Strategus antaeus care

[Snailsson]

Hello, I'm fairly new to beetle keeping and have some questions about rearing S. antaeus. I've seen mixed information about the best substrate for larvae. Do they need a sandy substrate or can they do well in a substrate similar to what a D. tityus larva would need? And do they need sand or clay when they are ready to pupate?

Thanks for the help!

[JKim]

NO! They do not require sandy substrate, or any sand at all. They do just fine with regular substrate you would feed your Dynastes tityus. Clay is not required, but yes, is better to have it when it is about to reach pupal stage.

Oh, and hi! I just realized it was you  This is Jason.

[Snailsson]

On 2/21/2022 at 10:20 PM, JKim said:

NO! They do not require sandy substrate, or any sand at all. They do just fine with regular substrate you would feed your Dynastes tityus. Clay is not required, but yes, is better to have it when it is about to reach pupal stage.

Oh, and hi! I just realized it was you  This is Jason.

Thank you! I've seen some conflicting information from a few sources so I figured it would be good to check before the larvae get ready to pupate

[JKim]

On 2/23/2022 at 5:05 PM, Snailsson said:

Thank you! I've seen some conflicting information from a few sources so I figured it would be good to check before the larvae get ready to pupate

Yea, I also read those couple articles discussing about using sand, grass, and sphagnum moss too. I tried all of those to have my beetles lay eggs and have larvae grow up, but I found a better way just using substrate. Substrate alone is good enough! For real! Hit me up ANYTIME if you have questions.