# Death Feigning beeltes?



## SandDeku (Apr 6, 2011)

Anyone know how big they get?  how long they live? and whats their care?


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## Sooner (Apr 6, 2011)

I'm assuming you're referring to _Asbolus verrucosus_?  They should live at least several years in captivity.  They should be pretty easy to care for, light-moderate misting once a week and be fed moisten dog kibble and small bits of fresh fruit/veggies.  Sandy substrate or peat moss, not much like 2-3 inches.

I think their max size is about an inch.


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## SandDeku (Apr 6, 2011)

Sooner said:


> I'm assuming you're referring to _Asbolus verrucosus_?  They should live at least several years in captivity.  They should be pretty easy to care for, light-moderate misting once a week and be fed moisten dog kibble and small bits of fresh fruit/veggies.  Sandy substrate or peat moss, not much like 2-3 inches.
> 
> I think their max size is about an inch.


Wow! they're starting to win me over!  Can they be bred? Oh and instead of dog kibble. What other foods can you give em? It'd be weird to buy a huge bag of dog kibble. xD


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## Sooner (Apr 6, 2011)

SandDeku said:


> Wow! they're starting to win me over!  Can they be bred? Oh and instead of dog kibble. What other foods can you give em? It'd be weird to buy a huge bag of dog kibble. xD


I don't think they have successfully been bred yet.  I know bugsincyberspace sells them here, maybe even attempting to breed them.  I've been interested in them but I've been busy with research and gotta save money for a nice group of them!

I guess you can feed them any high protein substitutes like fish flakes/pellets.  I saw this video posted, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzm_ab7QZQY

Very fascinating indeed!


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## SandDeku (Apr 6, 2011)

Sooner said:


> I don't think they have successfully been bred yet.  I know bugsincyberspace sells them here, maybe even attempting to breed them.  I've been interested in them but I've been busy with research and gotta save money for a nice group of them!
> 
> I guess you can feed them any high protein substitutes like fish flakes/pellets.  I saw this video posted, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzm_ab7QZQY
> 
> Very fascinating indeed!


I'd get like 6 of em myself if I could! D: I maybe able too though.... hmm........


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## Jtrev4509 (May 6, 2011)

*Information*

We have a couple of these where I work and I was just wondering what is the best foods for them and substrate. Any information would be helpful, we dont know to much about them and my job is to find stuff out. Thanks in advance!


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## SandDeku (May 7, 2011)

Jtrev4509 said:


> We have a couple of these where I work and I was just wondering what is the best foods for them and substrate. Any information would be helpful, we dont know to much about them and my job is to find stuff out. Thanks in advance!


Try making a seperate thread for that. You will yield better results. For substrate though I'ved seen them in tanks with soil. Try something that has no chems, additives, pesticides, fertz, etc. etc. etc.


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## JC (May 7, 2011)

They are very hardy and cool looking little guys. I keep mine on dry peat moss/eco-earth and feed them bits of carrots/grain/dog food once a week. Give them pieces of bark to hide under, although they will usually come out during the day anyway. So I read, to breed them there is some sort of carrot burrying trick, but I'm not sure. See other insect/beetle forums for details.


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## ZephAmp (May 7, 2011)

These have in fact been bred by several people. The key is providing the adults with a variety of places to lay eggs including both moist and dry areas. 
The carrot burying trick refers to simply burying carrots in certain areas in enclosure; the moisture from them encourages laying and at the same time provides newborn larvae (which would otherwise dry out or go hungry) with an immediate source of food. This trick also works for breeding superworms.


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## zonbonzovi (May 7, 2011)

ZephAmp said:


> These have in fact been bred by several people. The key is providing the adults with a variety of places to lay eggs including both moist and dry areas.
> The carrot burying trick refers to simply burying carrots in certain areas in enclosure; the moisture from them encourages laying and at the same time provides newborn larvae (which would otherwise dry out or go hungry) with an immediate source of food. This trick also works for breeding superworms.


Hey Zeph, do you recall the forums/sites where you saw the reports?  Any links offhand?  Victor thanks you in advance...


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## beetleman (May 7, 2011)

yeah,ive kept them in the past aswell,very cool little beetle and yes very hardy at that,i sold off my group(i'm a predatory beetle fanatic)....hmm i wonder if they are all still alivethey are supposed to have long lifespans.


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## SandDeku (May 12, 2011)

zonbonzovi said:


> Hey Zeph, do you recall the forums/sites where you saw the reports?  Any links offhand?  Victor thanks you in advance...


gah!!! so beautiful!!!

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beetleman said:


> yeah,ive kept them in the past aswell,very cool little beetle and yes very hardy at that,i sold off my group(i'm a predatory beetle fanatic)....hmm i wonder if they are all still alivethey are supposed to have long lifespans.


