Click beetle egg laying

[Bugboy3092]

Hey guys, I haven’t been able to find too much on this, but I was hoping someone here would know a good setup for getting eggs from various click beetle species. I’m mainly looking for info on Alaus species here in the eastern US, is there a reliable setup for getting eggs from adults? I would assume having other insects in the substrate should do the trick but I’m not certain. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

 

[Hisserdude]

Alaus will oviposit in straight coco fiber that's kept moist, however their larvae are predatory even as babies and must be removed and isolated to their own deli cups as soon as they are sighted.

 

[Bugboy3092]

Thank you! And how about those large monotone brown click beetles? A friend found one and wants to know how to get eggs from it 

 

[Hisserdude]

I think crushed rotten wood or flake soil would be best for those.

 

[Bugboy3092]

Ok, I’ll let him know, thanks!

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

I found both (assuming we found the same, large, monotone, brown species). Happy to know I just happened to give them their choice of substrate. 

Alaus will oviposit in straight coco fiber that's kept moist, however their larvae are predatory even as babies and must be removed and isolated to their own deli cups as soon as they are sighted.

Any chance you could culture a smaller larvae in the soil to give you more time to find the babies? Mealworm adults will oviposit in a bit of flake soil, right? 

 

[Hisserdude]

Any chance you could culture a smaller larvae in the soil to give you more time to find the babies? Mealworm adults will oviposit in a bit of flake soil, right? 

Yeah you could do that, though then it may be difficult to actually tell when you have Alaus grubs in there... Tenebrio will literally oviposit in anything, I used coconut fiber for my cultures, so that won't be a problem.