Know Your Enemy
Accurate identification of pests is as important as choosing the best preventive pest management available on the market today. Preventive Pest Control has compiled a list of most common pests to help you identify the problem.
South American/Peruvian Dubia
(Blaptica dubia)
Characteristics
The South America/Peruvian Dubia cockroaches are large cockroaches with males reaching over 1 3/5 while the females are over 1 6/10 inch long. The females and the males do not look the same and may have varied colors. The wings of males can be black or brown, and the females can have an all-black to brown coloration with orange lines. Nymphs have a gray to brown coloration and may grow to 1/5 to 1 2/5 inch in length.
This cockroach is a very popular breeder for pets because they contain 36% percent protein. Their shell is also softer than crickets that make it easy to digest. They do not have an odor, which makes them more manageable.
Habitat
This particular cockroach does not burrow and is made as a feeder for pets. Those who breed the Blaptica dubia commonly place them inside a glass tank or a smooth-sided plastic container that is dry. Their container is commonly placed in a dark corner because they do not like the light. Although they prefer damp places, but in a feeder habitat, damp can become mold that can harm the colony. However, their housing requires an ideal temperature of 75*F – 95*F, which will require owners to provide proper ventilation and heating elements to make this work.
Behavior
This cockroach, compared to their cousins, is a bad climber. They are not able to climb on smooth surfaces that make a glass container a great house for them. They are slow and are not shy, which makes it easier for their handlers to capture them. Also, the Blaptica dubia is a docile creature, and have little to no odor, making it much easier to be around them.
Food
Their food consists of breakfast cereals, bran, poultry feed, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, leaves, processed pet food, and even kitchen scraps.
Life Cycle
The life cycle and maturity of this cockroach is slow compared to other cockroach species. A female dubia can carry 20 to 35 eggs in a single capsule or ootheca. After a month, 30 or more nymphs will come out of their eggs and will periodically molt their skin. It may take 7 molts for a nymph before it becomes an adult that will take four to five months. After a couple of weeks, this new adult will now be able to mate with another mature roach. An adult cockroach can live up to 1 1/2 year to 2 years.
Other Information and Tips
The South American/Peruvian Dubia cockroach is not considered pests because they do not create burrows, and cannot easily escape because they are not fast enough to do so. They are rarely found in houses because they need proper heat, moisture, and humidity to breed and survive. If they are in a home, they are placed in containers and are bred to be fed to their pets, although some owners breed this cockroach as their pets as well.
Photo by Drägüs (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons / resized from original
