# What the hell is this thing???!!! (found in cricket tub)



## r8frazer (Jul 9, 2006)

Hey people.. Im normally on the scorpion forum but figured Id get more response here cos theres more of you T guys! ;P 

I was looking at my tub of crickets when I saw what looked like some sort of catapillar crawling around! Its about 1.5 cm long.. similar colouration to the brown crickets maybe a little darker.. and has relatively large hairs, very fine ones, on its back..

I would get a pic but the little critters under the egg crate somewhere right now il get one ASAP.. But I figured someone might have had this before and it might be an obvious answer.. it does move like a catapillar too.. maybe thats what it is?


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## r8frazer (Jul 9, 2006)

Sorry for the crappy picture but my girlfriend has my camera so this is from my phone.. added to the fact that im tryin to photograph thru cheap plastic!

Maybe I should remove it and try and grow it!

EDIT: It has 6 legs.. all are at its front end


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## Hedorah99 (Jul 9, 2006)

its blurry but looks like a dermestid beetle larvae.


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## r8frazer (Jul 9, 2006)

Ok.. Im in the Uk and im guessin that we dont have any dermestid beetles here.. I dont know what one is..

My crickets came from livefood.co.uk which is a big seller of various bugs for food.. I think il contact them.. you never know what you might get for free when you make a complaint! lol


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## Geography Guy (Jul 9, 2006)

Hedorah99 said:
			
		

> its blurry but looks like a dermestid beetle larvae.



I would have to agree. All though I don't know much about beetles they do look like larvae. I have those larvae in with my crickets every so often. I have also noticed that after a while of seeing those black larvae you will see small black beetles in with your crickets.

Cheers,


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## Gigas (Jul 9, 2006)

Rate ive been getting tham alot from livefoods too, im not sure if its a mistake they are in there or if they are put in to help clear up any dead cricks. personnally i trash them as soon as i get them because i dont want them to start munching on the live ones


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## gagamboy (Jul 9, 2006)

do i sense a lawsuit??


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## r8frazer (Jul 9, 2006)

gamgamboy said:
			
		

> do i sense a lawsuit??


  Maybe I wont go that far but Ive complained.. even though I dont really care.. its always a good idea to moan in case ya get free stuff!


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## GailC (Jul 9, 2006)

those larva are harmless and help keep your cricket container clean. No need to complain or pick them out, they aren't bad


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## ShadowBlade (Jul 9, 2006)

waldo said:
			
		

> those larva are harmless and help keep your cricket container clean. No need to complain or pick them out, they aren't bad


Yeah, but watch out.. Sometimes you get 'freebies' that aren't so cricket friendly!!


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## Sobrino (Jul 9, 2006)

Hedorah99 said:
			
		

> its blurry but looks like a dermestid beetle larvae.


i totally agree


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## Darwinsdad (Jul 9, 2006)

It is a beetle larvae. They can get kinda big but not huge, I have on occasion used them as feeders as well for my spiderlings and if they get loose and not eaten you just get a harmless little beetle out of the deal. I f you find a good deal of them you can isolate them in a container and place in the fridge as they will keep for awhile, mine did.


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## Gigas (Jul 9, 2006)

An you can use them to Polish off Skulls!


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## r8frazer (Jul 9, 2006)

Gigus said:
			
		

> An you can use them to Polish off Skulls!


Hehe yeh I read about that when I googled them.. museums and people like that use these things to clean the meat off skulls! :clap:


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## syndicate (Jul 9, 2006)

Hedorah99 said:
			
		

> its blurry but looks like a dermestid beetle larvae.


i concur haha


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## PhilR (Jul 10, 2006)

Yep, they're harmless beetle larvae, leave them in there long enough and they will hatch out into small beetles 

I've been getting a lot of phoirid infestation in crickets bought over here in the UK lately, which is more troublesome. One lot of crix was so badly infested, that I threw the box away immediately. They were literally swarming in there


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## Cerbera (Jul 10, 2006)

Yes, I too have been getting some really rubbish quality crickets these days. And all suppliers seem to get theirs from the one bigger distributer, and they blame the heat for handing you a box of 5 exausted, non-fed, and dying crickets limping on a 4 deep graveyard of the remains of the 50 that didn't make it.

