Remove adult beetle from pupal cell?

[jake7917]

I’ve seen videos online of people opening pupal cells, almost like blind bags, and removing the beetle from inside. Mostly I’ve seen this be done with mecynorrhina species beetle, but I’ve also seen it done with Goliath beetles as well.

I am curious if it is safe to do this? I’m assuming it’s not recommended but I’m wondering if it can be done to release a beetle from a pupal cell early. i know you can shake a pupal cell to determine if the beetle has hatched from the pupae or not. So this is considering the pupal cell no longer makes a rattling noise and the beetle has hatched, it just hasn’t left the cell by itself yet.

is there other ways to indicate when a beetle has reached adulthood inside the cell?

I asked a question similar to this a while back, but I’m more curious about the blind bag aspect, and if it affects the beetle or not, and how it’s done.

curious to hear your responses

 

[Alligatorsbeetle]

Oh my god i saw this too and was absolutely dumbfounded, i don't think you're supposed to mostly because theirs no way to guarantee if its going to be done pupating for sure or not. My only guess would be that they knew the timeframe in which they normally emerge from their pupal cells just from experience but even then it seems silly to risk opening one too early. I've never heard of the rattling noise information! that's very good to know actually thank you for sharing, id just be worried of mishearing or some other weird circumstances that would leave me to think they're done when they aren't. The videos remind me of opening a little Christmas gift or doing one of those weird unboxing videos of sorts.

 

[jake7917]

Oh my god i saw this too and was absolutely dumbfounded, i don't think you're supposed to mostly because theirs no way to guarantee if its going to be done pupating for sure or not. My only guess would be that they knew the timeframe in which they normally emerge from their pupal cells just from experience but even then it seems silly to risk opening one too early. I've never heard of the rattling noise information! that's very good to know actually thank you for sharing, id just be worried of mishearing or some other weird circumstances that would leave me to think they're done when they aren't. The videos remind me of opening a little Christmas gift or doing one of those weird unboxing videos of sorts.

thats good to know. to add onto the shaking thing, ive heard that if you shake the pupae and don't hear anyting, the pupa is either dead or the beetle has emerged. you will be able to shake the cell and hear a slight rattling if it is emerged, but as you continue to shake it, the beetle clings onto the cell walls, and no ratlting is created. thats one way to ensure the beetle is alive and not dead. 

 

[builtlikedorcus]

They make a tiny hole and check, I do it and it is completely fine, I even remove half of the cell sometimes and they will pupate healthily I have not done that with goliath beetles though, as that is too daunting, just recently I managed to rear a 71g mecynorrhina torquata ugandensis, I opened his cell (when he was a pupa) and he eclosed perfectly at 74mm long. Only open the cell a little after 2-3 weeks to not disturb the prepupa, or it will keep repairing the hole which will stress it and cause pupation to last longer or very rarely they will come out which is increases the likely-hood of death and failed pupation/eclosion when they rebuild the cell. 

 

[Reyes]

Why would you do that? All you’re doing is adding stress to the pupae.

The chamber it created has the perfect amount of space and you creating one will possibly squeeze the beetle to the point of deformation.

 

[jake7917]

Why would you do that? All you’re doing is adding stress to the pupae.

The chamber it created has the perfect amount of space and you creating one will possibly squeeze the beetle to the point of deformation.

I wasn’t going to do it myself, I have just seen it done and was wondering the logistics of it.