Bess Beetle Care

[SpaceKafka]

Hi everyone! I came across this site when I was searching for a good care guide for Bess beetles. My mom is a school teacher and got a set for her classroom, but was told to freeze them to death at the end of the year instead of releasing them because they aren't indigenous to our area. We had both played with them, though, and she told me she really didn't want to do that, so I volunteered to take them to college as pets. We aren't allowed to have lizards or rodents, but my friend who is an RA says it's fine to keep the Bess beetles in a tank in my room.

I'm really excited to take care of them, but aside from "give them chunks of wood to eat" and "make sure their environment is moist," I can't find much else on what I should do. Has anyone here had experience with keeping Bess beetles, and what other things should I do to take care of them?

 

[ZephAmp]

Hi everyone! I came across this site when I was searching for a good care guide for Bess beetles. My mom is a school teacher and got a set for her classroom, but was told to freeze them to death at the end of the year instead of releasing them because they aren't indigenous to our area. We had both played with them, though, and she told me she really didn't want to do that, so I volunteered to take them to college as pets. We aren't allowed to have lizards or rodents, but my friend who is an RA says it's fine to keep the Bess beetles in a tank in my room.

I'm really excited to take care of them, but aside from "give them chunks of wood to eat" and "make sure their environment is moist," I can't find much else on what I should do. Has anyone here had experience with keeping Bess beetles, and what other things should I do to take care of them?

Essentially, that's all you need to do. lol
A good , steady supply of appropriately rotting wood is all they really need. And moisture.
I'd assume the more room you give them, the better your chances of getting them to breed.

 

[Stylopidae]

If you want to breed them, you need a well rotted log. You should be able to pick it apart with your fingers. They need a dark place with not a whole lot of disturbance.

They are semi-social, the parents care for the offspring and the offspring stick around to help care for the next generation.

If you're wanting them to reproduce, they don't make the best pets because you can't handle them a lot without ruining their clutches. They're very sensitive to disturbance when caring for young and keeping a whole peice of wood is essential for their rearing.