How long of a life span? I like long lived beetles.  I'd go for those rhino beetles. but they're short lived. Sorta pointless.


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (May 12, 2011)

I have access to adults, so I don't bother to create a perfect egg-laying tank for them. Mine is a display tank with a light on top and I keep it dry. The light keeps the tank warm. Warmth promotes activity for the beetles and velvet ants, kept communally. It's my favorite display tank that I have, in terms of activity and colors. (the video linked below shows an incarnation of it from a year or two ago, but I still use the same tank). 

I did accidently dig up 4 larvae the other day when I was looking for some velvet ants that were hiding.

I've kept a lot of different bugs, but these are my absolute favorite pet bugs to recommend to people due to their hardiness and activity levels. Of course, the more you have, the more interesting the display is as they forage around the cage. Also, these can be kept with any other pet darkling beetles. Variety is fun.

Nobody knows how long they live and part of the reason for this is because we always have wild caught specimens, and there is no knowing how old they are. A lot of people doubt this fact, but here it is from the man himself:

Field guide to beetles of California By Arthur V. Evans, James N. Hogue
Page 215 (A. verrucosus):

http://books.google.com/books?id=W7...=cryptoglossa verrucosus ghost beetle&f=false

Reactions: Like 1


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## SandDeku (May 12, 2011)

Bugs In Cyberspace said:


> I have access to adults, so I don't bother to create a perfect egg-laying tank for them. Mine is a display tank with a light on top and I keep it dry. The light keeps the tank warm. Warmth promotes activity for the beetles and velvet ants, kept communally. It's my favorite display tank that I have, in terms of activity and colors. (the video linked below shows an incarnation of it from a year or two ago, but I still use the same tank).
> 
> I did accidently dig up 4 larvae the other day when I was looking for some velvet ants that were hiding.
> 
> ...


Hmm nice.  Thanks it said someone had recorded them to live 17 years on them for their specimen. Wondering if they can be bred. I'd love to breed them myself. They are by far one of my most favorite beetles. Even if they are small. As for other darkling beetles. I'm not too fan of their shape. I prefer the shape of the blue beetle. It's round.


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (May 13, 2011)

As for your repeated question about breeding them, I answered that in my previous post. I have numerous contacts that have now obtained larvae from their adults.

I don't think of them as small beetles. They are much larger than the average organism on the planet


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## MrCrackerpants (May 13, 2011)

I have 12 of these guys (Thanks! Peter) and just love them. My daughter loves to watch them because they do so many different things. Based on Peter's recommendation I decides to add some velvet ants. I went out to my mailbox and found a few velvet ants and stuck them in with the beetles. The combination of the two species is great. I have had them for three months and have multiple moisture gradients set up in their enclosure. I also have two different types of roots (carrots and potatoes) buried in the substrate. I have not seen any larvae yet but have not disturbed the substrate.


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## SandDeku (May 13, 2011)

Bugs In Cyberspace said:


> As for your repeated question about breeding them, I answered that in my previous post. I have numerous contacts that have now obtained larvae from their adults.
> 
> I don't think of them as small beetles. They are much larger than the average organism on the planet


sorry I didnt see that. : X


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## MrCrackerpants (May 23, 2011)

I just saw some blue death feigning beetle larva in my 5 gallon aquarium. They are about half an inch long and are yellow.


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## Sooner (May 24, 2011)

Very nice!  What are you feeding the larvae?


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## MrCrackerpants (May 24, 2011)

Sooner said:


> Very nice!  What are you feeding the larvae?


Great question. I have some carrots and potatoes buried in the soil. I have dried carrots and dog food on the surface. I am not sure what they are eating. I am willing to try anything at this point. I am not sure if I can get them from this stage to adulthood. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Anyone had any experience with these larva? Thanks for looking.


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## zonbonzovi (May 24, 2011)

Hey MrCrackerpants, I've been varying the diet quite a bit and adults take to just about any fruit, even after it's lost most of its moisture.  Any chance you'll be posting pics of the eggs?


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## MrCrackerpants (May 24, 2011)

zonbonzovi said:


> Hey MrCrackerpants, I've been varying the diet quite a bit and adults take to just about any fruit, even after it's lost most of its moisture.  Any chance you'll be posting pics of the eggs?


Thanks, I will try that. What specific fruits do they seem to like? I have not seen the eggs. I dug up one of the rocks and the larva came up with it. I placed the rock back and the larva burrowed under the substrate (mostly sand with a little composed soil and coconut fiber). I hope this did not damage them but I would imagine there are more than a few in the aquarium. I have buried about 5 rocks (small to medium). The larvae seem to like to be under the rocks. Maybe because the substrate is moist? Today I noticed a beetle digging a tunnel under one of the rocks. Maybe a female laying eggs?? Thanks again.


