Chrysina pupation question
- Thread starter the_cream_man
- Start date
Nothing would be my recommendation. There's no reason to assume there's anything wrong, it sounds, though I've never heard of needing a clay layer for stags(?)... I've always just used flake soil and chunks of wood for the few that I've raised. I would defer to anyone with more experience, but I'd say just leave them be
Have you worked with the species much before?
That was my assessment of the situation as well, thank you for weighing in Oak. Out of curiosity, have you ever used clay for them? Also Fire Moth my understanding is that you're almost always better off leaving the grubs in their cells, unless there's a real issue, you shouldn't take them out for an artificial one. Especially before they pupate, then you risk disturbing them to where they never pupate
Oak
Goliathus
My Lucanus elaphus larvae kept surfacing when there was only flake soil present but when I provided them a mix of sand/clay, they happily made their pupal cells. However I know that some people manage to get them to pupate without clay.
Goliathus
Pachnoda
I've had elaphus larvae build cells in both flake soil as well as clay, but in the wild, they definitely make earthen cells, rather than in the wood in which they develop. I'm not sure what particular kind of soil composition is ideal for this species, though. They might possibly prefer soil that is more sandy than clayey, or somewhere in between, so it's probably good that you mixed some sand and clay together.
@Goliathussorry to keep poking you with questions-- I just had my first two glorious emerge!! My first beetles ever and they look great!!
Do they eat anything besides juniper and should I put something wet with them so they can drink??
Do they eat anything besides juniper and should I put something wet with them so they can drink??
Goliathus
Pachnoda
No problem - please let me know of any and all questions you might have.
I've not found anything other than juniper that this species will accept, although you might try giving them apple slices or maybe beetle jelly, if you have any. They get all the moisture they need from their food. As for humidity- same moisture level as is needed for most other scarab beetles. If you're going to try to breed them, I recommend using pure naturally decayed wood flakes, pure flake soil, or a mixture of the two. As with other Chrysina species, gloriosa females are capable of laying quite a lot of eggs. So long as you end up with at least one healthy pair of adults, it's usually possible to get more than enough larvae to start up the next generation.
Thanks! I was able to find a sprig of juniper to throw in their enclosure with them which I wrapped in wet paper towels to try and keep green.
is there a good way to sex the adults?
Also any depth requirement in sub for egg laying??
Lastly longevity on adults?
is there a good way to sex the adults?
Also any depth requirement in sub for egg laying??
Lastly longevity on adults?
Goliathus
Pachnoda
The females tend to be larger than the males, on average. Apart from size, there doesn't really appear to be much of an external difference.
A substrate depth of 6 inches should work well for egg laying.
Adult lifespan can be up to 8 weeks or more in some cases, though the average is shorter - more like 6 or 7 weeks. Please see -
https://beetleforum.net/topic/3932-chrysina-woodi/?tab=comments#comment-22738
Thank you so much! Really appreciate all the advice 