Now it can be agreed on that fiery searchers (Calosoma scrutator) are one of the difficult if not one of the most difficult species of beetle to get a high egg count out off. I know that Mcmonigle experiment yield some results using a healthy and active orange poricelli sow bug culture in the tank to trigger the females to lay eggs but have anyone tried other critters or feeder animals to create this to happen in captivity? I know for other carnivorous beetle species such as Triceratops beetles earthworms are the main trigger that encourages females to lay eggs and I have heard that caterpillars can possibly encourage female fiery searchers but is it possible other invertebrates such as crickets, waxworms, earthworms, etc. can possible recreate this behavior as well or even with one or more types of feeder invertabrates combined?
Captive Breeding: Calosoma scrutator has anyone experimented on this?
- Thread starter InsectaJaeger888
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Hisserdude
Dynastes
Actually Calosoma seem easier to breed than other Carabids, at least someone has had some level of success rearing captive produced larva to adulthood, the same thing can't be said for many other ground beetles. Orin never said that the isopods were the definitely the stimulus for egg laying, just that their presence could possibly be a stimulus. Other people have gotten eggs without isopod cultures in the cage I believe.
You could try putting the adults in a cage filled with breeding populations of, say roaches or crickets and maybe even add a bunch of hornworms to the mix, (or some other easily available caterpillar), but when it comes down to it, they probably only lay eggs at a certain time of year and isopods may work just as well as any of those other prey types if the stimulus for egg laying is indeed breeding populations of other invertebrates.
The thing is, even if you get eggs, the larva of most Carabids are very very finicky and are prone to die off, and as Gil Wizen stated in this post, many of them need specific seasonal changes, substrate types and humidity levels to develop properly, and the lack of those conditions is what causes most Carabid larva to die off in captivity.
You could try putting the adults in a cage filled with breeding populations of, say roaches or crickets and maybe even add a bunch of hornworms to the mix, (or some other easily available caterpillar), but when it comes down to it, they probably only lay eggs at a certain time of year and isopods may work just as well as any of those other prey types if the stimulus for egg laying is indeed breeding populations of other invertebrates.
The thing is, even if you get eggs, the larva of most Carabids are very very finicky and are prone to die off, and as Gil Wizen stated in this post, many of them need specific seasonal changes, substrate types and humidity levels to develop properly, and the lack of those conditions is what causes most Carabid larva to die off in captivity.
Ok that makes sense then and yeah you've got a point especially no one has successfully bred a warrior ground beetle and the same goes for the Manticore ground beetle of Africa.
Hisserdude
Dynastes
Yeah, though a couple of people have actually gotten their Pasimachus to lay eggs. Man, I really wish Manticora were in the hobby, love those things! Let me know how your Calasoma do!
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Beetle-Experience
Eudicella
Yes, I have heard of a few folks who were successful with C.s. - but they are not "easy" compared to other beetles in the hobby.
If I can find someone who sells them then yes I will let you know Hisser DudeYeah, though a couple of people have actually gotten their Pasimachus to lay eggs. Man, I really wish Manticora were in the hobby, love those things! Let me know how your Calasoma do!
Calosoma oviposit in caterpillar frass, right? Anyone who breeds Saturniids shouldn't have a problem with that lol.
One time, I left a screen cage full of moth cocoons outside during a heavy gypsy moth outbreak... And some calosoma grubs chewed their way in and destroyed all of my Polyphemus cocoons. To add insult to injury, all but one of the grubs that I reared intentionally died during the pupal stage.
One time, I left a screen cage full of moth cocoons outside during a heavy gypsy moth outbreak... And some calosoma grubs chewed their way in and destroyed all of my Polyphemus cocoons. To add insult to injury, all but one of the grubs that I reared intentionally died during the pupal stage.
Hisserdude
Dynastes
Huh, never heard of that, have you tried using caterpillar frass as a substrate with good results? Certainly they don't absolutely need caterpillar frass to oviposit, due to the fact that Orin did not use that in his substrate, but it may at the least induce more egg laying. Hmmm... Now this has me thinking, how similar is caterpillar frass to isopod frass?
Well, it doesn't look, feel or smell very similar. Getting caterpillar frass isn't that hard, especially since the beetles are mostly active during population explosions of tent caterpillars, gypsy moths or armyworms. You could tear open a Malacosoma tent caterpillar web and shake the frass out.
Hisserdude
Dynastes
Hmm, oh well, I was thinking that maybe isopod/caterpillar frass was the impetus for egg laying, since Orin kept his in with a healthy population of orange Porcellio, guess that's not it then. Here in SW Idaho it seems pretty hard to get, I've not seen many caterpillars here, at least not frequently, and I haven't seen any tent caterpillars the whole time I've been here, haven't seen any Calosoma here either now that I think about it, perhaps the lack of caterpillars is why.
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Mecynorrhina
L1
I know this is a an old page, but I thought I should say something.
I bred them once by accident. I brought home a pair and placed them in a medium sized kritter keeper with 20-30 gypsy moth caterpillars and pupae. I also put in a hide covered with sphagnum moss and coconut fiber as substrate. Kept them in relative darkness, and a couple of weeks later I found about 20 larvae. None of the larvae survived though.
I bred them once by accident. I brought home a pair and placed them in a medium sized kritter keeper with 20-30 gypsy moth caterpillars and pupae. I also put in a hide covered with sphagnum moss and coconut fiber as substrate. Kept them in relative darkness, and a couple of weeks later I found about 20 larvae. None of the larvae survived though.
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