aspenentomology

Figured I'd make an update on this old thread for future hobbyists. After leaving the mold alone for a while, it all completely went away. I don't think I had enough ventilation in my deli cup as all of my B. cornutus adults died not long after, but I had a larva living in the conk that actually made it to adulthood eventually. So if anyone else has issues with mold, just leave it alone and hopefully it will die out on its own. I observe a similar thing with wooden decorations in humid enclosures sometimes.

Welcome!

Glad to hear you figured it out!

I'm not 100% sure, but maybe you have to create a youtube channel under your email and then you can choose a name?

Such a cool picture! It almost looks like a 3D model or something, although I'm not sure why.

That makes sense, but I'm pretty sure mine are L2 right now. Even if they are L3, they're still way too small to be mature.

I currently have some Chrysina woodii larvae housed individually in 16 oz. deli cups full of rotten wood and a little bit of the flake soil substrate they came in. I've observed most of the larvae chewing on the container at one point or another. Is this normal behavior, or does it mean that there's some problem with their setup?

My best guess would be Plagiodera versicolora, but it is very punctate and yours looks more smooth, at least in this picture.

That's Cotinis mutabilis, the green june beetle/fig beetle!

I think you're right, actually. This time I decided to keep the culture, instead of throwing it out after mold, and it seems to have decreased its mass by A LOT. And all the beetles are alive. Maybe I just had to let it run its course. Thanks everyone!

That all makes sense. I just find it so hard to believe that people manage to rear them without having any mold troubles.

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Aw, that's terrible! How did it get to them? And do you still have eggs?

I figured this would happen. Is there any saving this conk?

In my experience, they will begin to eat most succulents/cacti if not constantly supplied with enough water or fruit/vegetable food. You also need to watch out for root rot as damp substrate from careless watering killed a cactus I kept with some darklings. Otherwise, I'd imagine that most succulents would be fine.