9/13/2022: Amber dubia, over a decade in the making

In September 2010, Roach Forum user John Frost began selectively breeding Blaptica dubia for golden coloration. Focusing on adult females and with twelve long years of careful choices, he finally released his magnum opus line, “Amber”.

These should not be confused with two other things: one, the “Gold” dubia line, and two, the orangeish Serratia-infected individuals that pop up in some colonies.

Unlike “Gold”, these dubia do not seem to have reproductive or health issues. The nymph color, similar to my own outcrossed line, is “imperfect” on some individuals which is a good indicator that the line is unlikely to ever have the low fecundity, molting problems, and adult brittleness that “Gold” has/had. Where this line truly shines is the adult females, which have pleasantly reddish pronota, orange wings, and highly aesthetic bright yellow abdomens with small black markings.

Considering the permanence of these traits and John’s extremely long refinement time, these are clearly genetic and not the result of bacterial infection as seen in the orange dubia frequently found in larger cultures.

The devotion to creating this line is immense and many roachkeepers have been waiting on the edge of their seats waiting for this strain to finally be available, and I greatly appreciate John’s intermittent contact over the years. My colonies are building in numbers and I will likely have groups available by the end of the month.

Thank you again John Frost for your decade plus of devotion! This strain will become a household name beyond the roach aficionado circles in no time!

-Kyle