Anyone have any experience with these beetles?
I am trying to form a little ecosystem in a tank for my colony to move into once they grow too big for the formicarium they are currently in. Put some plants, stones on the bottom for good drainage, some big rocks and cool looking limbs...Pump in air with a fish aquarium pump and have installed ventilation tubes so air can get out. It is like a little rain forest in there and looks really neat. Noticed one day TONS of mites, must have come from the soil I put in when I introduced earth worms.
Anyhow, this is a completely sealed system with plexiglass on top and the edges sealed with petroleum jelly as insurance against anything getting out. The air pump even has a one way valve, and the vent port holes are small enough that the tiny mites can't even get out.
It is really awesome and I really want to salvage this ecosystem if I can. I introduced the Buffalo Beetles to deal with rot/mold/dead plant matter and they did a bang up job with that. The mite population is going strong, was hoping the beetles would keep them in check.
May need to hit the reset button on this experience though as I figured the beetles would leave ants alone based on what I read up....but I can only find what they typically eat, not what they won't. Anyone have any experience with these beetles in a formicarium outworld?
