Desert teneb larvae housing

[aspenentomology]

I've heard that darkling beetle larvae of the same species can be kept together in the same tank as the adults but I read that different species could be more aggressive to others and keeping larvae in a communal set up doesn't always work well. I bred Eleodes suturalis a while ago but then all of the larvae died unexpectedly which got me thinking, would keeping larvae in their own enclosures work better? I know with other types of beetle larvae, you should keep them in their own cups so would this work with teneb larvae? It would also make it easier to know which species is which since I have multiple in the same tank.

 

[Hisserdude]

So long as there is enough room, substrate and hides for the adults and larvae, they can all be kept communally. If you use a big enough enclosure with a vertical humidity gradient, you can even let the larvae build pupal cells in a communal setup.

If there's not enough room though, the larvae tend to eat the pupae, which is why I personally like to isolate larvae to their own deli cups filled with moist, compressed substrate when mature, for pupation.

I would recommend you don't keep gravid females of different species in the same tank, since it can be impossible to tell the larvae apart, for many species at least. Then you won't know the best time to isolate them for pupation.

 

[aspenentomology]

So long as there is enough room, substrate and hides for the adults and larvae, they can all be kept communally. If you use a big enough enclosure with a vertical humidity gradient, you can even let the larvae build pupal cells in a communal setup.

If there's not enough room though, the larvae tend to eat the pupae, which is why I personally like to isolate larvae to their own deli cups filled with moist, compressed substrate when mature, for pupation.

I would recommend you don't keep gravid females of different species in the same tank, since it can be impossible to tell the larvae apart, for many species at least. Then you won't know the best time to isolate them for pupation.

How do you make a vertical humidity gradient? And that's a shame, I really like the look of a bunch of species living together in the same tank. Is it possible to keep larvae in their own deli cups for their whole lives or does it have to be before pupation?

 

[Hisserdude]

How do you make a vertical humidity gradient? And that's a shame, I really like the look of a bunch of species living together in the same tank. Is it possible to keep larvae in their own deli cups for their whole lives or does it have to be before pupation?

Peel back the first couple layers of substrate, and mist the exposed lower layers heavily like once a week.

Just use males if you can then, or get species that are unlikely to breed in captivity anyway, (Asbolus verrucosus for example).

It is possible to keep each larva in it's own deli cup for it's life, sure, but Tenebrionids are very prolific, single females can produce dozens and dozens of larvae, you'd need a LOT of deli cups lol!

 

[Bugboy3092]

I do keep different species in the same tank, but I use a trick to get them to lay eggs. What I do is I mist the tank, and that triggers the females to start laying. When I see one start, I take it out and put it in a container, and when it's done I put it back. So far this has worked very well, and I can track development of large because I know the day they were laid.

 

[aspenentomology]

I do keep different species in the same tank, but I use a trick to get them to lay eggs. What I do is I mist the tank, and that triggers the females to start laying. When I see one start, I take it out and put it in a container, and when it's done I put it back. So far this has worked very well, and I can track development of large because I know the day they were laid.

That's a good idea! I'll try to start doing that but they've already been laying a lot so it might be a bit too late for many of my eggs.