billrogers
Arachnoknight
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2016
- Messages
- 216
For years I have wanted to visit Payson, Arizona. For those who don't know, collectors from all over the country come to Payson in August and September to collect beetles. Specifically Dynastes granti. If anyone is considering going, do it. It was awesome. It lived up 100% to its beetle reputation.
I have kept and bred Dynastes tityus for a few years (you can read about how I got them here: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/my-dynastes-tityus-story.286374/), but I have always wanted to have the Dynastes granti.
On Friday, when I got home from school my dad and I started driving. We live pretty far away so we didn't get there until after 10. We then drove around beetle hunting until after 12. Let me just say that the best spot to beetle hunt is in the Home Depot parking lot. It's on the north side of the town (which is more forested than the south). The library (which is kind of on the east) was the only other place we found anything (I found three Dynastes granti there!). Home Depot had Longhorns, Xyloryctes thestalus, Chrysina gloriosa, some sort of Carabidae beetles, and Dynastes granti. There were billions of Xyloryctes thestalus. They were everywhere! There were also a good amount of insects that looked like owl flies (idk what they were) and a few sphinx months at the lights.
Besides insects, on our drive we saw a squirrel, a flock of turkeys, what looked like an owl, a fox, a herd of deer, a herd of elk or something (not deer), an unknown small animal with a death wish (it ran in front of the car and we barely missed it), and a bunch of bats. The mountains around Payson are a wildlife hotspot! Besides animals, there are so many beautiful trees! It's amazing up there!
The final beetle count is:
1.1.0 Chrysina gloriosa (I'm guessing gender based on body size)
5.4.0 Dynastes granti
2.1.0 Xyloryctes thestalus
I also found two dead (well, one was dying) Dynastes granti, and two dead Chrysina gloriosa.
Here are the pics!
Tenebrionidae sp.
I found this guy under a light. Any idea on what the species could be?
Chrysina gloriosa
Xyloryctes thestalus
Here are the males:
And here is the female. She would not hold still so this is the best pic I could get (Terrible, I know).
Dynastes granti
Female #1
Female #2
I can only attach 10 files
I'll ad another post
I have kept and bred Dynastes tityus for a few years (you can read about how I got them here: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/my-dynastes-tityus-story.286374/), but I have always wanted to have the Dynastes granti.
On Friday, when I got home from school my dad and I started driving. We live pretty far away so we didn't get there until after 10. We then drove around beetle hunting until after 12. Let me just say that the best spot to beetle hunt is in the Home Depot parking lot. It's on the north side of the town (which is more forested than the south). The library (which is kind of on the east) was the only other place we found anything (I found three Dynastes granti there!). Home Depot had Longhorns, Xyloryctes thestalus, Chrysina gloriosa, some sort of Carabidae beetles, and Dynastes granti. There were billions of Xyloryctes thestalus. They were everywhere! There were also a good amount of insects that looked like owl flies (idk what they were) and a few sphinx months at the lights.
Besides insects, on our drive we saw a squirrel, a flock of turkeys, what looked like an owl, a fox, a herd of deer, a herd of elk or something (not deer), an unknown small animal with a death wish (it ran in front of the car and we barely missed it), and a bunch of bats. The mountains around Payson are a wildlife hotspot! Besides animals, there are so many beautiful trees! It's amazing up there!
The final beetle count is:
1.1.0 Chrysina gloriosa (I'm guessing gender based on body size)
5.4.0 Dynastes granti
2.1.0 Xyloryctes thestalus
I also found two dead (well, one was dying) Dynastes granti, and two dead Chrysina gloriosa.
Here are the pics!
Tenebrionidae sp.
I found this guy under a light. Any idea on what the species could be?
Chrysina gloriosa
Xyloryctes thestalus
Here are the males:
And here is the female. She would not hold still so this is the best pic I could get (Terrible, I know).
Dynastes granti
Female #1
Female #2
I can only attach 10 files
I'll ad another post
Last edited:
