Our Little Green Friends | Green Banana Roach

We wanted to introduce you to our colony of Panchlora nivea aka the Green Banana Roach. We've been culturing these for awhile now and we love them for their vibrant green coloration and small size. If you keep reptiles that are finicky or picky eaters, they also make an excellent feeder- though we personally just keep them because we find them interesting.
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[@animallover7072]

The cutest roach species I’ve seen so far.

[@lovelyhuman6027]

This species is absolutely adorable and beautiful! When I get older, I will definitely be purchasing some of these! Stunning! ❤

[@TerraTinkering]

The one thing I will note- this species does like to hide under things a lot, so we have far more than you'd realize just peering into the tub but they are attracted to light as adults so maybe a nicely lit terrarium that has a good seal on it would be a great tank to display them in! I am excited for you, if you ever need help finding someone selling them down the road and you're having a tough time let us know and we'll be happy to help you search too!

[@Crystalspets]

What a cool looking bug u got there

[@TerraTinkering]

Thank you!

[@carginfer2353]

I don't like roaches but I need to accept that they are cool (much cooler when they are in nice and clean places).

[@TerraTinkering]

I am not the most fond of the stereotypical roaches I see around either, but some species are really neat and interesting for sure! The first roach I ever looked at and found beautiful was a roach that a photographer had snapped a picture of right after a molt. It was pure white and with the macro shot the wings looked like they were made of lace. I think it opened my eyes to accepting that they aren't all disgusting if I could find that one beautiful.

[@carginfer2353]

Terra Tinkering I think the green one looks pretty neat. It looks like you could find it in a forest (that kind of takes away the yuck factor).

[@TerraTinkering]

If I'm not mistaken they are fairly fond of banana trees growing in tropical areas and sometimes piggy back in shipping into the United States from Cuba and the Carribean. The nymphs are dark brown and look more like the roaches we're used to but they stay hidden most of the time. We probably have thousands of roaches in our culture but you wouldn't know it because of how much they hide- and I think at the moment we have more nymphs than adults.

[@okamijubei]

Pretty, aren't they?

[@LifeinJars]

I don't onderstand why roaches are so hated... They are super clean, beautiful and almost indestructible animals. They're absolutely awesome! Such an unfortunate misconception...

[@TerraTinkering]

There's actually several species of roaches I'd love to keep aside from these, but they're hard to get hold of so I'll probably never get the chance to personally culture or own them. I'm definitely a fan of the brightly colored species though in particular!

[@Shaden0040]

Sadly roaches that infest human habitations carry diseases like Salmonela which can kill people if not treated. They can also carry staphylococcus and streptococcus. The cockroach can also harbour viruses such as the polio virus.

[@TerraTinkering]

Sadly that is true, fortunately out of the 4,000+ different species of roaches that exist across the globe, only about 30 like to live within the homes of humans and are considered pests. Honestly that's a pretty low percentage when it comes to the overall number of various cockroach species. Also since Polio is preventable by vaccine, there's far fewer dangers now from roaches as there were in the past. Many other diseases mentioned though can be avoided by wiping down counters and surfaces where you may place food items, and by washing your hands.

[@LifeinJars]

Polio is hardly a problem anymore in most countries

[@Shaden0040]

Polio is now on the up rise in third world and in first world countries. People think it has been erradicated and don't get vaccinated.

[@ebob4177]

They look cute when cleaning themselves lol

[@PlecsExotics3]

These are adorable roaches!

[@mrjdunn9216]

Just because it’s green and kinda cute it still gives me the heebie-jeebies

[@TerraTinkering]

Is it a bit conflicting for you?

[@mrjdunn9216]

Definitely is. Correct!

[@selenamcmurray605]

Ever thought of using fluon to create a barrier around the rim? You can paint it on very cleanly with some masking tape. Never had any escapees with my setup that way, and I just had a glass tank with crimped aluminium mesh over the top.

[@TerraTinkering]

Well the nymphs can't climb or fly, but the adults could fly directly to the lid and then climb out. We haven't had any escapes since we made the setup with the strap to keep the lid from bowing and having a small gap, and modifying the secondary opening a bit for easy access so I don't think it's really needed, but for other species I could see that being useful for sure. If we ever switch to using our national geographic 50 gallon for a display tank for them I might consider that as well, though it already has a mesh lid and a side opening in the front so I'd have to make sure that doesn't have too many gaps before I could use it.

