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Large oak paradise


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So went to the park today with my girlfriend to walk a lot instead of going to the gym and to enjoy the scenery as well. Obviously I brought my backpack in case I found some decent usable wood for substrate. Well I found a huge oak tree knocked down and a huge majority is rotted and fresh and white :D also, I think I found like 4-5 darkling beetle larvae. (correct me if I'm wrong) posting some pictures to go along as well. I have a good couple of days of as well and will probably visit the park again this week and will be very busy producing a large amount of substrate to store.

 

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I apologize for the poor quality photos my smart phone camera isn't that great. Especially with close up shots and macro.

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You won't find Dynastes unless you search in tree cavities at the bases of trees that are dead (or dying). Sort of... between the roots. I learned this from collecting with Lucanus. I later on found some Dynastes larvae myself.

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Well besides that haha. What advantages do they have? Is it because the female feels it is safe? Or is it the nutrition of the rotting tree and soil?

 

The soil that gets collected inside the tree cavity consists of rich soil which is an excellent food for larvae :)

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Okay so went today to look through a few cavities, but the rain was a bit much so going to wait until it is dry out. Any suggestions or tips and how far do you dig down???

 

I usually had to dig for only about an inch or two before I discovered the beetles :) Larvae tend to stay deeper.

 

The ones where D. tityus are living should have huge fecal pellets inside. So you should look for fecal pellets when you are searching inside tree cavities :)

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Makes sense..I did try to keep an eye out for the pellets, but again the rain made it difficult since it all seemed muddy. I will try again on a sunny day this week to see if that gives out any results. Though five in one cavity is awesome, I'll be lucky to find one! Also, how long did you search for??

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Oh I am sorry I meant how long it took you to find a suitable tree! Also would you kindly re-post the images? They aren't appearing it's showing them as broken links. :wacko:

 

Ooh...I was hoping it would work.. :(

Here is a re-post :)

 

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Finding a suitable tree depends on your luck. I usually run across them while I am collecting in forest. It usually takes me few hours to find suitable tree but it can take days and nights!

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Thank-you Lucanus! That helps a lot I went looking for about an hour and a half yesterday near this museum park trail, but had no luck. :( I'm going to try going again tomorrow and Friday and I am hoping to at least find one. I'm so envious of your luck! I can barely find a male and a female let alone together! I will investigate every tree though just to ensure I have a chance. That's an oak tree correct? Do you also live in SC? I live in NC.

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Thank-you Lucanus! That helps a lot I went looking for about an hour and a half yesterday near this museum park trail, but had no luck. :( I'm going to try going again tomorrow and Friday and I am hoping to at least find one. I'm so envious of your luck! I can barely find a male and a female let alone together! I will investigate every tree though just to ensure I have a chance. That's an oak tree correct? Do you also live in SC? I live in NC.

 

Hope you find as many as you want :)

 

The tree in the pic. is Oak, and I live in AL :)

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Thank-you Lucanus! That helps a lot I went looking for about an hour and a half yesterday near this museum park trail, but had no luck. :( I'm going to try going again tomorrow and Friday and I am hoping to at least find one. I'm so envious of your luck! I can barely find a male and a female let alone together! I will investigate every tree though just to ensure I have a chance. That's an oak tree correct? Do you also live in SC? I live in NC.

No... I live in SC though. Upstate. What part of NC you live in?

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