foreign insect with crix

[thisgal]

Has anyone ever found anything other than crickets in with your crickets? I've gotten a couple batches where most of the crickets seem to die pretty quickly, and then I'll notice a little bug in there (that I'm POSITIVE wasn't in there when I purchased them, or too small to see).

This little bug is about 1/4 of an inch long, and is shaped like a ladybug larvae. It's got hairs on it, and it's black. I put two of them in a separate container and gave them some cricket food. They declined to eat it, and instead proceeded to pupate. After a couple days, they emerged as little black beetles, and the only thing they'll eat is dead crickets!

What are these things, and why do they kill the crickets?!!:?

 

[Scorp guy]

Wow, i found that exact same thing Really, i have no idea what they are, but they are far too small to kill crickets, even pinheads. my guess is that they keep domething else in there, and it gets in there by accident. It never killed any of my crickets though.

 

[thisgal]

Well, I can't say they eat live crix, but I can say that every single time I have a mysterious mass of cricket deaths within a few days, I always find one of these things in larval form.

 

[kraken]

They only eat the dead crickets,thats why you see them with cricket deaths.They turn into a small black flying (very short distance) beetle.They dont kill the crickets.And yes,they generally do come with your crickets one way or another.I always get them with them.

 

[MattM]

I once had a spider with web in one of the cricket containers
Seems that it didnt had any luck tho

And as far of the "worms", do find them myself too sometimes. some flying bugger comes out of it. I raised it to see what it would become.

 

[G. Carnell]

hahahhahah yea

whenever i open my crix tubs, these beetles fly out of them!

i kill them all.. but thats beside the point, theyre annoying and cheeky!

 

[thisgal]

I once had a spider with web in one of the cricket containers
Seems that it didnt had any luck tho

And as far of the "worms", do find them myself too sometimes. some flying bugger comes out of it. I raised it to see what it would become.

What I meant was I see dead crickets, then I find the "worms," and the worms ARE the beetles, just the larval stage.

So is it just a reeeeeally strange coincidence that the larvae are only found after a bunch of crickets die? I was thinking maybe the beetles are parasitic egg-layers, or something! I'm telling you guys, something to do with these beetle larvae has something to do with the dead crickets! No larvae in the batch of crix, no deaths.

 

[Gigas]

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=71880keep up,

 

[Prymal]

Dermestid beetle larvae (Coleoptera).

These are awesome clean-up machines and if you keep them in your cricket colonies they'll feed on dead crickets. They're harmless flesh-eaters and when numbers get too high (larvae and adult beetles) in my cricket enclosures i've even used them as prey for smaller scorpions. The scorpions accepted them without problem.
Also, many commercial rearers of feeder insects use them to clean-up dead specimens and they're also used by museums to remove flesh from bones, etc! Just yummy!!!

They're harmless.

Luc

 

[thisgal]

Well, that's just weird. How do they end up in all these batches of crickets? And what's the connection between these and the mass cricket deaths I've gotten?

 

[r8frazer]

Hehe yeh that thread is mine.. I made a quick visit to the T section to ask about it cos theres more of them and more chance of an answer lol

Dermestid beetle it is then lol, I spotted one about two days ago

 

[Prymal]

Thisgal,

Unfortunately, the dermestids associated with commercially reared feeder insects are saprophagous scavengers feeding on dead and decaying animal matter and do not feed on living prey.
Commercial rearers (I do the same) introduce these scavengers into breeding troughs to eliminate dead and decaying crickets to avoid the potential risk of diseases, parasites (nematodes) and other undesirable organisms infecting live-stock and being passed on to the animals of customers.
Museums utilize the beetles and their larvae to clean skulls and bones. Unlike chemical methods, these cleaning machines do not damage or destroy bones.
As to why you experienced such a large die-off, I have no idea unless you acquired adult crickets, which tend to die in short order? The beetles and their larvae are harmless to crickets and other feeder insects. I've been using them for about a year to keep my roach and cricket troughs clean and i've yet to experience any losses as you mention in my cultures.

Luc

 

[Prymal]

Frazer,

Hmm...I think overall, we're a fairly intelligent lot (us scorp people) AND we do it all without the schoolyard brawlin', cussin' & cryin' plus, we make it look soooooo damn easy when we're doin' it! LOL

Luc

 

[r8frazer]

Hehe agreed Luc, Scorpion keepers are far superior!

But, Im in the UK and tend to be on when others are not (its 2am right now for me), and as noone was around in the scorp forum, i went to the darkside where there was lots of activity due to the shear number of T people.. and they all use crix too!

 

[Prymal]

Frazer,

It's not that i'm so arrogant to presume that scorpion keepers are far superior to tarantula keepers. It's just that we tend to be a more level-headed and even-tempered lot and despite the incredibly vast wealth of knowledge possessed by many on AB - scorp section (Eric, Alex, Nikos, Oliver, John, Dave and a host of others too numerous to name), no one ever comes across as some arachno-guru desiring to flame and engage everyone with a different ideology or way of doing things!

Luc

 

[Scorpfanatic]

i feed them to my babay scorplings as i can find them in my roach colony... scorplings eems tolove it espacially the chearilus rectimanus ! i even breed them sperately in another container! hahaha anyother kind fo feeders... now that you guys have bring up the topi then i realise imnot not the only! hehehe

 

[Prymal]

Walton,

Small scorps love the larvae and the beetles. Been using the larvae to supplement the diet of my young O. asper and Mesobuthus spp.

Luc

 

[Scorpfanatic]

only problem i dislike about them is that they burrow alot and fast !

but they sure provide as very juicy and nutriention fooD!

 

[bugmankeith]

Dermestid beetles are used in museums to clean the flesh off of bones that they put on exhibit, they are amazing scavengers, and if you have a few thousand, alot of people will be willing to buy them, especially if they like to preserve or collect bones.