Dung Beetles

Ratmosphere

Ratmosphere

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As we all know, the Unites States Of America does not allow the importation or introduction of non invasive species to areas that do not have them living there. This is due to them destroying the ecosystem of said areas in which they do not inhabit. An example of this would be the Lymantria Dispar Dispar taking over parts of the east coast and killing an abundance of trees. How about insects that do not destroy flora and fauna and can help clean up the ground from disease? In this case, I'm referring to dung beetles. If one was to obtain a Phanaeus species of dung beetle, would they be able to survive unsupervised in a North Eastern summer? I only ask because I have a huge pile of rabbit pellets that need disposal of in only one enclosed area. Maybe I can even rear some larvae. What do you guys think?

 
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I saw a website awhile back that sold dung beetles from FL to other states for those who have farms for dung decomposition. They included in their "pack" some phanaeus and others. I would not think they could survive just because of the cold. If there was a mild winter then maybe one generation. This is just speculation as I don't have any facts to back this up.

 
NOTE: This process would be strictly for spring and summer months. Once the climate changes to cold, they would be taken into a warm establishment. This is considering that they do not migrate from the enclosed area with dung or get harmed by predators. Any other thoughts?

 
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Some non-native dung beetles have already been imported and naturalized in the US for dung removal and pest control, and we also have native Phanaeus species in many states. Non-native dung beetles were actually imported years ago into the US by agriculture because the native species were incapable of dealing with the large size and the abundance of manure produced by cattle and there were issues with flies and disease. They are not known to compete with native species, but rather attend to manure that the native species do not specialize on.

You can easily obtain Phanaeus dung beetles such as Phanaeus vindex and Phaneus igneus that are native to the Eastern US when they're available in the summer and fall. They hibernate and survive the winter in their burrows, so as long as you don't allow them to freeze, they will be able to overwinter in cool climates. If you're thinking of letting the dung beetles free, you should be aware that dung beetles do have preferences for different types of poop. It's been observed that they will prefer poop from omnivores over poop from herbivores, so you'll most likely find that they'll leave the area in search of better poop if they are allowed to have options over rabbit poop. You can try to prevent them from flying away by placing a sturdy mesh cage over the poop, but be aware that they are diggers and can still disperse.

I've tried rearing them on chicken poop, but they never managed to complete their life cycle before they started dying after a year in captivity. I may have underestimated the amount of fresh poop they required and given them too little for the production of brood balls. The three pairs I had always seemed to be able to use up all the fresh poop I was able to collect before more was available.

Rabbit poop is an excellent fertilizer and soil amender, have you thought about just starting a vegetable garden?
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Wow thats amazing that they have the potential to survive like that. Such a helpful tip, Shade, as always. And maybe I should start a garden. Nothing beats good ole homegrown organics.
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Thanks brother.

 
I sell phanaeus vindex, i have butt loads oof them at my ranch, but i wont have any till a littlw later this year, adult male-9$

Adult female-7$

 
Thanks! I have some more questions so if somebody knows feel free to comment. Any idea on how long these live? Also, any knowledge on how long the larvae take to become adults? Could larvae survive in the frigid north east winter months? Note that this is under conditions of them bieng housed in a terrarium filled of dung in an empty dog house.

 
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There's a good description of the Phanaeus vindex life cycle by the entomology department of the University of Florida. In laboratory conditions, they state that it took about six months for them to develop from eggs into adults. The adults are the ones that diapause, not the larvae or pupae, and then the adults were found to be able to live over a year. The longevity of the adults would most likely be related to diapause as in other beetles that hibernate.

 
I have seen it now:)

We do not have it on UK's amazon, I suspect that the postage will cost at least as twice as the book:)

 
It's not too difficult, but you do have to get used to dealing with dung.

In the US, any native Scarabaeinae are fine to ship between states, but exotics would require a permit.

Steven

 
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