Carabid questions

[The wolf]

So is started a small colony of poecilius cuprens(they're amazing) I assumed that they were at least partially social because i often find them in groups but they seem to have the occasional scrap mostly over food but other than this they seem fine they climb branches alot whick massively suprised me I noticed some mating and was wondering a bit about the eggs i also thought about having some pterostichus and harpalus which occasionally roam the house like cockroaches we have some pretty big ones and some small but very common ones which i Think are both some Harpalus rufipes and pterostichus madidus

How social is poecilius cuprens
Are the small fights normal
Is the branch climbing normal,are they trying to get away from the others
Any other food ideas other than jelly pots and cocoons
How long if anyone knows will gestation be roughly
Will the adults attack the larvea or vice versa
How active are pterostichus,how often am I likely to see them
And any care tips just in case theirs something really important I missed.

Sorry for the long post i am pretty much a noob when it comes to these beetles

 

[The wolf]

I think pterostichus are pretty secretive and only come out at night but I'm not sure
I don't know much about poecillius

 

[The wolf]

Guys?

 

[pannaking22]

1. How social is poecilius cuprens
2. Are the small fights normal
3. Is the branch climbing normal,are they trying to get away from the others
4. Any other food ideas other than jelly pots and cocoons
5. How long if anyone knows will gestation be roughly
6. Will the adults attack the larvea or vice versa
7. How active are pterostichus,how often am I likely to see them
8. And any care tips just in case theirs something really important I missed.

Keep in mind I don't know a ton about carabids, but I can make some guesses and maybe nudge you in the right direction for some parts. @Hisserdude may know more on this.

1. I think a lot of carabid species can be kept communally with some nice hiding spots and places to get away.
2. Conflict is to be expected in pretty much any communal species, no matter what arthropod order. As long as it isn't resulting in dead beetles it should be alright.
3. Not sure about their arboreal antics, though I've occasionally found some species on branches while out collecting.
4. Beetle larvae and caterpillars may be accepted too.
5. Don't know
6. Probably not, but you'll want to include extra food, appropriately sized, to make sure everyone stays fed.
7. Carabids tend to be nocturnal, so you probably won't see them too often unless you check after dark.
8. I think a moisture gradient is appreciated by carabids. You can try a substrate gradient too to see if that encourages egg laying.

 

[The wolf]

Keep in mind I don't know a ton about carabids, but I can make some guesses and maybe nudge you in the right direction for part. @Hisserdude may know more on this.

1. I think a lot of carabid species can be kept communally with some nice hiding spots and places to get away.
2. Conflict is to be expected in pretty much any communal species, no matter what arthropod order. As long as it isn't resulting in dead beetles it should be alright.
3. Not sure about their arboreal antics, though I've occasionally found some species on branches while out collecting.
4. Beetle larvae and caterpillars may be accepted too.
5. Don't know
6. Probably not, but you'll want to include extra food, appropriately sized, to make sure everyone stays fed.
7. Carabids tend to be nocturnal, so you probably won't see them too often unless you check after dark.
8. I think a moisture gradient is appreciated by carabids. You can try a substrate gradient too to see if that encourages egg laying.

Thanks the colony seems to be doing fairly well now but still no babies

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

I occasionally see carabid beetles (especially Harpalus but others too) climbing up tall grass stalks and feeding on the seeds. Mostly in the afternoon.

 

[Hisserdude]

How social is poecilius cuprens
Are the small fights normal
Is the branch climbing normal,are they trying to get away from the others
Any other food ideas other than jelly pots and cocoons
How long if anyone knows will gestation be roughly
Will the adults attack the larvea or vice versa
How active are pterostichus,how often am I likely to see them
And any care tips just in case theirs something really important I missed.

1 & 2: They should be fine housed together as long as they aren't very crowded, have plenty of hides and substrate available and are fed often. If you neglect to feed them often enough, they will kill each other.

3. No idea, maybe the species is just particularly active.

4. Pre-killed mealworms and crickets, as well as dog food and the occasional offering of fruit should be a good diet. Most common Carabids suck at hunting hard shelled or fast moving prey, so make sure whatever it is, it has guts exposed or can't run away from them.

5. You mean, gestation of the females or of the eggs after they are laid? Females usually lay their eggs within one season, which season depends on the species in question, (it's usually the time of year when the adults are most common I believe). Depending on the species, you may need to provide adults with a diapause to induce egg laying, you basically have to mimic each season. Eggs, once laid, usually hatch within a week or two.

6. Yes, adults will kill and eat larvae, you need to separate the eggs once you see them. Place them in a deli cup with a thin layer of moist substrate, and check them daily and remove any larvae or moldy eggs you find. Larvae will need to be kept individually too BTW, preferably in small deli cups, with some moist substrate for burrowing, and you'll need to pre-kill all their prey and place it right next to a wall so they can find it easily. Some species overwinter as larvae, and for those species you'll need to provide your larvae with a diapause after the first instar or so for them to develop properly.

7. Pterostichus are pretty dang secretive IMO, you probably won't see a ton of them.