D. tityus grub question

[kitty_b]

so i have ~20 d. tityus grubs, all 2"+. recently, i have seen some of them near the surface. moisture levels appear fine. i'm going to bake the last of my fine rotten wood mulch and mix it into the tank (currently organic compost + mulch) so they have more food available.

my question is, could there be another reason for them surfacing? they seem healthy and active. they apartment is kept around a steady 74 F or so.

 

[kitty_b]

ok, it looks like it's most likely a combination of food shortage and overcrowding as they have gotten bigger. i'm going to bake up a few batches of compost and mulch and move them from the 10 gallon into a 20 gallon.

orin, your book is a life saver!

 

[BeetleExperienc]

How frequently are they surfacing and how deep is your substrate? Do they surface and just sit in one place for a long time? If it's just one grub every once in a while they are probably fine. Another thing to check would be lack of oxygen.


Steven

 

[kitty_b]

it was one grub out of a while. then the other day it was two at the surface. the substrate is now down to 6" or so due to consumption of the mulch.

i've got more compost baking right now. unfortunately, i just realized i'm out of wood mulch, so i'm going to have to find a seller.

 

[auroborus]

hey, have you dealt with the adult beetle? I was wondering how often do they make there stink? or that something thats avoidable?

 

[BeetleExperienc]

Auroborus,

I know the one you mean quite well but have grown accustom to it (I also keep my beetles in the other side of the house, which helps). I seem to notice it most soon after placing fresh food in the containers.