# Bess beetles!



## Scythemantis (Jul 14, 2009)

Sorry I don't have pictures yet, but I'm too excited! I just came up to visit Maryland (I've been gone two years after living here my whole life) and the first rotten log I turned over, I found over THIRTY bess larvae and six adults!

Somehow or other, I had never ever encountered them before. I lived here for 23 years and was an invert lover since I was a toddler, and these guys somehow slipped me by. I put them all in a tupperware contained with the rotten mulch I found them in...is that enough? Any chance they'll breed? There's a single horn on their heads if that helps ID them. I'm having trouble finding anything online about how long they live or special needs beyond wood.

When I pick up the adults and make them squeak, the ones in the container squeak back! These are my new favorite pets, by far.


----------



## loxoscelesfear (Jul 14, 2009)

I find them all the time, but glad you're excited!  keep some larvae and see what happens.  treat some rotten wood by baking it at 250 F for a few hours.  Crumble up the treated wood into in a gallon jar or bucket or whatnot and see how it folds out.  Mist the substrate a few times a week.


----------



## Galapoheros (Jul 14, 2009)

I've kept some but I've never been interested enough to try and breed them.  Personally I wouldn't bake the rotting wood since they live with all that microbial life, fungus and all that stuff, they may even need some bacteria and fungus that lives in the wood, I don't know how well those things have been studied though, just imo.


----------



## Scythemantis (Jul 14, 2009)




----------



## loxoscelesfear (Jul 15, 2009)

cool.  found a ton of larva and adults yesterday myself.  baking the wood method is just from experience with raising Dynastes tityus.


----------



## zonbonzovi (Jul 15, 2009)

Those are purty.  Would love to see some CB's out thar.


----------



## Scythemantis (Jul 16, 2009)

I had five larvae die after one day for some reason, I'm guessing since the adults have to chew the wood for them, it was bad for them to just grab all the surrounding wood and throw it in there. It was probably too jumbled for them to find the pre-chewed stuff.

So, I went back to the woodpile and found the log they were originally burrowing in, broke off chunks containing the actual burrows and wedged them tightly into the container to simulate a solid log. So far no more deaths, and the larvae are all hanging around adults in the tunnels 

I filled some spare containers with more chunks of wood, basically just broke the whole log down into some bags so I have a supply!


----------



## Scythemantis (Jul 21, 2009)

All my larvae inexplicably died off but one, not even leaving bodies behind...not sure what could have happened :/


----------



## Spider-Spazz (Jul 21, 2009)

Woah thats awesome! I had a bess beetle before. I let her go a couple of days  after I found her though, she deserved better then my little cage ^.^
I never thought about breeding. I don't even know how to tell female from male on bess'!


----------



## Scythemantis (Jul 23, 2009)

I feel like a monster for having ruined these little families, but I'm giving this ONE last try. I found a rotten log with more larvae, so I cut it down to one solid piece I could fit in a container, all the inner tunnels intact, and added what was left of my collection. I've been hearing them communicate and watching them carry around pieces of wood; the larvae are chewing at the tunnel walls just the way I found them.

If I lose anymore I'm letting these poor things go. They probably only lay eggs once in a lifetime anyway.


----------



## auroborus (Jul 23, 2009)

damn, i im jelious. most I ever find is a pair of bess bugs every few years. But im really looking for D.tytius to try to rear. I had a big male that died last week but i just found a new smaller male. females seem to evade me. Also if anyone in maryland wants some Imperial moth eggs just ask, i cought a female and she already laid 70+ eggs


----------