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## zonbonzovi (May 24, 2011)

MrCrackerpants said:


> Thanks, I will try that. What specific fruits do they seem to like? I have not seen the eggs. I dug up one of the rocks and the larva came up with it. I placed the rock back and the larva burrowed under the substrate (mostly sand with a little composed soil and coconut fiber). I hope this did not damage them but I would imagine there are more than a few in the aquarium. I have buried about 5 rocks (small to medium). The larvae seem to like to be under the rocks. Maybe because the substrate is moist? Today I noticed a beetle digging a tunnel under one of the rocks. Maybe a female laying eggs?? Thanks again.


I've fed plums, apples, banana, and oranges so far & all were well received by the various tank mates(I have velvets & Tenebrionids in with them, too).  I haven't had any larvae or eggs, but my setup is akin to BICS'...I need to add a moist spot.  The rocks definitely keep the moisture.  You have velvets in your yard?  Lucky dog.  Good luck with your potential offspring.


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## MrCrackerpants (May 24, 2011)

zonbonzovi said:


> I've fed plums, apples, banana, and oranges so far & all were well received by the various tank mates(I have velvets & Tenebrionids in with them, too).  I haven't had any larvae or eggs, but my setup is akin to BICS'...I need to add a moist spot.  The rocks definitely keep the moisture.  You have velvets in your yard?  Lucky dog.  Good luck with your potential offspring.


Thanks for letting me know what specific fruits. I'll give them a try. Yes, velvet ants, vinegaroons, scorpions, tarantulas, giant centipedes, rattle snakes and a few other critters.


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## MrCrackerpants (Jun 5, 2011)

Anybody got any suggestions for getting the larvae to reach adulthood? I have larvae but am unsure if I should continue with the same cage set up or if I should now transfer the larvae to a different environment with different characteristics. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## zonbonzovi (Jun 7, 2011)

Try beetleforum.net.  There's more of a focus on captive reproduction over there, although you'll see some of the same members here.


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## MrCrackerpants (Jun 7, 2011)

zonbonzovi said:


> Try beetleforum.net.  There's more of a focus on captive reproduction over there, although you'll see some of the same members here.


Thanks


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Jun 10, 2011)

I saw some eggs attached the leg of an apparent male, once. Two of them were glued to a rear leg and when I went to remove them, one broke. I did snap a photo, but it would take some digging to find.


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## MrCrackerpants (Jun 10, 2011)

Bugs In Cyberspace said:


> I saw some eggs attached the leg of an apparent male, once. Two of them were glued to a rear leg and when I went to remove them, one broke. I did snap a photo, but it would take some digging to find.


Thanks. Orin has suggested removing the larvae and putting them in a cup but he was unsure of humidity and other factors.


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## MrCrackerpants (Jun 18, 2011)

MrCrackerpants said:


> Thanks. Orin has suggested removing the larvae and putting them in a cup but he was unsure of humidity and other factors.


I kept them in their original enclosure. 

OK. I dug up some of the larvae. Here are pictures.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.167105846687193.43469.100001633364339&l=e71f053680

They were half this size 18 days ago. I have decided not to change anything I am doing.


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## GiantVinegaroon (Jun 18, 2011)

MrCrackerpants said:


> I kept them in their original enclosure.
> 
> OK. I dug up some of the larvae. Here are pictures.
> 
> ...


I'd imagine if this species can live up to 17 years....it would take quite awhile for the larvae to pupate as well...


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## MrCrackerpants (Jun 18, 2011)

ScottySalticid said:


> I'd imagine if this species can live up to 17 years....it would take quite awhile for the larvae to pupate as well...


Could be. I hope I can get them to pupate.


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## MrCrackerpants (Jan 28, 2012)

One of my blue death feigning beetle larva has survived in a bran, rolled oat substrate with an organic apple wedge. It has been in there a long time and the other environments I tried killed the other larva. Now the larva is doing laps on the outer edge of the container on the top of the substrate. It has went around the round clear container so many time it has made a slight impression in the substrate. Has anyone seen this behavior? Do you know why it is doing this? It is 1.5 inches long. I thought it may be searching out another type of environment to pupate. I can't get them to pupate.  :wall:


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## bhgant (Mar 20, 2018)

I know this is an old thread but thought I would check and see what kind of results you had with your blue death feigning beetle larva? Did any survive? Have you had any luck since then?


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## NukaMedia Exotics (Mar 21, 2018)

From what I've read they're pretty small, reaching up to about an inch or so.


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