i found this site recently looking for info on my Asbolus verrucosus blue death feigning beetles. i am surprised there is no info about them here (a search of Asbolus verrucosus on this site returned one result.) can anyone tell me how they keep them, maybe even enclosure tips? i currently keep my 8 on bone dry coco fiber and feed them carrots and dried dog food. they will soon be moved to a 10 gallon tank with a 60\40 sand\coco fiber mix that is kept dry. i am interested in what conditions will cause them to lay viable eggs and how to rear the grubs. i have seen quite a bit of mating and i would love to try and raise them. i am quite frustrated tho as i cannot find good info on these beetles
Asbolus verrucosus
- Thread starter Gnat
- Start date
Hi Gnat,
Nice to see you over here at beetleforum. You'd have better luck with the search results by typing in blue death or blue death feigning beetle, etc.
Captive husbandry for this species has really made some gains in the hobby in the last two years, with a number of people reporting larvae. The lack of information out there is a result of nobody ever really trying before (or having success anyway), but they are pretty widespread and common in the hobby now.
Popular methods involve offering some wet spots in the substrate and burying potato or carrot, though I get a few larvae in my dry dirt/sand mixture that I keep them on in my display/holding tank. I think moisture is a key element for laying. Certainly, the larvae seem to occur in wetter areas of the substrate, but then it might be too early to tell. I've not seen anybody share photos of older larvae. I know Orin managed to get some larvae just before publishing his book on darkling beetles recently.
Here is my setup, but again it is display not breeding-oriented:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzm_ab7QZQY
Nice to see you over here at beetleforum. You'd have better luck with the search results by typing in blue death or blue death feigning beetle, etc.
Captive husbandry for this species has really made some gains in the hobby in the last two years, with a number of people reporting larvae. The lack of information out there is a result of nobody ever really trying before (or having success anyway), but they are pretty widespread and common in the hobby now.
Popular methods involve offering some wet spots in the substrate and burying potato or carrot, though I get a few larvae in my dry dirt/sand mixture that I keep them on in my display/holding tank. I think moisture is a key element for laying. Certainly, the larvae seem to occur in wetter areas of the substrate, but then it might be too early to tell. I've not seen anybody share photos of older larvae. I know Orin managed to get some larvae just before publishing his book on darkling beetles recently.
Here is my setup, but again it is display not breeding-oriented:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzm_ab7QZQY
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