26 replies to this topic

[Connectimyrmex]

Hi!
I've been recently getting into insects that exhibit parental care. Since I won't have my ants with me over the winter, are there any readily-available insects for sale that exhibit parental care? I could try to breed them as a winter mini-project. 
I'm already "breeding" earwigs.

[Salmon]

Passalid beetles. Big stag beetle -looking things that live in groups tunneling through rotting logs, chew up food for their grubs and communicate with a wide variety of sounds.

 

They live in CT and MA but I've only ever seen one in my life. They are sold online pretty often as well, but I wouldn't personally spend much money on something I could potentially find in the woods.  Might be a little cold to find them easily now though.

[Connectimyrmex]

Thanks. I have been aware of these beetles, but there is a surprising lack of them around me. I will try to search a bit more.

[MegaMyrmex]

Funny that you mention that, I found 2 hibernating bess/passalid beetles while looking for ants underneath a huge log but I accidentally let go out of joy and crushed one of them by dropping the log...

[Connectimyrmex]

rip

[Hunter]

get a banana beetle, if you can find 1 online/its hard

Edited by Hunter, November 13 2017 - 9:58 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

No scarabs show highly developed parental care. I'm assuming that's what you meant. "Banana beetle" is not a legitimate name. Thanks anyway.

 

If you don't believe me, google Banana Beetle.

 

If you mean rhinoceros beetle, I'm going to get a Dynastes larva for christmas. If you mean stag beetle, a friend of mine is willing to trade for a small species.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, November 13 2017 - 1:04 PM.

[Hunter]

yea a meant a rhinoceros beetle/bannana beetle

[Connectimyrmex]

Again, try just calling them Rhinoceros beetles. Banana beetle is not an existing/ used name. No rhinoceros beetle shows parental care.

[Salmon]

Another type of beetle that displays complex parental care is Nicrophorus burying beetles, though it could be a rather nauseating affair and a potential health hazard to rear them in captivity.

[Hunter]

well all i know is that in the Philippines where i go every year they are called banana beetles

[mbullock42086]

if you can obtain them, pleasing fungus beetles are pretty neat, they attain a decent size, and as the name implies, they're very attractive

[Reacker]

https://www.amazon.c...s/dp/0674454901

 

If you're interested in this kind of thing this is one old but still pretty interesting book you should find a copy of and read.

[drtrmiller]

Passalid beetles. Big stag beetle -looking things that live in groups tunneling through rotting logs, chew up food for their grubs and communicate with a wide variety of sounds.

They are sold online pretty often as well, but I wouldn't personally spend much money on something I could potentially find in the woods.

Any non-human animal that directly or indirectly causes disease or damage to any plant or plant product would be prohibited from interstate commerce as per the Plant Protection Act, the same as ants.

[Connectimyrmex]

 

Passalid beetles. Big stag beetle -looking things that live in groups tunneling through rotting logs, chew up food for their grubs and communicate with a wide variety of sounds.

They are sold online pretty often as well, but I wouldn't personally spend much money on something I could potentially find in the woods.

Any non-human animal that directly or indirectly causes disease or damage to any plant or plant product would be prohibited from interstate commerce as per the Plant Protection Act, the same as ants.

 

Bess beetles are actually restricted? They are sold very often. Try googling "Bess beetles for sale".

Edited by Connectimyrmex, November 17 2017 - 7:53 PM.

[drtrmiller]

Bess beetles are actually restricted? They are sold very often. Try googling "Bess beetles for sale".

The fact that they're sold doesn't make it legal.  Like every government agency, the USDA exercises prosecutorial discretion and allocates resources to more serious offences under its jurisdiction.

 

If scientific experts weren't here in this and other online antkeeping communities to warn against the dangers of transporting ants—and thereby heavily influence public opinion on the topic—the word on the street would be "Yeah, it's not technically illegal to ship ants, but it's not like you're going to get arrested for doing it."  I imagine the online bess beetle community doesn't have these same influencers, so sellers don't care, even though it is technically illegal for the same reason that shipping ants is illegal.

[mbullock42086]

Bess beetles are not considered insect pests by the USDA.

Ants and grasshoppers are a different story. Ants are illegal to transport across state lines anywhere in the usa, and grasshoppers are illegal to possess anywhere in the USA, regardless of genus.

[Salmon]

 

Bess beetles are actually restricted? They are sold very often. Try googling "Bess beetles for sale".

The fact that they're sold doesn't make it legal.  Like every government agency, the USDA exercises prosecutorial discretion and allocates resources to more serious offences under its jurisdiction.

 

If scientific experts weren't here in this and other online antkeeping communities to warn against the dangers of transporting ants—and thereby heavily influence public opinion on the topic—the word on the street would be "Yeah, it's not technically illegal to ship ants, but it's not like you're going to get arrested for doing it."  I imagine the online bess beetle community doesn't have these same influencers, so sellers don't care, even though it is technically illegal for the same reason that shipping ants is illegal.

 

 

Bess beetles feed exclusively on moist heavily decayed material. Enforcing restrictions on them makes even less sense than cracking down on cockroaches, millipedes or even predatory arthropods such as mantids. All of those are advertised openly by businesses and sold across state lines with no ramifications. The USDA must to some degree have its priorities straight about spending time and money on regulating organisms that pose no greater threat than your common cricket or waxworm.

[Antsy]

I recommend Mantis shrimp preferably peacock mantis shrimp I raised a couple and they are really cool

[Antsy]

Here is a picture