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Starting a Dubia Roach Colony with Adult Dubia Roaches

Colony starters are in the adult stages of the dubia roach life cycle.  These mature dubia roaches are ready to breed, and populate the earth with tasty nymphs.  And this is a great idea because bearded dragons love dubia roaches.  

How to identify mature male and female dubia roaches?

Nymph roaches do not have any wings, which makes it impossible to identify their gender during the nymph stage of the dubia roach life cycle.  This is why nymph dubia roaches are bought as feeders.  And adults are used to start dubia roach colonies.

But both adult male and female dubia roaches have wings.  However, they are different sizes.  All dubia roaches with wings as long as their abdomen are the males.  And all dubia roaches with stumpy wings are females.  These stumpy wings are vestigal wings.  In the image below, the female dubias are in the center of the image.  And the males, with the wings as long as their abdomen, are on the far left and far right:

How old are these adult dubia roaches?

At this stage in the Dubia roach life cycle, they are usually 5-6 months old when they become adults.  At this point, they'll have developed their wings, and will become sexually mature.  They will be about 1.5" in length, and the ideal age to start a dubia roach colony.  

How many nymphs will an adult female dubias produce?

Nymphs are immature and developing dubia roaches.  These are what you'll feed your bearded dragon or leopard gecko.  An adult female in a colony with males will reproduce about once every 1-2 months.  And each time they will produce between 20 - 40 nymphs.  On average, a female will live for about 15 months.  This means a single female can produce as many as 200 nymphs in her life time!  

One thing to keep in mind is that males don't live as long as females.  Males typically live only 9-10 months.  So be mindful of when you start your dubia roach colony.  And keep an eye out for dead males.  You'll need to clean out the dead dubias, because they can introduce bacteria into your bin.  But more importantly, you'll need to consider increasing your population of males if it looks like your female : male ratio gets below 5 Females : 1 male.

Why do you sell adult dubias in weird quantities?

When it comes to breeding adult dubia roaches and starting a dubia roach colony, females are the golden goose.  So, the more females you order, the more expensive the order.  The same is not the same for the males.  Male dubia roaches are a dime a dozen, and are practically useless (except to impregnate the females).  So, the amount of males you select with your order doesn't affect the price.  

There isn't a consensus on how many females you need per male to get your dubia roach colony started.  We recommend 3 females per 1 male.  This means that 1 male will be able to impregnate those 3 females.  Some breeders think you only need 1 male for 4 females.  While others might suggest 1 male for 2 females.  But we like 3 females for 1 male.  This ensures that all your females will definitely get impregnated.  And it doesn't over crowd your bin with useless males.

How do you breed dubia roaches? 

Like crickets, it's very easy to get dubia roaches to breed.  The success of your dubia roach colony largely depends on temps and humidity.  We have specific instructions on how to breed dubia roaches, but listed below is a quick summary to kick off your colony.

Dubia Roach Colony Set up

No matter which phase you're seeing with the dubia roach life cycle, dubia roaches don't like light.  So, to help set the mood, you'll want to go for a dark rubber maid plastic container.  Some dubia breeders will use a glass aquarium to get their colony started, which is fine.  But, to help stimulate that roach libido, we like to use solid color bins.  

Your dubia roach colony does not need a lid.  Dubia roaches cannot fly, nor can they climb up smooth plastic walls.  So your dubia roaches cannot escape.  However, there are some benefits to having a lid.  If you're home is invaded by sniffing dogs, curious cats, or wreckless children, then you might want to consider a lid.  Also, a lid will help retain the moisture inside the dubia bin, which will help keep the humidity high.  

If you decide to use a lid, be sure to cut out a large hole in the lid, and cover that hole with a screen.  This will allow air flow to enter inside the bin.

Substrate

One advantage that dubia roaches have over crickets is that they don't smell like crickets.  So it is our opinion that breeders don't need substrate for their dubia colony.  However, many breeders do like using a substrate.  Coconut fiber or peat moss is a good substrate.  Just be sure to get these substrates saturated, to help maintain the humidity levels for the dubia roaches.  Newspaper, paper towels, and even bioactive substrates will work.  Just make sure you don't use cedar.  

Hiding Places

Because dubia roaches are creepy and crawly, they love hiding places.  The most common hiding-place relics are the egg creates.  They are easy to find (grocery stores), and they provide the nooks and crannies that they love.

But paper towel rolls will also provide the same cardboard hide outs they desire.  

Temperature and Humidity

Dubia roaches are a tropical species, which means they like their colonies hot and humid.  The ideal breeding temperature for the adult stage in the dubia roach life cycle is atleast 85 degrees F.  But, they'll procreate faster in temps in the mid 90's.  To reach these temps consistently, you may need to invest in a heat lamp or heating pad.  

Something else dubias need are humidity levels of about 60%.  Your house normally has a humidity level of about 40%.  So 60% is a 50% increase.  To achieve this, you'll have to spray water into the habitat once per day.  If you're trying to attain temps of mid 90's, you may need to mist the bin twice per day.

What to Feed my Dubia Roach Colony?

The food you offer your adults will be different than the food you offer your feeder dubias.  Feeder dubias will need to be gut-loaded greens, to pass the nutrients onto your beloved pet.  But colony roaches will need to be fed more protein, so they can procreate faster.  Grains like oatmeal, and cornmeal are great sources of food for feeders.  But crushed cat-food is also a great food source for breeding dubia roaches.  

On occasion, you can feed your colony fresh fruit and vegetables.  But don't feed them more than they can eat.  Rotting food can wipe out a colony, and it can invite unwelcomed insects into your bin.

How We Ship Dubias

Whether you order the adult or nymph stage of the dubia roach life cycle, all dubia roaches orders are shipped on Mondays and Thursdays.  Shipments typically ship with the Post Office.  We recommend speaking with your local post office before receiving your package, to let them know you're expecting a live product.  Asking the post office to hold the package for pick up will give your dubias a better possibility to survive the transit.