[@richardmanlapig4355]

The only cockroach that doesnt look scary😁

[@samueltonnesson691]

They look absolutely stunning

[@TerraTinkering]

Yeah, they really are!

[@pauls5745]

I keep P. nivea and they all burrow, rarely do I see an adult. I have to lift up the moss to see if they are still there haha. Sterilite makes a couple tubs with a gasket around the lid. no escapes so far in 2 mos.

[@charlottesmom]

I have 7 Dubai roaches as pets since my praying mantis didn't want to eat them. Getting 3 Madagascar Hissing Roaches in a few weeks. Those green guys are adorable but very fast, I like my lazy Dubais.

[@bugtalk84]

I really admired those green roaches, they were so cool.

[@elizabethstein369]

I want some pretty green roaches!

[@goatyt4302]

Good roach :D

[@Tenderness1959]

Panchlora nivea are excellent flyers.

[@TerraTinkering]

They are, having a container like ours that has a second smaller opening helps to keep them from escaping so I like the set-up we made using the dog food container!

[@sadlilbrat1336]

i found one on the kitchen today and i picked it up and put it outside. real cutie.

[@FieryCoal]

They look so cool!!!

[@TerraTinkering]

They certainly do!

[@Eliseu_Marques]

watching one more time to absorb more knowledge, thank you.

[@mounir6006]

That's some classy roaches you got there

[@TerraTinkering]

Why thank you very much, kind person of an unknown gender!

[@mounir6006]

Terra Tinkering I'm a 16 years old boy

[@TerraTinkering]

It's awesome knowing that we have a fairly large younger audience who appreciate insects and wildlife.

[@reptilrrudy2389]

Periplaneta americana: virgin Cuban Cockroach: GIGA CHAD

[@LtGameboy]

those are a neat type of roach!

[@TerraTinkering]

Yeah, I'm typically not a big fan of roaches but these are just especially awesome. They definitely hide a lot though, which is the only downside to having them. I think if they didn't hide so much we'd put them in a large display tank so we could always watch them.

[@LtGameboy]

+15 stealth is better than my rouge!

[@LtGameboy]

yeah, my Dubia are a little less shy, but also way less colorful.

[@TerraTinkering]

Haha, I'm glad you got the reference I was making! If these guys fly even if you're watching them when they take off, it can be really hard to find them. Even if your carpet is brown somehow they just vanish into thin air. Unfortunately afterwards I usually find them dead, but the modifications we made a while back have really helped to keep them from escaping and then dying in arbitrary locations around our house. It's funny because when recording the macros the first one we were trying to get shots of wouldn't stay still for anything, but the second one was really laid back and was pretty happy grooming itself on our hand or the lens we set it on top of. We even blew on it to try to get it to move a few times and it didn't flinch. I was even able to gently pet it. Roaches seem to have individual personalities as well, some are more or less timid than others. We have Dubias as well which we do use as feeders but we just like the way these look. They're a bit more expensive and harder to find as well.

[@kushking420]

i find them in banana boxes at work

[@To_Be_Announced]

Old video but the +15 to stealth checks got me.

[@joesphjules-baptiste8267]

these are THE ONLY roach I accept

[@greenlizardballs]

I have these. Use em to feed my ghost mantises.

[@TerraTinkering]

Ghost Mantids are awesome, I strongly considered keeping some though we found some Gonatista Grisea in Florida when visiting family and wound up raising a number of those instead. It was a wonderful experience!

[@lukebeakum1316]

I would love to own a Domino Cockroach.

[@zakkman]

First roaches who not make my hand stretching to my slippers when i'm looking at them :)))

[@spikerslittleworlds8156]

Not a huge fan of the standard cockroaches I've seen in the past but these are downright pretty. Thanks for introducing them to us! Since you don't use them as a feeder and they're in that tub do you get to enjoy them much?

[@TerraTinkering]

Originally we did buy them for feeders but we decided we didn't want to actually use them for that so I still enjoy them but I want to down the road move them to a large glass terrarium so I can watch them more. The bin does help with breeding them though in the meantime!

