Banana Bugs!

[nwheat]

These are Panchlora nivea, green banana roaches. Not liking the R-word, we call them banana bugs here. I haven't tried them as feeders yet, but I hope they will make a decent source of back-up food items. The 20 nymphs that I purchased are now a thriving little colony. I think they are quite pretty little things! They can reportedly climb glass and fly, although I've yet to see them do either. The one in the photos did flutter its wings a bit as it tried to escape. When exposed, they usually just try to scuttle into the substrate or under something.

 

[MSMD]

Nancy, those are some of the prettiest bugs I've seen! lol I really like the color!

 

[spykerherps]

Nice ... I like feeding my herps variety, were did you get your starter colony.

 

[PacHerp]

wow! very neat! I hope they work out great for you.

 

[thestack510]

I never thought a roach could be so beautiful. I'm scared to try to feed roaches for fear that one or two may get loose and infest my house.

 

[shadowx362]

^ hey those roaches I mean "banana Bugs" are so nice looking I wouldn't mind having a few around the house :main_laugh: .

 

[nwheat]

Thanks!

Zach & Jess - I got them from Bugs in Cyberspace. They have lots of cool choices - including a bigger species of Panchlora.

They don't seem to reproduce as fast as some of the creepier feeder roaches, so I'm not sure if they could really support a collection as a main food source. Also, they are small. The green adults are about the size of a 4 wk cricket.

Mostly, I just thought they were cool! I don't have many cricket feeders, but I'm hoping they will enjoy these guys. The nymphs are little (although the final stage seems to actually be bigger than the green guys), so my thought is that finding appropriate sized feeders for the little Australian geckos (especially if I am lucky enough to get hatchlings) will be easier.

 

[Nigel4less]

Very Nice P.nivea, I may have to get some from you when your colony takes off!

 

[yellermelon]

they say these fly and climb well. Have you had problems with that yet?

 

[clear]

I plan on getting some shortly! They are awesome looking, I have about 10 more roaches to add to my 7 now!

 

[nwheat]

Hey Chris, sorry just saw your reply now. The adults do fly. At first, I only saw fluttering, but they can full on fly very well. They also have no problem crawling up the side of a tub. So, they are not ideal feeders unless you have an escape proof enclosure or you are monitoring carefully. I use them to feed my Australian geckos when I'm out of crickets (otherwise I just enjoy having them 'cause they are cool!). The geckos make quick work of the large nymphs (can climb, don't fly). They suit my purposes as a back up feeder very well, but I don't think they have a future as a staple. At least not with my lidless bin rack system, nor with the visionariums with the sliding glass doors. I've had an easy time catching any fliers - their so pretty, small (<1inch) and non-creepy - but the escape potential from gecko enclosures is pretty high.

I keep them in a glass aquarium with a slide in screen top that is very escape-proof, so no issues there.