any advice rearing dynastes tityus?

[PierisRapae]

i recently received a L2 dynastes tityus larva from BIC. It's gorgeous and healthy! However, as i am new to the hobby, I'm hoping someone with more experience can help me to avoid messing it up. When will i know when my larva has grown between instars? How aerated does the substrate have to be? How can I tell when my larva begins to build its pupal pod? What are the dos/ do nots of raising these guys?

 

[grimmjowls]

"First you will need some rearing containers. I used plastic storage containers from Walmart, and the main ones will hold at least 15 gallons of substrate. The smaller ones will hold about 5 gallons. The substrate is made in preparation and sterilized for the young grubs to start feeding in. I go into a hardwood forest and look for decomposed wood from Oak, Hickory, Maple, Ash, or Elm. No evergreen woods should be used, because the naturally occurring chemicals in the wood will kill your stock. When you find wood that will crumble, and break with your bare hands, you are on the right track. I also use decomposing hardwood leaves in my substrate. After gathering 50-70 gallons of this raw material I place it into a plastic garbage can, (30 gallons at a time) and I soak the entire batch in water for at least a week in order to kill any pests that could be present. Then I spread the contents on a tarpolian sheet and let it dry in the sun for a day or two. I then use a wood shredder and turn it all into a fine loam. I use about 30% leaves, 70% harwood mulch for my grubs. It should be moist enough to form a clump in your hand, but not so wet that you can squeeze water out of it easily."

"The tiny 1st instars will grow rather quickly, and before you know it they will be triple in size. In about 18 months you should have 3rd instar larvae. Every month or two you can supplement your substrate with a handful of dry dog food. This will give your larvae additional nutrition. Remember to change your substrate every 8 months, or as needed so that the substrate doesn't become too full of frass. I usually place a few hardwood boards on top of my substrate. I often find my larvae at the bottom of my boards, it seems they like this kind of setup. The late stage 3rd instars are usually as large as a man's finger, and very robust. Just before they start making pupal chambers they will turn yellowish. That is when I put in a bit of sand on the bottom of the containers, in order to help in the construction of their pupal chambers. Throughout the entire life cycle I maintain consistent moisture levels, never let them dry out. The larger males usually take about 2and1/2 years to complete their life cycle. You will be able to feel the pupal chambers as you sift through your substrate. Thats when you know it's time to just leave them alone. Then one day a few months later you will notice sounds coming from your rearing containers, these beetles are usually massive and a handsome sight. This is the reward after more than 2 years of waiting, but it's never boring, because you will see progress throughout their life cycles."

http://insectnet.proboards.com/thread/3471/successfully-rearing-dynastes-tityus

 

[PierisRapae]

"First you will need some rearing containers. I used plastic storage containers from Walmart, and the main ones will hold at least 15 gallons of substrate. The smaller ones will hold about 5 gallons. The substrate is made in preparation and sterilized for the young grubs to start feeding in. I go into a hardwood forest and look for decomposed wood from Oak, Hickory, Maple, Ash, or Elm. No evergreen woods should be used, because the naturally occurring chemicals in the wood will kill your stock. When you find wood that will crumble, and break with your bare hands, you are on the right track. I also use decomposing hardwood leaves in my substrate. After gathering 50-70 gallons of this raw material I place it into a plastic garbage can, (30 gallons at a time) and I soak the entire batch in water for at least a week in order to kill any pests that could be present. Then I spread the contents on a tarpolian sheet and let it dry in the sun for a day or two. I then use a wood shredder and turn it all into a fine loam. I use about 30% leaves, 70% harwood mulch for my grubs. It should be moist enough to form a clump in your hand, but not so wet that you can squeeze water out of it easily."

"The tiny 1st instars will grow rather quickly, and before you know it they will be triple in size. In about 18 months you should have 3rd instar larvae. Every month or two you can supplement your substrate with a handful of dry dog food. This will give your larvae additional nutrition. Remember to change your substrate every 8 months, or as needed so that the substrate doesn't become too full of frass. I usually place a few hardwood boards on top of my substrate. I often find my larvae at the bottom of my boards, it seems they like this kind of setup. The late stage 3rd instars are usually as large as a man's finger, and very robust. Just before they start making pupal chambers they will turn yellowish. That is when I put in a bit of sand on the bottom of the containers, in order to help in the construction of their pupal chambers. Throughout the entire life cycle I maintain consistent moisture levels, never let them dry out. The larger males usually take about 2and1/2 years to complete their life cycle. You will be able to feel the pupal chambers as you sift through your substrate. Thats when you know it's time to just leave them alone. Then one day a few months later you will notice sounds coming from your rearing containers, these beetles are usually massive and a handsome sight. This is the reward after more than 2 years of waiting, but it's never boring, because you will see progress throughout their life cycles."

http://insectnet.proboards.com/thread/3471/successfully-rearing-dynastes-tityus

Thank you!

 

[grimmjowls]

Not a problem! I don't own them, so I can't offer any personal experience, but best of luck, and please keep us updated on the forum with them! I think the beetles are super cool.

 

[arizonablue]

Plunk that sucker into a container with hardwood sub and you're golden, that's really it. I use a sturdy 32oz container with a few holes drilled in the lid for ventilation. Fill the container with moist hardwood sub (I use the sub from BIC which is great). You don't have to pack it in there or aerate it, just fill the container and put the larva in. The larva will aerate it plenty for you digging around and eating. They eat like CRAZY so make sure you periodically add fresh sub. When it builds a pupal cell, if it builds it against a wall of the container, you will see a darker section of substrate that looks almost wet and sometimes you will be able to see the larva inside.

Hope that helps!