. Yeah they like hot and dry but a wet sponge is a must. Kinda like a desert scorpion. Good luck with the vegan bug food. I would love to know what roaches thrive all veggi. I love the idea of roach composting.

 
lovebugfarm said:
No prob glad to help. Yeah they like hot and dry but a wet sponge is a must. Kinda like a desert scorpion. Good luck with the vegan bug food. I would love to know what roaches thrive all veggi. I love the idea of roach composting.
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Alright, I'll have to add a water source to the cage. :)

I think edamame/soybeans would probably work, but can be expensive. I have also heard of people offering oats instead of dog food, may have to try that out.

 
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