Dermestid beetles and assassin bugs

[KalimAka]

Can you keep dermestid beetles with assassin bugs, specifically P. biguttatus?

 

[Acro]

You can, but the assassin bugs will eat the beetles. It won't be a long term cohabitation.

 

[KalimAka]

You can, but the assassin bugs will eat the beetles. It won't be a long term cohabitation.

Huh, I would have thought they would be too small for the assassin bugs to be too interested in.

 

[Matts inverts]

The assassin bugs will eat anything that’s about their size or smaller. They might eat the larvae. It might last but you will lose a ton of them to predation from the assassin bugs. People keep isopods with them so it might work though.

 

[Acro]

The adults may overlook them, but assassin nymphs will eat the beetles and larvae.

 

[chanda]

Yes, you can keep them together. I have dropped the hitchhiking dermestid larvae from my cricket bags in with my P. biguttatus, and they've established a thriving population, despite predation by the assassin nymphs. They breed very quickly and the beetle population just keeps increasing. (Also, the beetles and larvae spend the majority of the time buried in the substrate, affording them some escape from the assassins.)

In addition to serving as feeders for the assassin nymphs, the beetles and their larvae also double as a cleaning crew, finishing off the cricket husks that the assassins leave behind. One thing I did notice was that with the increased beetle population, there was a decrease in the number of assassin nymphs - though I don't know if the beetles or their larvae were feeding on the eggs or on newly-hatched or molting nymphs, or if the nymphs were being eaten by the adult assassins, or if there was too much competition for food - or if there was something else going on. In any case, the assassins also breed prolifically, so neither population is dwindling!

 

[KalimAka]

Thank you all for your assistance.

 

[Acro]

Yes, you can keep them together. I have dropped the hitchhiking dermestid larvae from my cricket bags in with my P. biguttatus, and they've established a thriving population, despite predation by the assassin nymphs. They breed very quickly and the beetle population just keeps increasing. (Also, the beetles and larvae spend the majority of the time buried in the substrate, affording them some escape from the assassins.)

In addition to serving as feeders for the assassin nymphs, the beetles and their larvae also double as a cleaning crew, finishing off the cricket husks that the assassins leave behind. One thing I did notice was that with the increased beetle population, there was a decrease in the number of assassin nymphs - though I don't know if the beetles or their larvae were feeding on the eggs or on newly-hatched or molting nymphs, or if the nymphs were being eaten by the adult assassins, or if there was too much competition for food - or if there was something else going on. In any case, the assassins also breed prolifically, so neither population is dwindling!

Super interesting, thanks for posting your experience!

 

[Joey Spijkers]

I’ve had good experiences with mealworms too.