Prionus Californicus

Hisserdude

Hisserdude

Dynastes
Does anybody have experience breeding these? I have seen lots of males flying around and will try to find a female. What do the adults eat? And what type of wood do the larva need to be reared on. And can they eat rotten wood, or fresh cuttings from live trees. Sorry for all the questions, lol! Thanks in advance!
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Larvae eat roots from live deciduous trees. Although wikipedia says adults don't eat, none of the other sites I visited mentioned anything about adult diet so maybe you could try giving them maple syrup or beetle jelly as an experiment?

 
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I caught a female, and put her in a cage with ground up rotten wood. Less than 24 hours later, she grew extremely lethargic. Instead of keeping her and watching her die slowly, i let her go. What did i do wrong? Does anybody know why she got all lethargic? She had holes in the cage, so she did not suffocate. Thanks in advance!

 
Did she get lethargic during the day or during the night? What did you try feeding? What was the lighting like in the room or over the cage? What size was the cage?

 
well its natural for a prionid to get lethargic when they find a suitable egg-laying location, she was probably preparing to lay eggs…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 
Stevedynastes: WHAT!!!! I had no idea. Dang it. Oh well, I'll see if I can find more. Will let you know if if I can find a pair for you steve.

Acro: She grew lethargic overnight, and I did not try to feed her. There was not any lighting to speak of, just light from the room, just like normal. The cage was a medium sized Tupperware.

 
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I was able to get a female to lay 50-100 eggs in moist sand! I moved the eggs to a cage full of rotten wood. How long until they hatch? How do you rear the larva? Can they be kept together? Thanks in advance!
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The ultimate guide to breeding beetles, he says yo can use the log method described for stag beetles for prionus. The wood used in the log method is rotted slightly. Hope this helps.

 
Hmm, I think what Orin was saying was that the log method works on Prionus larvae that feed on rotting wood (but of course not all Prionus larvae feed on rotting wood). I think that you perhaps should put live roots in the rotten wood just in case P. californicus doesn't accept the wood as food? After all, all the pest-control sites say "Larvae bore into the roots of live deciduous trees"!

By the way, have adults accepted any food yet?

 
I agree with AlexW. Live trees would be the way to go.

For P. californicus, I'd go with a cherry tree.

Of course, they eat the roots of just about any deciduous tree, along with a few conifers, too. So, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle finding trees to sacrifice for the greater good.

Naturally, you're going to need a rather LARGE rearing setup if you intend to go down that path. Especially when the larvae get more mature because they then move up from the roots and tunnel into the crowns of the trees and feast there.

Here's a list of trees P. californicus has been found munching down on:

Oak, apple, cherry, cottonwood, madrone, peach, plum, poplar, prune, English and black walnut, black locust, maple, ponderosa pine trees, and antelope bitterbrush. I'm sure there are hundreds more, but that'll get you started.

P.S. - I'm trying to rear some Cottonwood borers (Plectrodera scalator), myself. It's extremely rough going since there isn't any information out there on rearing them.

Use multiple setups and expect to lose quite a few larvae before you perfect your techniques.

Cheers

 
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AlexW: Unfortunately the adults died, I forgot about them for a week and when I next checked on them, they were all dead. While they were alive, they ate nothing. But, before they died, they laid a TON of eggs! And, a guy on bugguide, Jim McClarin, reared a larva of this species on rotten oak flakes, and dog food. He said it was unusual that the larva ate dog food, since longhorn larva will usually not accept such foods.

Bill myers: Thanks for the list of trees that they eat! I will look for roots of these trees. Good luck rearing your cottonwood borers!

 
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