# Unusual colonies



## Scythemantis (Jul 26, 2009)

I have plenty of roaches, but what other insects can be maintained in a long-term population? I've been looking for silverfish/firebrats to no avail, thinking of buying some lubber grasshoppers. What about beetles? Interesting flies? I'd like to hear some non-roach success stories.


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## Warren Bautista (Jul 26, 2009)

You can colonize termites.


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## koolkid98 (Jul 26, 2009)

Dermestids are good to keep mine don't smell at all!


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## Matt K (Jul 26, 2009)

I have done alright with a few different millipede species, assassin bugs, waxworm moths, Helix aspersa, various isopod species, earthworms, and a few others over time.  It really depends on what you like.  Most beetles are illegal to keep, though you can get the beautiful and native Cotinis sp. to propogate in captivity if you have some patience.  Helix aspersa are neat and edible...  some of the more attractive flies are possible but hard to do because thier larvae feed on specific things like live flowers or such. 

There is a member on this board that keep various wasps successfully, which could be cool.  The only thing I have currently that makes large cultures are several dozen roach species...


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## bugmankeith (Jul 26, 2009)

You can raise fruit flies and try to create mutations in their eye color or wing pattern. It must be easy to do because many varieties are available now if your willing to pay enough for them. Usually $15-25 per culture.
I for one like the white eye mutation.


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## ZergFront (Jul 27, 2009)

My barkling beetles seem to be doing really well together in close quarters. Plenty of wood makes them very happy. 

I've already seen tiny "super"worms in the cereal substrate.


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## Tleilaxu (Jul 27, 2009)

Why not try those two spot click beetles that glow in the dark?


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## Exo (Jul 27, 2009)

ZergFront said:


> My barkling beetles seem to be doing really well together in close quarters. Plenty of wood makes them very happy.
> .



 Makes women happy too.  


Sorry, couldn't resist.


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## Matt K (Jul 27, 2009)

"Barkling Beetles" :?  Are those found in canine shelters?

You mean Darkling Beetle or Darkening Beetle I think...


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## ZergFront (Jan 28, 2010)

Exo said:


> Makes women happy too.
> 
> 
> Sorry, couldn't resist.


 My Dad is now staring at me again because I laughed so hard. 

 Oh, darkling beetles? Dang, I've been calling them barkling beetles for the longest time. Stupid net caresheets! :wall:

 Where can I get those lubber heads (grasshoppers) when my tarantulas become big? Bet they have more food on them than crickets.


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## ZephAmp (Jan 31, 2010)

There are various flour beetle species you could keep.
Oh, and isopods too.


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Feb 1, 2010)

I agree about darkling beetles (tenebrionidae). I personally like the blue death-feigning beetles the best of these. They are pretty active during the day, live years and require VERY minimal attention. Of course, they are not likely to reproduce in captivity, but you might get lucky.


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## AbraxasComplex (Feb 2, 2010)

What about keeping weevils in containers filled with dried beans? I've heard of people doing that before.


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## ZephAmp (Feb 2, 2010)

How could I forget... Triops!


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## GiantVinegaroon (Feb 7, 2010)

ZephAmp said:


> How could I forget... Triops!


Man I've wanted to try that.

Daphnia and Gammarus would be amusing too....or planarians


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## ZephAmp (Feb 7, 2010)

Daphnia are also very fun. 
And ostracods.


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## burmish101 (Feb 7, 2010)

Only person I ever seen that kept firebrats were DoubleD's. Im unsure if he currently keeps them.


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## ZergFront (Feb 8, 2010)

I kept a water boatman colony once. Just need water that's pretty still and doesn't get chilly, some branches or other decor to lay eggs on and algae to eat. I noticed when I caught them as adults they were more likely to surface and fly off, but when I caught them as nymphs, they stuck around.. :?

 Had a shrimp colony once but it got too stinky. Earwigs smell even worse than crickets in my opinion. I had a colony of those, too. 

