MooreInverts
Second Instar
I've been revisiting my roach notes and I'm on the quest for the most ideal feeder roach to get next. I've now had some more experience with my current species and I'm starting to figure out what I like best. As my collection grows, I'll need a faster breeding species soon enough. I keep little kenyans and p. couloniana, but the former are only good for the little insectivores and the goblins don't breed fast enough for the long haul.
Unfortunately, most of the options I have possess some serious negatives. Of all the species I've found though, I'm happy to say that I think fulvous wood roaches of all things seem (nearly) perfect for me.
They have a wide temperature range, breed quickly, females and nymphs are pretty, they can't infest, and they don't burrow! They have all my favorite traits from my red goblins but have faster breeding, and they're so ideal! They seem perfect, but the males have me pretty concerned. I'm aware that they can fly, and it makes me horrifically anxious. I've had so many horrible experiences with beetles getting trapped in my hair during summer nights (as many as five in there at once) and anything with non-obvious wings are really unnerving to me, so it's pretty clear that flying roaches are not an exciting prospect. I want to hear from others though.
So how bad are flying roaches, really? Does this species fly frequently? What do you do if one escapes? Do they fly less if they have more shelter? And most importantly, is there anyone else out there who was iffy about fliers too? Was it worth taking the plunge into flying species even if you were nervous at first?
EDIT: I almost forgot. I'm aware that they're a little small. How do they compare to others in the genus, like the larger p. lata? They're both such gorgeous species, and it's nice that p. lata are much larger. Do they produce as much as the fulvous do?
Unfortunately, most of the options I have possess some serious negatives. Of all the species I've found though, I'm happy to say that I think fulvous wood roaches of all things seem (nearly) perfect for me.
They have a wide temperature range, breed quickly, females and nymphs are pretty, they can't infest, and they don't burrow! They have all my favorite traits from my red goblins but have faster breeding, and they're so ideal! They seem perfect, but the males have me pretty concerned. I'm aware that they can fly, and it makes me horrifically anxious. I've had so many horrible experiences with beetles getting trapped in my hair during summer nights (as many as five in there at once) and anything with non-obvious wings are really unnerving to me, so it's pretty clear that flying roaches are not an exciting prospect. I want to hear from others though.
So how bad are flying roaches, really? Does this species fly frequently? What do you do if one escapes? Do they fly less if they have more shelter? And most importantly, is there anyone else out there who was iffy about fliers too? Was it worth taking the plunge into flying species even if you were nervous at first?
EDIT: I almost forgot. I'm aware that they're a little small. How do they compare to others in the genus, like the larger p. lata? They're both such gorgeous species, and it's nice that p. lata are much larger. Do they produce as much as the fulvous do?
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