Home-made beetle jelly
- Thread starter Goliathus
- Start date
aspenentomology
Pupa
I haven't tried it myself, but this blog post seems promising:
http://beetlesaspets.blogspot.com/2013/11/jelly-for-tropical-beetles-at-home.html
http://beetlesaspets.blogspot.com/2013/11/jelly-for-tropical-beetles-at-home.html
I have used that exact formula and my D granti and Strategus aloeus seem to love it. However, I am not a beetle jelly expert at all so I don't really have anything to compare it to. Not sure if it made them lay more eggs, live longer, etc. I mainly just did it out of convenience. I was talking to a Japanese beetle breeder who has been doing this stuff for many years and he said there was a big difference in the quality of beetle jellys out there. I have no idea what that difference is.
Goliathus
Pachnoda
I've done a lot of checking around on-line, and my general impression is that using beetle jelly doesn't really provide any nutritional advantage over banana. In fact, it seems that banana might actually be more nutritious than most jelly formulations. I just wish it wasn't so messy! Maybe if I try to concentrate on only using banana that isn't yet too ripe, it won't be as bad. If I use totally ripe banana, it melts down in just 72 hours into a disgusting, sticky mess that breeds up phorid flies! More solid, less ripe banana holds up noticeably better.
In addition to banana, I also give my beetles brown sugar syrup, so in any case, they should definitely be getting enough calories / nutrients.
Although there are now many different formulations for various kinds of beetles, it seems that jellies were originally developed mainly for stags, which don't care much for fruit, and normally feed on tree sap.
In addition to banana, I also give my beetles brown sugar syrup, so in any case, they should definitely be getting enough calories / nutrients.
Although there are now many different formulations for various kinds of beetles, it seems that jellies were originally developed mainly for stags, which don't care much for fruit, and normally feed on tree sap.
Bump.
Apparently, commercial jellies have preservatives that the recipe above doesn't, and it keeps them from spoiling in room-temp beetle cages.
Any ideas on how to replicate this idea in DIY? I understand that not all "artificial" things are bad and that some "natural" methods are even worse than artificial ones.
Also, I personally use banana and other fruit lumps for my elderly Cotinis mutabilis, and never had any problems. The trick is to keep the fruit on a dishlet so it doesn't seep juices into the dirt. The beetle rarely kicks or pushes its food around very much, but Dynastes and stags might possibly do so. Fruit flies will come if I forget to change it every day, but it's easy and the flies are quite harmless.
Apparently, commercial jellies have preservatives that the recipe above doesn't, and it keeps them from spoiling in room-temp beetle cages.
Any ideas on how to replicate this idea in DIY? I understand that not all "artificial" things are bad and that some "natural" methods are even worse than artificial ones.
Also, I personally use banana and other fruit lumps for my elderly Cotinis mutabilis, and never had any problems. The trick is to keep the fruit on a dishlet so it doesn't seep juices into the dirt. The beetle rarely kicks or pushes its food around very much, but Dynastes and stags might possibly do so. Fruit flies will come if I forget to change it every day, but it's easy and the flies are quite harmless.