They thrive in the southern part of the US, from Cali to Florida, and all southern points in between. And these guys are breeding like crazy..there's gotta be 300 new tiny nymphs in there since I started the colony. To be honest, after using strictly lateralis tonight for feeding day, I'm about ready to sell the fast little jumping buggers. They're screwing up my chi. Feeding time is supposed to be relaxing, enjoyable, like sitting in a Jacuzzi. Not a frustrating exercise in bug torture ending with guts and lateralis ass everywhere from trying to grab them with forceps out of the feed cup. Dubia are so much easier to deal with..pinch the edge of the slow moving shell, drop it in. Simplicity. The lats aren't worth the trouble to me...and the way they breed, I can see very well how they would become a pest species. Since populations of these have been found all over down here, I'm going to release mine into the wild, in a vacant lot down the road a ways, right next to my girlfriend's mom's house. They'll have a chance at a good life that way
I've found it's easier to use a large catch cup, like a 10 or 12 oz deli cup to tap the egg crate into, then use a brush and sweep the feeders i want into smaller 4 or 6 oz deli cups, then toss the rest back in the colony. way to aggravating to try and catch them with tongs, especially the pin heads or slightly larger ones for my slings.
