Larave in with crickets - some questions

[Geography Guy]

Hi

I searched up "beetle larvae crickets" and found a thread that is pretty similar to mine.

I have been finding more and more little, black larvae that grow into small, black beetles. In the thread I just read, a user posted an image of one that looked pretty close to what I am seeing. Another user said they were "dermestid beetle larvae".

It appears as though the larvae only eat dead crickets. I just want to make sure that, despite the larvae, my crickets are still safe to feed my Ts and other invertebrates. Will the larvae, in my cricket tub, negatively affect any of my Ts?

 

[crpy]

Yes they are Dermestid larvae, they come with cricket shipments and they eat dead stuff. Just dont put them in with your T or they will soon multiply and you will have to change substrate. Also I would not trust them in a molting situation= just keep them out.

 

[quinquestriatus]

They are all over in my roach colonies. I ordered a 500 count lobster colony a few years ago and they spread to some of my other colonies of roaches. They don't seem to hurt anything and I've been told by quite a few contacts and friends that they just clean up so I just leave them be. You shouldn't have a problem with your crickets.

 

[Shagrath666]

Yes they are Dermestid larvae, they come with cricket shipments and they eat dead stuff. Just dont put them in with your T or they will soon multiply and you will have to change substrate. Also I would not trust them in a molting situation= just keep them out.

I get em too, nothing to worry about, if you have fish they love em and its a good treat, thats what i do cause i dont like anything besides crickets and roaches w/ my tarantula

 

[crpy]

I get em too, nothing to worry about, if you have fish they love em and its a good treat, thats what i do cause i dont like anything besides crickets and roaches w/ my tarantula

yep, they are real good at skeletonizing critters for bio-fact use as well. I have several skulls they have done ,including a bear and gator

 

[ShellsandScales]

yep, they are real good at skeletonizing critters for bio-fact use as well. I have several skulls they have done ,including a bear and gator

Thats a fantastic Idea!!!! I like to try and preserve my turtle shells after they pass on. I use the little beetle larve to feed very small T's (when I only have a few) and I don't leave them unattended in the cup. One or two tiny little T's doesn't justify buying pinheads or fruit flies. I make sure the T eats it before I look away.

 

[crpy]

Thats a fantastic Idea!!!! I like to try and preserve my turtle shells after they pass on. I use the little beetle larve to feed very small T's (when I only have a few) and I don't leave them unattended in the cup. One or two tiny little T's doesn't justify buying pinheads or fruit flies. I make sure the T eats it before I look away.

Yep, with full skeletons of snakes and small animals I let them dry alittle and the tendon will harden and the Dermestids eat everything but the tendon so the skeleton will stay how you position it. You can position a snake in a standing coil prop it with wire in the position you want and it will stay that way after they eat the meat. Position posts so the humidity wont make it sag when its done for display.