Best areas for Dynastes grantii in Arizona

lolsaboi

lolsaboi

L1
Hello, I live in Fountain Hills, Arizona which is about an hour away from Payson. I have been to Payson through August to September for the past two or three years now, but I have yet to find any live specimens of Dynastes grantii except for a female which had stayed at the base of a wall from the previous night. I have talked to a couple different people and I know the times to go in the months and what time at night to look for them. There is a gas station that is right next to the Home Depot in northern Payson which I've heard is good for Dynastes grantii. That is where I've always gone and I've seen pretty much nothing. Just dead specimens and that female. Both the Home Depot and Gas Station have HID lamps and yet all I can seem to find is Xyloryctes thestalus. My question is, are there any really good areas that I can go besides the Home Depot and Gas station in Payson? I've seen many people say that Star Valley is better but I never see any exact locations which could be really good. I've also heard of people finding them in the hundreds somewhere in Navajo county. Going into a clearing or some place with a portable HID lamp isn't really an option at the moment. That's why I'm asking more for like a specific gas station, restaurant, or anything of the sort.

 
What purpose are you trying to find a, I'm assuming, male? If it is for breeding, a wild caught female is usually already fertilized and you can possibly raise some eggs from. If you are looking for it for dried specimens, I think most people would only be willing to give a specific location through PM.

 
I cannot believe you never found D. grantii while you are located in Scottsdale, AZ, and have been to that Home Depot in Payson for past 2-3 years...

 
I just drove out to Payson from California last night and hunted for 3 hours. I didn't find a single beetle of any species. Am I a few weeks too early?

 
I'm planning on heading out next weekend.  I do have a 250w MV set up that I plan to set up on some forest roads.  Are the pine or juniper areas typically better for Dynastes, and vice versa for Chrysina?  Does proximate to creeks change anything?  Thanks in advance for any tips!  Just wishing the thunderheads would build up.  I see southern Arizona finally got some good storms today, but of course, I've already booked the Payson area...

 
You don't need a mercury vapor setup unless you want to use it. You can go to gas stations or stores with HID lamps in Northern Payson and stay from sunset to late at night for the best results. They usually start coming out in reliable numbers past August 20th and into September. Dynastes grantii eat Arizona Ash which are located around rivers, so you could try there. Just bring a portable setup and try a couple different places and if all else fails, then try gas stations in northern Payson. You'll most likely find Chrysina gloriosa which eat Juniper, so you'd find them there as well, but if you just go to Northern Payson and sit for a while, you'll probably see a few. You may also find Chrysina lecontei. You'll really only see Chrysina in really good number down South in Places like Madera Canyon, Portal, or any place like that. You should definitely try the Home Depot in Northern Payson if all else fails. The later into the season it gets, the less temperatures should impact their numbers.

 
Mercury vapor worked quite well last night.  I was only out from about 8-10pm.  D. granti 2m/8f, 1 gloriosa and hundreds of X. thestalus, masses of small moths, some sphinx and other larger moths, grasshoppers, and a praying mantis.  It was a nice first time out with MV.

Home Depot had masses of thestalus too, but didn't hang out long enough to if anything else showed up.

Going to setup one more time tonightbto see if anything else shows up.  I'll update later.

 
Only got 45 minutes tonight from 7:45 to 8:30 before the wind picked up and the MV stopped working for some reason.  Sheet was flapping all over.  The night was looking promising too with 3.1 granti, 2.1 gloriosa, a ten lined june beetle, and probably 75 thestalus.

 
Congrats hadogenes! Yeah, you have to use the MV for D granti. I tried using black lights one year and set them up all over and my MV got 10x that amount. For some odd reason, D grantii just are not that attracted to black light, unlike most other beetles. Yes, the best nights are when the temps are high, no wind and of course no moon. If you get that combo at the right time of the season, it can be awesome. Glad to hear it worked out for you. 

 
I was in Payson.  I set up off a dirt road about a mile north of the Home Depot.  I was hoping to just find one or two granti over Friday and Saturday nights.  I had no clue they were so plentiful.  

The problem with the MV turn out to be a loose connection in the porcelain socket wiring. Thats now fixed and won't happen again!  Thats the problems of a DIY setup.  Other than that issue, I'm impressed how it worked overall. 

I did find it interesting that I needed to constantly monitor the perimeter for about 25 feet with a flashlight.  Many of the moths and beetles landed in that area and didn't land on the sheet.

PSX_20200823_210746.jpg

 
Did you ever end up finding anything? I’m planning on going this Sept (2021). I’ll also be in the area of the Grand Canyon, are there any beetle hunting areas around there?

 
2021 update.  Did some 250w MV and 40w uv tonight in Payson.  Two male and one female grants showed up.  Temps are a little cool, around 64 degrees.  I thought with all the recent rain, that things would be more active.  We’ll see what shows up tomorrow.

 
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