Dubia Roach Bin Thermostat Temp Setting And Probe Position?

[BlitzTheBeardie]

I've read/watched about 20-30 different articles/videos online and they all say something different on the best temperatures to keep your dubia roach breeding bin! I've read everything from "keep it in the 80s" all the way up to "the best temp for breeding is around 100-120 degrees".

I ordered a thermostat today and it will be shipped to me in a few days! Currently, my temps range from 95ish inside the egg flats and mid to low 90s on the "hot side".... and usually 80s on the cool side (food side). I mist daily and also keep a glass baby food jar full of water with holes poked in the lid to help keep the humidity up. The humidity averages in the 50s

My colony is pretty slow though. I have 12-14 females and 6-8 males.... and about 20-30 mixed nymphs in there. I don't disturb them often. Once a week to add fresh food and water crystals. I've never cleaned the bin either, but it's not even dirty yet. It's been setup for 2 maybe 3 months and I havent noticed any new babies!

Also, If you use a thermostat, how do you have it setup? Is the probe actually contacting on the heat source or just laying on the "hot side" floor in the tote? Do you have the probe in the center of the egg flats where the roaches usually stay?

My setup is a huge 25-30 gallon tote, Flex Watt heat mat on the bottom (11" wide x 12" long), and a 160 Watt ceramic heat emitter on top in a 10.5" dome fixture. On the cool side, I have 3 air vent holes.... plenty of egg flats, food, water crystals, and (from what I've read online) my humidity is good. It has a HydroFarm "Jump Start" digital thermostat on it... I just dont know the best temp to set it to and where to place the probe!!!!

Any and all help is appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[BlitzTheBeardie]

Picture of the roach bin....

 

[CooperDragon]

That's a nice setup! I've found that they aren't too picky but they breed more quickly in the summer when it's a bit warmer. I don't use a thermostat but I have a CHE over the top in the winter which gives them high 80s in most of the tank. Before I added that, they were at room temp in the basement (60s) and they were OK. It sounds like the range you have is right where it should be.

 

[BlitzTheBeardie]

Here is a small list of recommended temperatures to keep your dubia roach breeding bin...

nyworms.com says 85-95

gotdubiaroaches.com says 72-92

dubiaroaches.com says 90-95

dubiaroachdepot.com says 90s

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bandung/roaches/ says 77-86

theamphibian.co.uk says around 81

clubfauna.com/articles/invertebrates/breeding-dubia-roaches/ says 80-90

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaptica_dubia says 75-95

southtexasdragons.com says 100-110

gekkonidazed.com says 102-104

readyreptilefeeders.com says 88-95

hubpages.com/animals/Breeding-and-raising-your-own-blaptic-dubia-feeder-roaches says 75-95

roachcolony.co.uk says 85-90

theroachbarn.weebly.com/dubia-roach-care.html says 90-95

dubiaroachguide.com says 85-95

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where is the recommended place to put the thermostat probe?

should I put it on the cool side floor and set thermostat to 85ish?

should I keep it off the floor? maybe put it in the center of the egg flats where the dubia roaches stay?

im still a little confused on where/how I should place the thermostat probe!

 

[Taterbug]

I don't keep a stat on my roaches, however the way it works is that the probe is placed where you want the temperate to be regulated. For snakes, for example the probe goes on the mat surface so it never gets hot enough to burn. For my dragon I have my stat probe in the cool side so if it gets too hot the heat lamps turn off.

I find the roaches do fine managing their temp but if you are getting overheating problems you just put the stat where it will keep the parameters where you want them. I might put it in the middle somewhere so the "ambient" temps are what you want and he roaches can be warmer or cooler if they want.

Really though, they aren't supper picky. They do better when it's warm, and mine cluster around the heat mat but I've seen them breeding and having babies at room temp too.

 

[BlitzTheBeardie]

Just an update on my colony and temps....

My colony has exploded. I would estimate I have 3000 dubia now! Maybe more...

Anyways, I use the Hydro Farm Jump Start thermostat with probe. I have egg flats stacked vertical from left to right across the whole bin. I position my probe on the 3rd row of egg flats. Ive noticed if the probe is on the first row (between the egg flat and the side of the bin), the temps get all messed up... and its will actually be way hotter than what your thermostat is set to. It has something to do with the thin side wall of the bin... it cools down the probe faster tricking the thermostat in to thinking it's cooler in the bin. So, position the probe in the 2nd or 3rd row of egg flats!

I keep the thermostat at 88 degrees. It kicks on when temps are 86 and kicks off right at 88. This has worked for me veru very well and my colony has exploded! I feed 2 dragons and a chameleon with no problem and also sell a bunch to a local pet store and friends that own reptiles.

I just sold 250 adult males (as feeders) to a pet store to get my male/female ratio better and it didnt even put a dent in my male population!

Anyways, I just wanted to share my experience with anyone trying to breed dubia and setup a bin.

Hope this helps someone out there!