Dermestid beetles

[little leaf]

does anyone keep these ? I am looking to get some - how do they get along with the bins of crix/roach ? I have a roach colony that is getting "older" - I clean it often,, but a mass die off is sure to happen soon- the bin has been a huge producer - but the females are getting old - my other bin is just starting to explode - but I keep the roaches so fat- I dont want to smell any I may miss in my cleaning

 

[Psychobunny]

I dont know about the beetles, but arent your roaches breeding and producing new ones?
The old ones die, and they are eaten by the others. So all you will find left
of them will be the schell.
The kids think nothing of turning Mom and Pop into dinner

I will have to Google these beetles to find out what you are talking about.

 

[little leaf]

I dont know about the beetles, but arent your roaches breeding and producing new ones?
The old ones die, and they are eaten by the others. So all you will find left
of them will be the schell.
The kids think nothing of turning Mom and Pop into dinner

I will have to Google these beetles to find out what you are talking about.

oh yes, they get IN the bodies- that is how I get the small roaches- they get in the shell - many can fit- and I just flick it w/ my finger , and the babies fall out- but EWWWWWWWWWWW -!!! I should weigh one of my girls- but I can not get myself to grab the big one unless dead- but they are so big, and fat, I can smell when one dies- I think I over feed them
today I will be brave, and get a weight on one for the heck of it- LOL

 

[Psychobunny]

Yeah, my female dubia are all really fat too

I have gotten so used to them, I handle the adults even as I would the crickets. Just need to be watchful of the little ones running up my arm

I wonder if anyone uses isopods (AKA: rolly-pollies) in their feeder bins!?

There are a zillion species of these guys, I wouldnt know which one would work best for what we need.

Are these the same beetles they use to clean animal bones?

 

[little leaf]

Yeah, my female dubia are all really fat too

I have gotten so used to them, I handle the adults even as I would the crickets. Just need to be watchful of the little ones running up my arm

I wonder if anyone uses isopods (AKA: rolly-pollies) in their feeder bins!?

There are a zillion species of these guys, I wouldnt know which one would work best for what we need.

Are these the same beetles they use to clean animal bones?

I do use them in my banana roach bins- they do not eat "flesh " - but the roaches are so watery that just kinda melt - lol I also feed these , I just fed my carpet this am a nice cap full - the chams really seem to like them - even the bigger Jax love them and boy do they breed like crazy - as well as the roaches

 

[pigglett79]

I have had the beetles and larvae in my roach colonies just due to them coming along with them in an order. I am guessing some of the sellers use them as that is how they got in my bin. They didnt bother the roaches and seemed fine; however I do not have them anymore. I think over time with cleaning the bin they end up going out with the poo and waste as they are small.

In my opinion, not really necessary or worth it. It will just make cleaning the bins harder as you will be worried about throwing away all of your dermestids. Especially if you clean your bins like I do. I just pick up the egg flats and shake the roaches out in to buckets (for seperating by size) or the new bin and then empty out and clean the old bin.

 

[pigglett79]

Yeah, my female dubia are all really fat too

I have gotten so used to them, I handle the adults even as I would the crickets. Just need to be watchful of the little ones running up my arm

I wonder if anyone uses isopods (AKA: rolly-pollies) in their feeder bins!?

There are a zillion species of these guys, I wouldnt know which one would work best for what we need.

Are these the same beetles they use to clean animal bones?

I wouldnt waste these guys on being a clean up crew, they are high in calcium and the chameleons love them. I have a colony of tan sow bugs and all of my lizards and frogs (panther, jackson, bearded dragon and whites tree frogs) love to eat them. they are a great addition to your feeder rotation.

Edit: Jus tbe sure you get them from someone who is selling them as feeders, wild caught are not good to feed as they are heavy metal bioaccumulators. There are sites that sell them as feeders such as double D's.

 

[pssh]

I didnt know the darn things could fly... I was scared out of my mind when I opened a box of crickets and had a small black army of the things flying at my face like a tiny swarm!

I like lesser mealworms/buffalo worms! They wont infest your house/eat leather, they cant fly, and they can be used as feeders! My small chams (and the ones that will eat small food) love these super fast moving worms. They help eat the dead bodies and dont bother the live ones. I used to have a second colony (not in a roach bin) for feeding off more regularly. Im sure feeding off the bin ones every once in a while would be okay, but I cant imagine a dead bug/poop gutload is going to be all that good!

I think roach crossing sells them as small colonies (and some other website that sells a cousin of the worm and calls them mini mealworms. T. obscura I think?) the care is the same and I have a caresheet in my blog.

 

[little leaf]

yes, do not feed your first ones - mine were wild caught, I only collected the pregnant ones- when they dropped the babies, I tossed those in the bin, and let lose the adult-
it is VERY easy to tell the preg ones- you can see the white pouch - this one was so ready, she started to give birth in my hands !

 

[little leaf]

I didnt know the darn things could fly... I was scared out of my mind when I opened a box of crickets and had a small black army of the things flying at my face like a tiny swarm!

I like lesser mealworms/buffalo worms! They wont infest your house/eat leather, they cant fly, and they can be used as feeders! My small chams (and the ones that will eat small food) love these super fast moving worms. They help eat the dead bodies and dont bother the live ones. I used to have a second colony (not in a roach bin) for feeding off more regularly. Im sure feeding off the bin ones every once in a while would be okay, but I cant imagine a dead bug/poop gutload is going to be all that good!

I think roach crossing sells them as small colonies (and some other website that sells a cousin of the worm and calls them mini mealworms. T. obscura I think?) the care is the same and I have a caresheet in my blog.

THEY FLY well, that sure changes things !!! LOL I also need them to clean bones- will the mini worm do that ? I dont want flying things ! I guess I could keep them in the barn - its heated- lol but I do not want them in there if they fly out- I have about pushed my husband to the limits w/ all my bugs and chams-

 

[pssh]

I nearly peed my pants when it happened! One got on my face too I like bugs, but not when they have created a tiny army and are flying at my face...

I dont think they would do a very good job for cleaning bones. Dermestids would be the way to go with that.