Observable and efficient rearing system for wood-feeding cockroaches

Abstract

Plant decomposition is an essential component of forest ecosystems. Wood-feeding cockroaches are responsible for the decomposition of rotten logs. However, the ecology of wood-feeding cockroaches is not well understood. To understand how they decompose rotten logs in the gallery inside the logs, it is necessary to observe them in laboratories. Here, I present an observable and cost-effective for rearing these log decomposers using a culture dish and an artificial fungal meal. The culture dish is traditionally used to cultivate fungi or bacteria with the lid on. The artificial fungal meal is a commercial product for stage beetle larvae, which are a kind of log decomposers. These let researchers easy to deal with wood-feeding cockroaches. In the course of keeping over 1,000 individuals of the wood-feeding cockroaches, I have developed effective techniques to rear them under the observable system for several years. I present these techniques along with several tips to keep the wood-feeding cockroaches healthy and observe them using video cameras. These techniques remove many of the limitations for study on the plant decomposers. When researchers use this observable rearing system, we can conduct rearing experiments easily and well understand the ecology of wood-feeding cockroaches and insects associating with them.