Posted by:
Calparsoni
at Fri Aug 26 11:43:25 2011 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Calparsoni ]
One thing with grasshoppers is they have a specific lifespan and at least this far north a lot of them die off by december when the dry season hits (they actually start to decline in Nov.) and once it starts getting colder there are only a few species to choose from in the winter most of which are small. I have had some luck getting grasshopper eggs to hatch out but it is sporadic at best, it is much more difficult to breed grasshoppers than it is roaches or crickets and I think a lot of the eggs require a diapause at lower temps than you are going to achieve in artificial conditions. the locusts that are used by europeans and seem to breed more easily than ours are prohibited here so you are not going to be able to use them. I have to chuckle a bit when I read someones p[ost mentioning they are going to breed grasshoppers because they think it is easier than catching them, been there done that and can tell that person hasn't. I'l just go catch them if I need them if I need them thank you very much.
The palmetto roaches are relished by most of the larger bug eaters. I would be leary of them if you use baits or other pesticides or if you live in an urban area where everyone is living very close to each other I live in a rural area away from any orange groves so it is not an issue for me. I have never tried the stinking cockroaches but given that they seem to have the same chemical defense as shield insects (stink bugs.) which is meant to deter predation I have never bothered (not to mention who wants that smell on their hands?). The venezuelan roaches that you find in the mulch of your flower beds are fine (I used to use them as a food staple for lizards as a kid in texas years ago along with field crickets and beetle grubs.Long before the internet or the herp hobby as it existed today and likely before most cricket companies). the problem is they can escape and establish themselves in your monitor cage.
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RE: bugs in fl. pt II - Calparsoni, Fri Aug 26 11:43:25 2011