Dynastes grantii eggs substrate moisture level

the_cream_man

the_cream_man

L3
Hi all,

I wanted to ask what level of moisture I should have in my egg hatching container?  I was following the ultimate guide to breeding beetles, which calls for a layer of crushed oak leaves between the eggs and the substrate, but I don't believe it specified the humidity level.

Since my understanding is that the eggs absorb liquid from their surroundings, I sprayed the oak leaves a bit before covering the eggs.  (It is like a layer cake, eggs on bottom, .5 inch wet leaves, 2 inches of wet flake soil).

That being said, I was watching Daniel Ambuehl's video on Dynastes egg containers and the substrate didn't look all that damp..

Can anyone help confirm one way or the other?

 
In my experience, Dynastes grantii eggs are really hardy as they are from the harsh desert climates. You can keep them moist or semi-dry but I assume keeping them moist is the better option. 

 
@Oak, thanks for the feedback! Also, thanks again for selling me these!

I got a bunch of eggs from the female before I got the male and haven't confirmed if they're fertile yet (none are obviously round yet).  But I confirmed she has mated now and that she seems to be at work laying more eggs! :)

 
I would remove leaves if they are freshly fallen, not decayed dried leaves as it can decay and make harmful gas. high humidity is better for D. grantii eggs. A lot of old articles state that D. grantii eggs take about 3 months to hatch, is an old information. Keep it humid, without leaves, just substrate alone. Cover eggs, no exposure is needed as long as there is enough ventilation. Keep it cool for couple weeks and then warm it up, it will hatch in less than a month.

 
JKim said:
I would remove leaves if they are freshly fallen, not decayed dried leaves as it can decay and make harmful gas. high humidity is better for D. grantii eggs. A lot of old articles state that D. grantii eggs take about 3 months to hatch, is an old information. Keep it humid, without leaves, just substrate alone. Cover eggs, no exposure is needed as long as there is enough ventilation. Keep it cool for couple weeks and then warm it up, it will hatch in less than a month.
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@JKim, Thanks for the extra details!  The leaves that are in there are all from last season and were brittle enough that I had crushed them into small flakes very easily-- I can remove them though just to avoid the risk.  I'm really looking forward to some of these eggs hatching out :)   Even if ~20% die or do not hatch I will still have quite a few grubs to start my next generation!

 
Rule of thumb I always use is the substrate should be damp enough to squeeze into a ball without water dripping out of it. 

The best feeling is gonna be emptying the egg laying container seeing large blocks of substrate compacted together with eggs inside. Such a fun experience. 

 
Ratmosphere said:
Rule of thumb I always use is the substrate should be damp enough to squeeze into a ball without water dripping out of it. 

The best feeling is gonna be emptying the egg laying container seeing large blocks of substrate compacted together with eggs inside. Such a fun experience. 
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Thanks! Yeah I just went through tonight and found 16 eggs! Hopefully most of them hatch :)

 
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