Dhh pupation

J

JCK206

Pupa
Hey guys,

Anyone out there know how to tell how soon my Dhh will pupate? I have had them since August or September of last year and am not sure if there is a way to tell. Also, I have 4 in a 60 liter tub so once they start, I don't want to disturb them and break the cell while trying to check on them. On that note, if the cell should break, is there another way to keep them alive? I wasn't sure if when they get close, to put them in separate containers or what. I think I need some guidance....I've come too far to mess up! Lol I appreciate any imput! Thanks!

 
If you break the cell you can always make an artificial cell for him to pupate in! I'm so excited for you!
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When did you last have a look at the larvae? How large are they? Mature larvae take on a yellowish tinge rather than the usual nice clean white colour, if they start to exhibit this then there they are getting close to pupation.

A 60l tub sounds ample for for Dynastes hercules larvae, there should be enough room for all of them to pupate ok. I would leave them together, there is more likelyhood of them all pupating around about the same time if you do so. Isolated male larvae can take up to 18 months longer to pupate than their siblings.

Make sure the tub is at least 3/4 full of substrate. Dynastes larvae perfer to pupate in deep substrate and may spend a lot of time wandering about looking for a suitable pupation site if they feel the substrate is not deep enough. Having a very full tub also helps buffer the tub against drying out during the period the larvae are in their pupal cells, which is not really a time to be digging around in their tub.

The larvae will pupate at the bottom of the container. If you have a clear plastic tub you can look up through the bottom and see if there are any signs of pupal cells being created. When the larvae create their cells they lose a certain amount of liquid from the body so you usually see darker oval areas on the base of the tub. Sometimes these ovals are wide enough to allow a small "window" into the cell so you can see inside a little, so you may be able to see either the larva or the pupa inside.

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These are Dynastes satanus pupal cells, you can see the darker areas indicating pupal cells and a couple with brown pupae inside. If you see any signs of pupal cells, my advice would be to leave things alone, no digging. Larvae take about 6-8 weeks to complete the pupal cell, pass through the pre-pupal phase and moult into a pupa. The pupa need another 6-8 weeks at least before moulting into an adult, and another month or so at least before the adults become mature and active. Patience is definately a virtue when rearing Dynastes hercules.

 
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like everyone has said it will just take patience…i wouldn't go digging through the substrate if you believe that they have constructed pupal cells

 
I really don't think they are ready yet. I posted a photo in the photo section here the last time I changed the substrate.....maybe that would help?

 
BTW, Thank you guys very much for all the great information. I will be checking on them tomorrow and will post some pics so I can hopefully figure out where they are as far as growth.

 
Well, today I was off work and planned on checking on the larva and taking pictures. Luckily I looked at the bottom of the container as shown in the above post, and it looks like one of them is constructing a cell! I saw a dark circle with yellow in the center. Needless to say, I put the container back as to not disturb them. So, now, from what I read above, I have about 2 - 3 months before adults emerge??? I assume once they transform, the adult will dig to the surface? Gheesh, now I'm stressing that I do everything right!

 
I'm still somewhat unclear on the process....they just are starting to build cells now and I am just going by the info in the post above. What I do know is that it is a long process.

 
Expect the whole process to take 3-4 months now you can see pupal cells being made, when the adults are ready they will dig themselves out of their cells and come to the surface. If you do take them out of the cells before they are ready it will not make any difference, they will dig back down to the bottom of the substrate and sit there until they are mature.

 
Thanks Matt! Great info! I will be leaving them alone until they surface on their own. Once they come to the surface, I can move them to another enclosure I assume?

 
Yes - once they come to the surface naturally they will be looking to feed up and mate so you can move them to another enclosure.

 
Hey guys, another question. It looks like I have one larva starting the pupation process as I can see it thru The bottom of the tub with the dark circle around it. I do have 3 others and there is no sign of them at the bottom. It has been 2 weeks or more since I discovered the first one. Will they all retreat to the bottom to Pupate? I thought that they would all pupate around the same time, but if they are not, then I would love to refresh the substrate. Any feedback? Much appreciated!

 
The larvae normally pupate at the bottom of the container, but the others may be in the process of starting pupal cells so I would not do too much digging. Put some new substrate on top of the old stuff, if the remaining larvae are still feeding they should find it no problem.

 
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