Darkling beetle/meal worm adult toxic to Ts?

[Cycle of Chaos]

So I just went in my reptile room to spray my Ts and noticed my adult female versicolor was eating a darkling beetle. Im not sure how it got in there as I dont feed my T's mealworms often due to the worms escaping. I know the beetles are related to stinkbugs and release chemicals. Could this harm my girl at all? I tried to make her drop it, but she ran in her web and is still munching on it. Ive had reptiles eat the beetles before but never any of my tarantulas.

 

[antinous]

Darkling beetles are not toxic to Ts, some eat them, some don't.

 

[Cycle of Chaos]

Great thank you, just wanted to make sure.

 

[Teal]

My Ts all scoff at darkling beetles...but I had a versi who loved isopods. Silly spiders!

 

[lazarus]

Darkling beetles are not closely related to stink bugs, they are in the order Coleoptera while stink bugs are in the order Hemiptera.
I do occasionally feed T. molitor beetles (and pupae as well) to some of my Ts but only before their exoskeleton is hardened (while they are still white or light brown). I think I've read somewhere that their nutritional value is lower than the larvae but they are not harmful for the T.

 

[buzz182]

She'll be fine I wish some of mine would eat the beetles but they show zero interest in them.

 

[antinous]

their nutritional value is lower than the larvae but they are not harmful for the T.

I thought they’d have a higher nutritional value as they have more specialized organs and such. Then again this is just an assumption, not doubting you or anything.

 

[buzz182]

I thought they’d have a higher nutritional value as they have more specialized organs and such. Then again this is just an assumption, not doubting you or anything.

The meal worms have a higher energy value 206 calories per 100g compared to the beetles 139 calories per 100g, In addition to this I would estimate that less time and energy is wasted when eating the mealworm aswell as having less waste.