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Goliath beetle


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No, as I said, people are starting to breed them in the US. I am not sure how many people have done imports themselves, though. 

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3 minutes ago, Beetle-Experience said:

I did, but I was one of the first under the new rule. In general, you would need a FWS wildlife import license to directly import from overseas.

That question, actually.. any question about rules or importing would be fine to ask here.

Since you offered and I keep forgetting to ask Dr. Wehling directly, have the permit requirements been lifted on either G. orientalis or G. albosignatus, or are there still only three species that are exempt from permits? 

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Which other species are you working on? I have talked with Dr. Wehling, and I am trying to get the PPQ 526 permits to own Dorcus titanus, Chalcosoma atlas, Dynastes hercules, Phalacrognathus muelleri, Megasoma elephas, Mormolyce phyllodes and a wide variety of other exotic arthropods including about forty species of mantids, several large millipedes, and comet moths. I will have to see how it works out, but it is looking like I might be able to get the permits. 

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I am looking at converting a closet into small containment area for the exotics (it just needs a more secure door and a couple minor adjustments). When I described the closet to Dr. Wehling he said that it sounded promising. It even has a separate, smaller space at the back of the closet that I think would be perfect for storing fermenting substrates and feeder insects.

I would love to see deregulation of many of the large rhino and stag beetles, and I don't think they would become pests other than in places like south Florida (which I think already has rules on exotics in addition to the USDA regulations). Hopefully, the USDA will agree, and they will remove the permit requirements eventually. 

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How does the PPQ 526 permits work in this situation when it says this

" All pests kept under this permit shall be destroyed at the
 completion of the intended use, and not later than the expiration
 date, unless an extension is granted by this issuing office"

 

Like what connotes, "completion of the intended use." In this case, and in the many case of people who apply for this permit to keep exotic stag/rhino beetles? It seems a bit vague and open ended.

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2 hours ago, darktheumbreon said:

How does the PPQ 526 permits work in this situation when it says this

" All pests kept under this permit shall be destroyed at the
 completion of the intended use, and not later than the expiration
 date, unless an extension is granted by this issuing office"

 

Like what connotes, "completion of the intended use." In this case, and in the many case of people who apply for this permit to keep exotic stag/rhino beetles? It seems a bit vague and open ended.

Vague and open-ended describe most of the USDA laws I have come across. Unless you violate the permit conditions, you should just be able to renew your permit every three years. 

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Yes, most people would renew their permit before it expires - and actually, "most people" in this case usually means zoos and institutions with containment facilities.

"completion of the intended use."  - They basically don't want you keeping things past their permit or releasing them. I have heard of people being able to turn over insects to other permitted facilities instead of killing them.

PPQ (at least) generally need to keep things vauge, because they deal with everyone from a one-room facility to giant labs and from hobbyists to pest-control corporations. 

I doubt we will see deregulation of many of the large rhino and stag beetles any time really soon. The reasons that some of the Goliaths have been delisted were due to their life cycles, which are very different from almost all of the others in the family. 

Mantis Menagerie: What are you planning to do with exotic beetles if issued a permit?

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On 11/8/2018 at 9:27 PM, Beetle-Experience said:

Yes, most people would renew their permit before it expires - and actually, "most people" in this case usually means zoos and institutions with containment facilities.

"completion of the intended use."  - They basically don't want you keeping things past their permit or releasing them. I have heard of people being able to turn over insects to other permitted facilities instead of killing them.

PPQ (at least) generally need to keep things vauge, because they deal with everyone from a one-room facility to giant labs and from hobbyists to pest-control corporations. 

I doubt we will see deregulation of many of the large rhino and stag beetles any time really soon. The reasons that some of the Goliaths have been delisted were due to their life cycles, which are very different from almost all of the others in the family. 

Mantis Menagerie: What are you planning to do with exotic beetles if issued a permit?

My ultimate goal if I am able to breed sufficient numbers of beetles and other arthropods would be to sell them (either alive or as dead specimens). I have been told by Dr. Wehling that I might be able to get the commercial entomological supply permits for a few species which would allow me to sell to non-permit holders similar to the way Josh's Frogs' permits work for feeder insects (don't get your hopes up though, he did not mention exotic beetles) Otherwise, as long as both the seller and the buyer have permits to move the arthropod between the relevant states, then it is legal to sell them. Currently, I do not know of any other private individual who has permits, so I would probably try to sell captive-reared invertebrates to insectariums. Because they are captive bred, I should be able to sell them cheaper since I will not be paying the high importation prices. The only problem I foresee in this plan is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). I know the institutions that are members of AZA have to buy from AZA-approved sources (I heard that they want to make sure everything is done in compliance with CITES, ESA, and just sustainably in general, which although it is a good thing, it might mean even more permits). I am hoping to join the Terrestrial Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group (TITAG) next year, and that is a subgroup of AZA which might simplify things.  

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  • 4 weeks later...

Out of curiosity, why did the USDA choose G. cacicus, and C. regius as two of the species to deregulate? I would think that since G. orientalis and G. albosignatus are more common, there would be more information showing them to be harmless, whereas I have barely seen anything about G. cacicus and C. regius. Since I am trying to get the permits, is there anything unusual about life cycles of G. orientalis and G. albosignatus that I should be aware of, @Beetle-Experience

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On a slightly different note, how strong are the jaws of Goliath beetle larvae. Can they chew through a typical deli cup or are their mandibles not that strong? 

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