Absolutely appalling.

Am changing to roaches for big ones, and fishing shop (non coloured)maggots for the kids...

That aside - there has been one or 2 of those worm / beetle dudes inside every box of crickets I've ever had... and I still couldn't tell you if they were a good or bad thing. Mine go in the bin, tho, along with the usually disgusting mess that passes for a container...


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## Gesticulator (Jul 10, 2006)

I have found many a "stow away" in my cricket containers. Espcially if I buy them from the LPS. Don't get too caught up, just pick it out and move on.


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## PhilR (Jul 11, 2006)

Cerbera said:
			
		

> Yes, I too have been getting some really rubbish quality crickets these days. And all suppliers seem to get theirs from the one bigger distributer, and they blame the heat for handing you a box of 5 exausted, non-fed, and dying crickets limping on a 4 deep graveyard of the remains of the 50 that didn't make it.
> 
> Absolutely appalling.
> 
> ...


It's dreadful isn't it. I really should have taken a picture of the box before throwing it away. I've never seen that many phorids at once before. 

I mostly feed home bred lobster roaches now, the crickets are only for the "in-between" sizes 

I was also kindly given some big Blaberus sp. roaches last week to start a colony with. I don't know if my spiders will take them or run away from them, as they are absolutely HUGE


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## thisgal (Jul 11, 2006)

I've got these things, too, and there's a connection between the amount of odd cricket deaths and when I find one of these in with the crix. What's the deal?


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## angelarachnid (Jul 11, 2006)

Hey UK guys

who you getting your criks from?

try monkfield, there is a thread on the Tarantula store forum about them.

If it is monkfield call them they will replace thier bad stock, they are very good like that. Ever thought of using maggies?

Ray


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## OldHag (Jul 11, 2006)

Gigus said:
			
		

> An you can use them to Polish off Skulls!



Thats what I use them for   They sure smell bad....


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## smof (Jul 11, 2006)

thisgal said:
			
		

> I've got these things, too, and there's a connection between the amount of odd cricket deaths and when I find one of these in with the crix. What's the deal?


I get atleast one or two of these in every box of crix I get. I've been told the hairs on their bodies can harm/kill other bugs so I tend to search for them every time I get a new box and get rid of them, and that lessens the death rate of my crix a bit. They tend to dig into the egg-carton pieces and need pulling out with tweezers.

I think the adult beetles are harmless (and they're kind of cute) but I was told not to feed the larvae to slings because of the hairs. I don't know how accurate that info is but they definitely seem to harm my crickets and I for one don't want to take the risk, so I don't.


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## OldHag (Jul 11, 2006)

Theyre not really harmless..  To crickets no but if you have a bug collection (dried) or taxidery mounts they can be a horror!! They will destroy them!


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## Mads (Jul 11, 2006)

The dermestids don't actually harm the crickets, they are a scavenger bug, basically they eat anything that's dead, so they will only eat the dead crickets. The larvae are easy to control, but when they become beetles they are able to fly and will go to where ever there is a food source, lay eggs, and start the cycle anew.


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## PhilR (Jul 12, 2006)

angelarachnid said:
			
		

> Hey UK guys
> 
> who you getting your criks from?
> 
> ...


I mostly feed lobster roach nymphs to the smaller ones, but I'll give Monkfield a try. Cheers, Ray


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## BlackxLilies (Jul 12, 2006)

It's a carpet bettle ( http://www.bugclinic.com/carpet_beetle.htm ) I get them with the crix sometimes too, but always kill them. I don't like the idea of them getting loose and infesting our house (however unlikely and paranoid that sounds lol)


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## Gigas (Jul 12, 2006)

angelarachnid said:
			
		

> Hey UK guys
> 
> who you getting your criks from?
> 
> ...


www.Livefoods.co.uk i was originally using global live but i got a few beetles from them switched to these guys and the beetles have followed, i really think someone should set up selling roaches instead of T's, i would but im not allowed roaches.(strange im allowed scorpions and T's but not roaches?) any way all those people goin on they were harmless, i found a crick with one nearly completely inside of the abdomen,(crik was still alive somehow?) maybe it had moulted and gotten munched.
and i did use maggotsbut the T's spilt there insides all over the pllace. i also cant get squats where i am so i cant feed slings


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