Oak Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 Do these guys only eat rotten wood or do they eat fruits too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 I think that they need rotten wood to thrive,and surely to breed, but I had some that ate a piece of apple once. I gave them away because I couldn't find any wood for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Minard Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 breeding them is REALLY hard... but keeping them alive is EASY . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiantVinegaroon Posted September 24, 2012 Report Share Posted September 24, 2012 I've seen them feed on apple and they are VERY fond of banana too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerris2 Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Have you had success rearing them? What have you found for food that they like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetle-Experience Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Pretty much any well-rotten wood, even pine. Yes, breeding is a bit difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailblazr80 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 At the insectary I volunteer at, (Natural History Museum, Los Angeles) their Bess beetles eat fruit. My Bess beetles, on the other hand, haven't touched the fruit I try to give them. Just rotting wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarvaHunter Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 That's nuts at the insectary they were feeding them fruit. They eat the bacteria that grows on their frass, from just wood. To breed them it's difficult only because you should use a huge rotten log and not disturb them. I was going to set up a breeding tank but it will be too large, besides I catch them all the time. I got over 60 of the beasts now. Did you know that they make the most sounds of any arthropod? Maybe they put fruit so the visitors would see them eating close up. Mine have been in a bin of wood pieces, I think they are the easiest beetles to keep ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetle-Experience Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 Natural History Museum, Los Angeles County - I send spiders to ya'll once a year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amici Con Coleotteri Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 I offer mine beetle jelly, but they seem content with their rotted log and I won't argue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailblazr80 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 They are actually kept behind the scenes, no visitor displays for them. Yeah, it's kinda weird that they give them fruit, I have never seen them eat it at all. They do have rotting wood in their tank also. I would love to breed mine, but I have a feeling it won't happen. Beetle-Experience, thanks for your spiders! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatwun Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 I've never seen the ones I had eat fruits. In the wild Ive always seen them inside of rotting wood and no where else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arstood Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 They sure tear through wood like nothing I've seen. I put a log that was barely even rotten in their tank, and a week later it was like swiss cheese. Has anyone bred them successfully? Why are they so hard to breed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailblazr80 Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 I read that they like to make networks of tunnels in rotting logs - and that would be ideal breeding conditions. I'm thinking it could be a space issue? Someone else mentioned on another forum that they get disturbed easily, so if people handle them frequently that could be another issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarvaHunter Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 I think if you got a huge log with a 3 foot circumference, with proper moisture, kept in a huge container or tank with the proper humidity, checked with a hydrometer inside. And left alone in an area undisturbed. You could even put the tank in a large sand box, that's what people do to minimize the lasers from moving while making hologram pictures without spending thousands on a vibration dampening laser table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Myers Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Well... I just discovered about a week ago that my two Bessies had successfully bred when I saw two L1's crawling around. I've had my adults for over two years and I keep them undisturbed, so that might be the trick. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amici Con Coleotteri Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Well... I just discovered about a week ago that my two Bessies had successfully bred when I saw two L1's crawling around. I've had my adults for over two years and I keep them undisturbed, so that might be the trick. Cheers Wow that's big news! Congrats!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailblazr80 Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Well... I just discovered about a week ago that my two Bessies had successfully bred when I saw two L1's crawling around. I've had my adults for over two years and I keep them undisturbed, so that might be the trick. Cheers Exciting! What kind of setup do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amici Con Coleotteri Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Exciting! What kind of setup do you have? Good question...I've got 6 adults and I want to upgrade... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Myers Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Exciting! What kind of setup do you have? Well... I'm kind of embarrassed to say, exactly... My Bessie Farm (think of a large ant farm, and you'll get the idea) is currently being reconfigured and modified to fix a few design flaws. So, I have my two Bessies hanging out in a 30 FL OZ mayonnaise jar (!!!) while I'm working on the Bessie Farm! They've been in the mayonnaise jar for a few months, now. The jar is filled a little over 3/4 of the way up with Bess Beetle frass and, on top of that, they have about a one inch layer of mulched oak leaves and shredded rotting wood to munch on. The lid only has 4 small pin holes in it for a little air while keeping the moisture level up. I think the keys as to why they mated and now have a family is: 1) There are only two of them. Hence, they are not disturbed by other Bessies constantly roaming around and invading their space; 2) The jar is in my bedroom sitting on a bookcase shelf, far away from heavy traffic (like our 6-year-old daughter and our family dog); 3) My bedroom is very dimly lit. It has no direct sunlight and I rarely turn on the overhead lights. Instead, I mostly use a small desk lamp to read by. So, those three factors, along with LOTS of frass, seem to have set up the perfect conditions for mating, egg-laying, and larval development. That's all I can figure out. So, again, I would like to be able to say that I have this awesome, sweeeeet "honeymoon" suite setup for my two Bessies, but the truth is, it's just a mayonnaise jar... I sure wish this would have happened when I had them housed in the Bessie Farm, but if the mayonnaise jar did the trick, I'm NOT going to be the one complaining! I'll take it any way it comes! LOL Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarvaHunter Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 That's an exciting discovery that you made! I'm going to set them now up now in pairs. Do you think it's better to make the upgraded Bessie farm you created smaller? Like the jars size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Myers Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 I think the jar is the way to go for breeding. It seems to give them a good, solid core of frass and wood. The Bessie Farm is great for communities and viewing the tunnels, however I never managed to get any larvae or eggs out of it because, I think, the Bessies need to feel like they are in a large tree stump. That's my best guess. A couple of hours ago, I managed to get a snapshot of one of the larvae as it made its way up to the top to remind me to water and feed it (I purposely didn't water them lately so that I could get them to surface). Here's the photo for anyone who's interested: Cheers P.S. - To separate out the pairs, use digital calipers to measure the width of the pronotum. The females almost always have a larger pronotal width than the males. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailblazr80 Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 That's so amazing ! Good luck. I highly doubt mine will breed. I'm always messing around, looking at mine from under the tank with a flashlight and I don't think they appreciate it that much. Ha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amici Con Coleotteri Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 Wow that's incredible! I have a picture in my head of your bessie farm, but I'd like to see it if you have pictures? Sounds like a really neat idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailblazr80 Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 Just wanted to add that I noticed my bess beetles have been eating the moistened sheet moss I put in their tank. So now I have wood and moss as an option! I will be adding sphagnum moss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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