A Dubia roach colony can survive with the bare minimums of room temperatures, moisture, little food, and dark photoperiods. However, if you want to breed and grow your insects quickly, you need more information. The roaches have specific needs at different stages. Here are guidelines for size-dependent care.
Colony Stress
Typically, Dubia roaches are social and like each other’s company. Young and older insects can be kept together. However, adult nymphs can prey on young ones under stressful conditions. Inadequate protein, food unavailability, and poor food quality produce predation behaviours. Adult males can eat nymphs under high reproduction stress and low female: male ratio.
The female roach carries its eggs until they are ready to hatch. However, female roaches drop their eggs earlier in a stressful environment.
Housing
Naturally, the roaches move slowly, do not fly, and cannot climb smooth surfaces. But it just takes a little dust or textured surface for a baby roach to climb. Remember, the young ones are light and energetic. Use packaging tape or a thin layer of petroleum jelly on the upper surfaces of the enclosure.
Temperatures
The environmental condition affects the growth and reproduction of Dubia Roaches. But at every stage, the insects show a difference in tolerance levels. Large insects can withstand extreme temperatures outside the ideal 24°C – 35°C. Inversely, newborns tend to die under high or low temperatures. So, regulate the temperatures for nymphs for their survival rates.
You may have an open container that properly aerates the enclosure. But if you have a lid, ensure there are holes to allow cool air in. Ventilation is also necessary for fungi control. Plastic containers sweat a lot and encourage fungus growth.
Humidity Levels
The insects need 60% relative humidity. The adults survive better outside the ideal humidity than the babies.
Food
Generally, Dubia roaches are scavengers and have few food demands. They can also eat a wide range of foods such as fruits, vegetables, dry grains, and wheat bran. Adult roaches can survive on little food and water. But the newborns cannot handle food and water adversities. The young ones need high energy levels for their fast growth compared to the large ones. Due to their small size, the nymphs also store less energy. Therefore, pay special attention to feeding and watering growing roaches.
Droppings
Roaches excrete frass, which is useful for gardening. The nymphs also eat the fecal matter. Adult roaches do not feast on the droppings. Although cleaning the enclosure is important, have little droppings for the young ones.
The nymphs can also burrow into the droppings. Ensure that the feces are not deeper than ½ to ¾ inch. Also, check if any nymphs hide in the excrement before disposal. For fruit and vegetables, remove the remains within 36 hours to avoid bacterial and fungus growth.
Conclusion
The level of care determines the growth and reproduction of your Dubia roach colony. Go beyond the minimum. Instead, look at the specific needs for each age group to succeed.