[@spikerslittleworlds8156]

Oh cool! If you're anything like me, just add that to the long list of future projects :-D

[@TerraTinkering]

Haha, yeah, we actually even have a nice big 50 gallon National Geographic terrarium we bought in the past on sale, I was thinking about using it for them but we will have to make sure there's no small gaps for them to escape through, and when I say them I just mean the adults since the nymphs can't climb or fly.

[@spikerslittleworlds8156]

Ooh that would be a beautiful colony! Thank you two so much for all you do. Really cool videos and tons of information.

[@Shaden0040]

I saw at least two of them escape the bin.

[@TerraTinkering]

I only kept a portion of the clips to cut down on time, didn't want it to be boring but I think either I or Travis caught the majority of ones that climbed out, we were keeping our eyes peeled for them the whole time. There is a chance some did still escape though thanks to their +15 to stealth.

[@SonicBoone56]

They're cute looking

[@yohannspider9001]

This is the only roach I never disliked this roach is cute

[@dilly5286]

I’m only afraid of the common wood roach that are in houses that’s all

[@TerraTinkering]

In all fairness, the ones outdoors in our area still have the ability to startle me too. These banana roaches and the dubia roaches we culture don't bother me though at this point.

[@gabbygamesofficial]

i found one in my hotel room. i didnt even know they existed! lol

[@okamijubei]

Does those roaches frightens you?

[@emmaamsbury4065]

Bugs are good 10/10

[@TerraTinkering]

I definitely agree with you on that one!

[@Entasm]

I just saw that one of them this day when there was a river festival i picked it up it looked like a roach so i was scared but it climbed over me but it tickled but it fled away but a few minutes later it came flying onto my aunt clothes

[@dilly5286]

I love banna roaches

[@TerraTinkering]

They really are an interesting and beautiful insect, I'm glad someone else appreciates them too!

[@morphineprincess098]

Cute roaches

[@TerraTinkering]

Thank you! We we're pretty excited to show them to everyone. It might not be a popular pet or insect but the idea that maybe we could change a few minds about roaches was really motivating for us. Though both Travis and I have been losing our voices and a bit sick all week haha.

[@TerraTinkering]

We actually aim for every 7, and sometimes we have a Macro Monday video as well, but that series isn't doing the best so we might just look into incorporating the macro shots into our normal videos more instead of continuing the series. Though we might do one last Macro Monday next Monday if we're feeling better, I'm not sure. We've both been a little under the weather this whole last week.

[@rodneypittman101]

I found one in my cherry bonsai tree I live in South Carolina

[@FieryCoal]

What could be in a dog food container... cat food

[@TerraTinkering]

Haha, wouldn't that be surprising?! It would make sense though since we don't have any dogs but we do have two cats. XD

[@melissamuddle6459]

Cole Pear lizzard food!

[@seewhaticando3885]

Anything but roaches..lol

[@markchimmy]

Can they live inside your home and multiply? I for the 1st time saw one tonight and decided to look it up cause I never seen one or heard of a green one before and fly,I am terrified of insects. Please help me with what to expect now and how to make them leave my home. Thank you for your reply back in advance!

[@guerratiburon]

How are they good for bioactive tanks?

[@TerraTinkering]

They love a little heat and humidity, which fits with the preferences of several amphibians as well as reptiles. Their bright coloration attracts even picky eaters to go after them if you're utilizing them for a feeder roach, especially since they fly. They won't harm any other insects like springtails or isopods so they make a good enclosure buddy even if you're just pairing them with other insects and not using them as a feeder. They also should be just fine with a fogger or a mister, but they do hide a lot under leaves and soil, so you might not see them all the time but the adults seem to be attracted to the light and will tend to go towards it during the day. They can be little escape artists though which is why we've had to fortify the container we use a bit, so keep that in mind if you do decide to keep them in a screen or glass tank- they can fit through fairly narrow gaps.

[@ArkNation6666]

what is the best way to catch or trap them I had a female escape and no idea where it went

[@MegaAppleshit]

I prefer giant cave roaches myself, but these are pretty cool.

