2nd generation

[DonaldJ]

This is a minor milestone, but the second generation of my B. Orientalis have started hatching. There are now about 25 little nymphs running around, maybe more as they are too quick to count accurately. With more than forty oothecae yet to hatch I should end up with quite the colony; the adult females are still producing. Yikes!

What I found significant is that I read that this species takes about a year to reach maturity, but it's only been ten months between generations (hatching to hatching).

Thanks to all in this forum for their help with these critters!

 

[lovebugfarm]

I have found maturation rates can be quite variable for insects. I worked on a cricket farm for awhile and our cycles were 4-5 weeks in the summer 6-7 in the winter but some studys show they can take a year to mature in northern climates. I collected wild pale boarder field roaches back in april thier ootheca hatched in 2 months and the nymphs are about a third grown now. Thing like heat, food access, stress from light or over crowding play big roles in development. For instance crickets only eat in the dark on the farm we worked in the dark with headlamps on. Also when the antenna of crickets touch the antenna of anouther cricket it causes a stress responce which slows growth so we provided as much surface area as possible. The variables are endless really its what makes insects so fasinating.