Do Dynastes larvae actually need rotten wood?

All About Arthropods

All About Arthropods

Pupa
I'm curious, has anyone ever raised either Dynastes grantii or Dynastes tityus larvae successfully without rotten wood included in the substrate? I would really like to breed some Hercs, but basically every time I see people's husbandry methods, rotten wood makes up some portion of their substrate. I would just use it as well, but don't have much available near me and don't really want to spend money buying it from people or trying to make a synthetic version of it. I do, however, have many dead leaves near me, so I can make compost/dead leaf mixes easily.

Let me know if you guys have ever raised them successfully without it!

 
Yea I have but they were extremely small. Just used organic potting soil. The method of fermenting oak pellets is relatively cheap though... 

 
Dynastes said:
My first generation was reared on garden magic compost and manure and a little dog food .
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Interesting, did they mature decent-sized?

Ratmosphere said:
Yea I have but they were extremely small. Just used organic potting soil. The method of fermenting oak pellets is relatively cheap though... 
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That's a shame. 😕 Wonder if the result would have been slightly different if you provided some leaves. Yea, but it also takes pretty long to produce if you don't have special equipment...

 
I'm sure it's possible, but they'll probably be smaller or grow slower than Dynastes offered rotten wood in their substrate... I could be wrong though, as I've never kept them before!

Just get some Goliathus man, you don't need rotten wood for their grubs! ;) Heck their substrate doesn't actually need to be edible at all according to @Beetle-Experience... 

 
Dynastes said:
They matured very large but there were only a few in a large container.
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Aaaaawesome. It sounds like there's enough evidence for me to reasonably believe that raising some D.tityus and/or D.grantii larvae on compost, dead leaves, and dog food would be successful, so I'll be on the lookout for some around the web!

 
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Rotten wood is not needed. Although there are some records of Dynates grantii or D. tityus collected within rotten wood, in captivity, it is not needed, and they just bored through the wood while they feed on substrate in the wild. They were NOT originally from the wood. They were just around it, and happened to feed on very soft, heavily rotten, wood. D. tityus, is also well known to be found in live tree cavities. If that tree dies and fall off to ground, that's when you find larvae "in the tree."

 
JKim said:
Rotten wood is not needed. Although there are some records of Dynates grantii or D. tityus collected within rotten wood, in captivity, it is not needed, and they just bored through the wood while they feed on substrate in the wild. They were NOT originally from the wood. They were just around it, and happened to feed on very soft, heavily rotten, wood. D. tityus, is also well known to be found in live tree cavities. If that tree dies and fall off to ground, that's when you find larvae "in the tree."
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Excellent to hear! This is like a dream - I've held off from getting either of these species for so long because I was under the impression rotten wood was a necessity, but turns out this is not the case at all! Are you aware if any of the Strategus spp. or U.S Magasoma spp. even need it?

 
All About Arthropods said:
Excellent to hear! This is like a dream - I've held off from getting either of these species for so long because I was under the impression rotten wood was a necessity, but turns out this is not the case at all! Are you aware if any of the Strategus spp. or U.S Magasoma spp. even need it?
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Nope, none of them need one. I have experience of rearing Strategus aloeus in lots numbers, I collected a lot of adults for several years, and collected about 20-ish larvae early this year. I attempted to rear one larva with the rotten wood from where I collected them, took couple months extra time to emerge. But since this is just one sample data, may not be comparable to say "larvae fed with rotten wood takes longer time than substrate."

 
JKim said:
Nope, none of them need one. I have experience of rearing Strategus aloeus in lots numbers, I collected a lot of adults for several years, and collected about 20-ish larvae early this year. I attempted to rear one larva with the rotten wood from where I collected them, took couple months extra time to emerge. But since this is just one sample data, may not be comparable to say "larvae fed with rotten wood takes longer time than substrate."
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Super, thank you for the information. 😁

 
JKim said:
Rotten wood is not needed. Although there are some records of Dynates grantii or D. tityus collected within rotten wood, in captivity, it is not needed, and they just bored through the wood while they feed on substrate in the wild. They were NOT originally from the wood. They were just around it, and happened to feed on very soft, heavily rotten, wood. D. tityus, is also well known to be found in live tree cavities. If that tree dies and fall off to ground, that's when you find larvae "in the tree."
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I am just seeing this thread. @JKim, does this mean that Dynastes could touch live wood, thereby proving there is some truth in the USDA’s reason to regulate them? If not, then do you have any papers describing their habits? I am currently trying to amass evidence to push for deregulation in the wake of August’s deregulation. 

 
The Mantis Menagerie said:
I am just seeing this thread. @JKim, does this mean that Dynastes could touch live wood, thereby proving there is some truth in the USDA’s reason to regulate them? If not, then do you have any papers describing their habits? I am currently trying to amass evidence to push for deregulation in the wake of August’s deregulation. 
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@The Mantis Menagerie

If the tree is still alive, and having the cavity, then yes, D. tityus larvae can touch the live tree, but that doesn't mean they are feeding on live trees. That would be difficult as their host plant, which is hardwood oaks and other hardwood trees are rock-hard when they (trees) are alive. Also, I doubt that is the reason USDA is regulating them. What species are you talking about? an exotic? or a domestic?

 
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JKim said:
@The Mantis Menagerie

If the tree is still alive, and having the cavity, then yes, D. tityus larvae can touch the live tree, but that doesn't mean they are feeding on live trees. That would be difficult as their host plant, which is hardwood oaks and other hardwood trees are rock-hard when they (trees) are alive. Also, I doubt that is the reason USDA is regulating them. What species are you talking about? an exotic? or a domestic?
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I would like to start with the native species, but if you have evidence for exotics being harmless, then that would be helpful. I was told once that Dynastes would eat live wood. I was told roots specifically, which you emphatically denounced, but if they are not targeting the rotten wood, then they are not intentionally in the soil. Telling the USDA that they live in even closer proximity to live wood would likely not encourage deregulation, even if the fears are ill-founded. 

 
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