[@InvaderZimClipsWithGameplay]

omg someone just put this link under a video to roast Zim from Invader Zim-

[@mericuty]

Do these guys smell bad? Looking for a good alternative to crickets, since I live in an area where dubias are illegal lol

[@topside3375]

Omg awesome video lmao! I actually have a phobia of cockroaches. I just can't. I'd legit hurt myself to get as far away as possible from a cockroach even if it's a baby. HAH nope.

[@TerraTinkering]

This is Erika replying to you, but I'm the same way with the roaches in our area- I'm pretty sure it stemmed from my childhood of opening a container of dog food on our porch and a ton of roaches jumping out at me and a few crawling up my arm, so believe me when I say I understand the phobia. I've learned to get past it though at least with the species we culture. We have some Dubias for our lil Leopard Gecko, but the Green Banana roaches I decided I liked too much to use as feeders so I think we're just eventually going to set up a terrarium for these. I like most every other bug, including wasps but roaches always made me nervous despite them being unable to really hurt me. In making this video my hope was to help some other people find a way to appreciate the beauty of an insect that's generally avoided, and I'm guessing that from your comment saying it's an awesome video, maybe you could still appreciate the roaches despite your phobia as well. Thanks for the comment, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@topside3375]

Terra Tinkering well I mean yeah I could appreciate them but not the long brown flying ones. Tbh these green banana ones looked quite less scary haha you know. But other than that not to be rude but I don't think I can ever get over cockroaches especially the big ones. Haha sorry. But I shall try to get over the phobia and it's awesome what you're doing how you're trying to allow people appreciate them. Awesome! 😊😃

[@TerraTinkering]

Thank you, I'm glad you could still enjoy and appreciate the video. ^.^

[@shyisbored1674]

You should put a ecosphere in a terrarium

[@TerraTinkering]

I think I'd have a tough time seeing into it though or recording anything inside it, even with our new macro lens we're fairly limited by the depth of field so if it's too far away it's nearly impossible to get clear video of it.

[@MM_mantis_man2000]

Where did you get them from

[@jordoncole3609]

I thought this was going to be more about roaches that are green and not how to keep them

[@mypokemon]

Erica you look lovely 😊

[@TerraTinkering]

Oh, why thank you kind person of unspecified gender!

[@mypokemon]

Oh pokeman is definitely a male 👌👌

[@TerraTinkering]

My apologies, I will from here on out refer to you as a certified Manchu. Thank you kindly Sir Manchu!

[@mypokemon]

Terra Tinkering 😊☺️😊

[@yantantethera689]

It's hard to like what others hate. As a teenager, I forbade my Mum from killing two huge brown ones that lived behind my wardrobe.

[@nathant7437]

Roaches are dirty because people are dirty. We're swimming in our own filth and they're around to clean up after us. People keep putting down these animals, they need to look in the mirror at their own filth.

[@kathyl9222]

If those roaches could survive outside the bin, there could be a pretty infestation soon.

[@TerraTinkering]

This species would die when winter came around because they can't stand the cold. Although I agree and do like this species more than our native ones, I wouldn't release them outside because that's how invasive species are created. Though these sometimes wind up in the US along with shipments of bananas, they likely just don't survive. Perhaps this particular species is no threat though, it's hard to say.

[@kathyl9222]

I apologize for not being specific about the context but I said that because of how the roaches tried to escape during the transfer.

[@TerraTinkering]

Oh, ok- that makes sense. A few did get out but the recording doesn't show the whole process and Travis was also catching some of them while I was transferring them over. Haven't found any around the house since then either so that was good news for us. There's a lot more adults than you can really see because they like to burrow, haha.

[@jossteve3018]

a green roach?! lord jesus .......🤨

[@TheAndroia]

I actually just killed one about a half hour ago. I thought it might be a 'mutated' roach with new diseases. There are only about five 'bugs' that I will tolerate. Honeybees, Butterflies, Dragonflies, and Ladybugs. And the occasional wasp. The ones around here are not aggressive. If I don't challenge them, they don't sting me. This little green roach kept wanting to get too close to me. I never heard of them, and I do not know of anything beneficial about them. And I do not want to encourage a colony of the little buggars.