Cal Day Ham
Dubia Roach Farm - Commercial Scale Breeding Operation
Project Type: Commercial Animal Breeding & Small Business
Scale: ~40,000 roaches in 1.5m x 1.5m incubated system
Species: Blaptica dubia (Dubia Roach)
Technologies: Animal Husbandry, Environmental Control Systems, Small Business Operations
Overview
Designed, built, and operated a commercial-scale Dubia roach breeding facility. The operation involved maintaining a colony of approximately 40,000 Blaptica dubia cockroaches in a custom-built 1.5-meter by 1.5-meter incubated breeding system. Roaches were bred and sold to pet stores as premium feeder insects for amphibians, reptiles, and other exotic pets.
Why Dubia Roaches?
Dubia roaches have become the preferred feeder insect for reptile and amphibian keepers because they offer significant advantages over traditional crickets:
- Nutritional Value: Higher protein content and better calcium-to-phosphorus ratio
- Longer Lifespan: Live longer than crickets, reducing die-off in customer care
- Low Maintenance: Don't chirp, don't smell, and don't jump or fly
- Soft Exoskeleton: Easier to digest for reptiles and amphibians
- Hardy: More resilient during shipping and storage
System Design
Built a custom breeding enclosure with carefully controlled environmental parameters:
Physical Infrastructure
- Dimensions: 1.5m x 1.5m footprint with vertical egg crate stacking
- Capacity: Approximately 40,000 individual roaches across all life stages
- Housing: Egg crate material providing maximum surface area for the colony
- Substrate: Minimal substrate system for easy cleaning and maintenance
Environmental Controls
Temperature Regulation: Maintained optimal breeding temperature (85-95°F) using custom heating elements
Humidity Control: Balanced humidity levels (40-60%) for healthy molting and growth
Ventilation: Adequate airflow to prevent mold and maintain air quality
Light Cycle: Controlled day/night cycle to support natural behaviors
Breeding & Lifecycle Management
Successfully managed the complete lifecycle of a large-scale roach colony:
- Breeding Stock: Maintained healthy adult breeding population
- Nymph Development: Optimized conditions for rapid nymph growth
- Population Control: Harvested roaches at appropriate sizes for different pet species
- Nutrition Management: Fed colony high-quality diet to ensure nutritious end product
- Health Monitoring: Regular colony health checks and parasite prevention
Business Operations
Operated as a small business selling to pet stores and reptile keepers:
- Established relationships with local pet stores
- Managed inventory and production cycles to meet demand
- Packaged and shipped live insects for retail sale
- Provided customer education on roach care and feeding
- Maintained consistent product quality and sizing
Technical Challenges & Solutions
Overcame several technical challenges in scaling up production:
- Temperature Consistency: Designed heating system to maintain uniform temperature across large enclosure
- Humidity Balance: Created ventilation system that prevented mold without desiccating the colony
- Feeding Efficiency: Developed feeding stations that provided nutrition while minimizing waste
- Cleaning Protocol: Implemented maintenance routine that kept the colony healthy without disrupting breeding
- Escape Prevention: Designed secure enclosure preventing any colony members from escaping
Key Learnings
- Large-scale insect husbandry and environmental control systems
- Small business operations in niche agricultural markets
- Lifecycle management and population dynamics
- Custom system design for biological requirements
- B2B sales in the pet industry
Project Impact
This project demonstrated the intersection of biological knowledge, engineering design, and entrepreneurship. Building a functional breeding operation at commercial scale required understanding animal behavior, designing effective environmental controls, and running a small business serving a specialized market.
The operation successfully supplied local pet stores with a consistent source of high-quality feeder insects, meeting growing demand for Dubia roaches as the reptile-keeping hobby expanded.