 One time my Dad took down a wasp hive he thought was empty but when I looked there were larvae. I didn't tell my parents I was raising it. I mashed up bugs I caught and fed them with a dropper and it did work to my surprise. Unfortunately, an ant colony found my little hive.


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## Acro (Feb 10, 2010)

Hey Scythemantis,
The eastern lubbers are not animals that live in colonies (like ants or bees).  They don’t even stay together in a group, although a food plant they like will keep them around.  They simply are insects that don’t mind living together (like they will not really fight or eat each other) so it is ok to keep them in a group.
ZergFront,
You can get eastern lubbers from me when the summer comes.  I sell them every year.  They are not really a feeder insect though.  As they take a long time to become adults, could possibly do damage to a T, cost a bit more than crickets and they are toxic to some animals.  My neighbor’s dog used to eat them all the time, until he dropped dead one day with a belly full of them.  R.I.P. poor doogy.


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## ZergFront (Feb 10, 2010)

Acro said:


> ZergFront,
> You can get eastern lubbers from me when the summer comes.  I sell them every year.  They are not really a feeder insect though.  As they take a long time to become adults, could possibly do damage to a T, cost a bit more than crickets and they are toxic to some animals.  My neighbor’s dog used to eat them all the time, until he dropped dead one day with a belly full of them.  R.I.P. poor doogy.


 Seriously!!?  Oh man, forget that then. I thought people bought them as a feeder insect. Are there grasshoppers or locusts that grow quickly (more or less like crickets) and available to buy? Just opening my mind up to varrying my spiders and lizard's diet.


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## jallen (Feb 11, 2010)

*Ok i know this was about colonies/communal but*

Mantids are very very fun to raise. If you get an ootheca and they hatch out you can have them live together for just a little while. At least until there are not many left and the strong survived its much easier than feeding 100 to 300 babies in seperate containers. I just think they are amazing to watch hunt and clean themselves alike. Not to mention I live in ohio and these chinese mantids are freaking huge. I personally have had them reach 8 inches and were strong enough to eat mice and anything else that didnt eat them first. I had some local tree frogs and my step son (who was 5) put a frog in the mantis cage and they frog got ate it was around 2 inches. Just something to ponder on.


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## super-pede (Feb 12, 2010)

I used beetles that were a little less than twice the size of crickets. all I had to do to feed them is toss in some small crickets and they would rip through them. they were a little to aggressive for my taste though.I would keep about 100 of them in a 5 gallon aquarium


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## GiantVinegaroon (Feb 14, 2010)

jallen said:


> Mantids are very very fun to raise. If you get an ootheca and they hatch out you can have them live together for just a little while. At least until there are not many left and the strong survived its much easier than feeding 100 to 300 babies in seperate containers. I just think they are amazing to watch hunt and clean themselves alike. Not to mention I live in ohio and these chinese mantids are freaking huge. I personally have had them reach 8 inches and were strong enough to eat mice and anything else that didnt eat them first. I had some local tree frogs and my step son (who was 5) put a frog in the mantis cage and they frog got ate it was around 2 inches. Just something to ponder on.


To this day I have never had mantis nymphs cannibalize on each other.  Why does everyone else's cannibalize???


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## Scythemantis (Feb 14, 2010)

I've been trying to raise some earwigs, but the nymphs seem to have disappeared.





> Hey Scythemantis,
> The eastern lubbers are not animals that live in colonies (like ants or bees). They don’t even stay together in a group, although a food plant they like will keep them around. They simply are insects that don’t mind living together (like they will not really fight or eat each other) so it is ok to keep them in a group.
> ZergFront,


I know, I was using the word "colony" in the popular hobbyist usage; an insect you can easily keep alive in an ongoing population 

I would definitely consider buying some lubbers when you have them!


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## Alex1983 (Feb 15, 2010)

*Firebrats!*

datfrog sells starter colonies of various unusual items as livefood; icluding Thysanura. 

