Can Blue Death Feigners be over handled?

[Praxibetelix]

Still, to me one of the most interesting aspects of keeping beetles is getting them to reproduce and rear the larva. Sure it is possible to successfully breed this species, but it is much more complicated than rearing other darklings. Sure they could live up to 10 years, but I still really like seeing the larva.

Plus, this species has apparently been caught in southern Idaho, so I may be able to catch some for free!

I have never thought about breeding them. It is a lot of work? The word seems to be that Blues cannot breed in captivity, or won't breed in captivity.

Saw your post showing all your roaches, do you breed all of those?

 

[pannaking22]

Fatty layer? I thought the blue color came from a powdery substance that acts as a kind of sunscreen. When they get wet they turn a black color. That's what makes me think it's a secreted substance.

Yep, the fatty (or waxy is probably more accurate) layer helps prevent overheating and dehydration. I'm pretty sure it's secreted as well.

I have never thought about breeding them. It is a lot of work? The word seems to be that Blues cannot breed in captivity, or won't breed in captivity.

Saw your post showing all your roaches, do you breed all of those?

They're definitely a challenge. There's some more info in this thread. http://arachnoboards.com/threads/inducing-bdfb-to-pupate.280289/

 

[Tenevanica]

Yep, the fatty (or waxy is probably more accurate) layer helps prevent overheating and dehydration. I'm pretty sure it's secreted as well.

I knew about that. I was just confused because it seemed as though you were referring to a fatty layer that is present just under the exoskeleton. I've always heard it referred to as a waxy cuticle, but I'm not sure what the molecular structure of it is. Can we all agree it's a hydrocarbon?

 

[Tenevanica]

I have never thought about breeding them. It is a lot of work? The word seems to be that Blues cannot breed in captivity, or won't breed in captivity.

Saw your post showing all your roaches, do you breed all of those?

I used to say that they cannot breed in captivity, though the post Panna pointed you to has proven me wrong. I too used to think that they didn't breed in captivity. Either way it's incredibly difficult, and most hobbyists will never see a single larva.

 

[Tenevanica]

Well there was a website from a college in Idaho that had a list of all the darkling beetles in their collection, as well as the locations they were collected from. Many of them obviously were caught in Idaho, including an Asbolus verrucosus, if the the website was to be believed. However it seems that the site has been taken down, I have it bookmarked but it keeps saying the site can not be found.

That's crazy if it's true. I'd almost rather think that's an introduced range based on my personal experiences and the data presented on bugguide.

(I should really quote multiple people in the same post, shouldn't I? Sorry for any inconveniences that may cause.)

 

[Hisserdude]

I have never thought about breeding them. It is a lot of work? The word seems to be that Blues cannot breed in captivity, or won't breed in captivity.

Saw your post showing all your roaches, do you breed all of those?

It was thought until recently that BDFBs were not able to reproduce in captivity with any success, we now know that to be wrong, thanks to @Dean Rider. It is still quite difficult to do though, as the pupa need to be kept warm, Dean used an incubator for that, which is pretty expensive.

And yes, I breed all those roaches, (or at least I try too!)

 

[Hisserdude]

That's crazy if it's true. I'd almost rather think that's an introduced range based on my personal experiences and the data presented on bugguide.

(I should really quote multiple people in the same post, shouldn't I? Sorry for any inconveniences that may cause.)

Yeah, I wonder if it was just a mix up at the museum or something. Hopefully they were right, I would love to catch some of these guys here, free BDFBs would be awesome!

I used to say that they cannot breed in captivity, though the post Panna pointed you to has proven me wrong. I too used to think that they didn't breed in captivity. Either way it's incredibly difficult, and most hobbyists will never see a single larva.

Yeah, when that post started I was pretty psyched, seems like that guy found a way to repeatedly breed these guys in captivity! However his methods are better for beetle enthusiasts, not so much for beginners, unless some other source of heating could be used for the pupa.

Orin has bred them and reared some to maturity as well, and I believe he did not use heating for his pupa... I wonder he how he did it?

 

[pannaking22]

I knew about that. I was just confused because it seemed as though you were referring to a fatty layer that is present just under the exoskeleton. I've always heard it referred to as a waxy cuticle, but I'm not sure what the molecular structure of it is. Can we all agree it's a hydrocarbon?

Agreed on the hydrocarbon! And sorry for any confusion. Re-reading my post I definitely was vague on what it was lol. Didn't help that I couldn't remember cuticle either. It was the word that was on the tip of my tongue but I just couldn't get it.



Any thoughts on breeding with or without a heat source, @Elytra and Antenna?

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

I was trying to search for the photo of my first verifiable reared adult to get a date and show a slight wing curl but I have given up for now. I have them in a 70-gallon with six inches of substrate (along with crickets, other darklings, and a few other things). They have produced hundreds of larvae but only a dozen adults over more than five years. Part of the problem is the subspinipes eat most of their larvae but if I pulled everything else out the maturation rate might still suck. Dean's method sounds very promising since isolating these particular larvae is usually a death sentence.

 

[Hisserdude]

I was trying to search for the photo of my first verifiable reared adult to get a date and show a slight wing curl but I have given up for now. I have them in a 70-gallon with six inches of substrate (along with crickets, other darklings, and a few other things). They have produced hundreds of larvae but only a dozen adults over more than five years. Part of the problem is the subspinipes eat most of their larvae but if I pulled everything else out the maturation rate might still suck. Dean's method sounds very promising since isolating these particular larvae is usually a death sentence.

Wow, the larva are that fragile huh? So if you're gonna separate them, do it when they are still eggs. So they can pupate at room temperature, just not as successfully when kept warm. Thanks for the info Orin!

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

Wow, the larva are that fragile huh? So if you're gonna separate them, do it when they are still eggs. So they can pupate at room temperature, just not as successfully when kept warm. Thanks for the info Orin!

They do not die right away, they get skinnier and often get black dots and then die after one to five weeks if set up in pupation cups under various humidity conditions.

 

[Hisserdude]

They do not die right away, they get skinnier and often get black dots and then die after one to five weeks if set up in pupation cups under various humidity conditions.

Hmm, strange. I wonder why they are so finicky, seems weird for a beetle that is so common in the wild. I'm sure they encounter such disturbances there.

 

[Praxibetelix]

This is so fascinating! Thank you for the link to the previous thread about breeding them. I do not have the time to devote to that right now, a 5 year old and a 3 year old humans to take care of right now lol. Might be a great project for them as teenagers, or me as an empty-nester.

 

[Praxibetelix]

Pictures would be great! These guys vary in color dramatically. From powder blue, to royal blue, to jet black, the color range is very interesting, and it's thought to have something to do with humidity. The easiest way to insert pictures IMO is to click the "upload a file" button next to the "post reply" button. Add the picture anywhere in the post, and it will be saved to your gallery so it can be uploaded to other posts.

Added a light, more hides, and places for shade. They are already more active, and have started excavating beside the rocks and under the bark!

 

[pannaking22]

Very nice enclosure! I'm sure they're loving it!