New Member going to Virginia to hunt

Hello everyone! This is my first post of n these forums. I was browsing YouTube when I saw a video about Rhino beetles wrestling, and now I'm obsessed with them! I'm taking a trip to Virginia soon and was wondering if I could find D. tityus or any Lucanus species there. I've seen two of the short horned Lucanus (both dead) where I live in Indiana. I'm hoping to catch some beetles in Virginia. Any Tips?

 
most larvae stays underground. you either need to look in/under rotten logs or dig near the roots of trees...etc.

its a lot more work to find larvae, and by breaking the logs apart, you are destroying the habitat of many other bugs that you don't intend to collect.

Overall, theres a very low chance of finding a tityus larvae if you don't know the exact location already.

time and location is key for beetle collecting.

 
most larvae stays underground. you either need to look in/under rotten logs or dig near the roots of trees...etc.its a lot more work to find larvae, and by breaking the logs apart, you are destroying the habitat of many other bugs that you don't intend to collect.Overall, theres a very low chance of finding a tityus larvae if you don't know the exact location already.time and location is key for beetle collecting.
Is there a good way to hunt for tityus larvae?

 
That is the good way to hunt for tityus larvae lol. its just not easy.

go to bug guide and see where tityus are found, then look for dead trees in the area or trees that has a big hole near the ground and start digging!

lots of animals live under logs, so be extra cautious, don't get bit by anything.

 
That is the good way to hunt for tityus larvae lol. its just not easy.go to bug guide and see where tityus are found, then look for dead trees in the area or trees that has a big hole near the ground and start digging!lots of animals live under logs, so be extra cautious, don't get bit by anything.
Are there any ways to differentiate tityus or Lucanus Larvae from other larvae?

 
Tityus larvae will be quite obvious (they're huge) and stag larvae have a vertical... abdominal slit (for lack of better wording) and have orange heads and long, thin mandibles, they are also usually curled up. Tityus have a horizontal slit with large, dark brown heads and a fatter body (stags are generally more tapered) with wider mandibles, they are also very hairy while stags are not. Hope this helps.

 
I have 2 female D. granti left that are ready to lay eggs, as well as some L1 D. tytius. If your interested you can pm me, itll definitely be more expensive collecting them, but still well worth it if you find what your looking for

 
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