They are a good supplier.. 

http://www.dartfrog.co.uk/livefoods.html


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## zonbonzovi (Feb 15, 2010)

Sidnodendron rugusoum: http://s604.photobucket.com/albums/tt127/zonbonzovi/?action=view&current=P1010566crop-1.jpg&newest=1

&

Cryptoglossa variolosa: http://s604.photobucket.com/albums/tt127/zonbonzovi/?action=view&current=P1010568.jpg&newest=1


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## Scythemantis (Feb 15, 2010)

> datfrog sells starter colonies of various unusual items as livefood; icluding Thysanura.
> 
> They are a good supplier..
> 
> http://www.dartfrog.co.uk/livefoods.html


I have ALWAYS wanted to find a supplier of firebrats, and the _flightless houseflies_ are awesome.

Too bad it's in the UK and won't ship to America. Can't anybody find me something I can actually get?


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## cacoseraph (Mar 5, 2010)

Bugs In Cyberspace said:


> I agree about darkling beetles (tenebrionidae). I personally like the blue death-feigning beetles the best of these. They are pretty active during the day, live years and require VERY minimal attention. Of course, they are not likely to reproduce in captivity, but you might get lucky.


i think i find these pretty regularily.  these or diabolical iron-clads.   i would definitely like to do a colony if i could get them to reproduce



ZergFront said:


> Had a shrimp colony once but it got too stinky. Earwigs smell even worse than crickets in my opinion. I had a colony of those, too.


what were you feeding your wigs?  how did you have them set up.  i kept my little colony on dirt with rotting flowers on top and it was rather nice smelling.




i had flour and dermestid beetles in with my roaches. stupid easy to take care of in a N. cinerea colony. AND they kept the colony very clean which was a serious bonus.   the tiniest live predation i ever saw was a 2i Vaejovis scorpling taking a flour beetle larva.  it was awesome








it's always been my dream to set up a few non-standard feeder colonies


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## ZergFront (Mar 5, 2010)

super-pede said:


> I used beetles that were a little less than twice the size of crickets. all I had to do to feed them is toss in some small crickets and they would rip through them. they were a little to aggressive for my taste though.I would keep about 100 of them in a 5 gallon aquarium


 Sounds almost like tiger beetles. I would have loved to get some of those but I did some searching and it looks like they can't be brought to CA..

 I had a small colony of ground beetles, once as well. I gave them a little pond (if you can even call a few inches of water a pond..) because I noticed these guys could submerge themselves for a very long time. I was trying to see if they would catch anything like aquatic larvae but I never observed any of that.


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## ZergFront (Mar 5, 2010)

cacoseraph said:


> i think i find these pretty regularily.  these or diabolical iron-clads.   i would definitely like to do a colony if i could get them to reproduce
> 
> 
> what were you feeding your wigs?  how did you have them set up.  i kept my little colony on dirt with rotting flowers on top and it was rather nice smelling.


 I fed them on carrots, corn (they REALLY loved fresh frozen corn and nasturtium petals) and lettuce. I haven't kept any more since I was a kid.

 I knew nothing I had would eat them because of the smell and the sharp forceps but they were some fascinating insects.

 They were the European earwigs so they were quite easy to sex. I loved observing how tending the mothers were to their eggs. Once when I found an earwig female with eggs, I put the eggs in a little dent I made in the substrate; just enough to view them. In two nights, she had constructed a burrow and brought each individual egg into her burrow. Also, I did an experiment by putting one egg clutch in with another female's eggs and she didn't even notice. I did need to be sure they always had food each day. One time the three females I had ate the male when I spent the night at my cousin's house. All that was left was his forceps.


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## cacoseraph (Mar 5, 2010)

the only thing i have found that was able to kill and eat the iron-clads was black widows.   taras, huge african praying mantis, centipedes... nothing else could figure them out


the widow tried bite it quite a few times before finding either an antenna joint or knee joint where she slipped the fatal kiss in.  pretty darn impressive










oh yeah, another thing i wanted to try (and am almost in range of) are the true social spiders


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