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Post by abeldanger on May 10, 2022 21:57:38 GMT -8
Pardon my ignorance. My children have Bess beetles (short horned stag beetles) that they received for a school assignment. When the assignment ended, they were given the option of releasing the beetles or keeping them. My boys fell in love with their bugs, so we made them lovely little terrariums and they’re thriving, but we’re running into a problem. We’re not sure where to find more rotting wood for them to eat. They each came with a 3-4” thick rotting oak branch, but the bugs have eaten most of that and we’re not sure how to get more. I read that they can also eat hickory, and I have some hickory wood chips (chips, NOT pellets) that I use for my smoker. Can they eat those? I fear the wood might be treated with something that would be harmful to them but I can’t find any information on what might be in the wood.
Thoughts or suggestions?
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Post by nomihoudai on May 11, 2022 0:03:22 GMT -8
Hi, do you live nearby a forest? If so I would suggest to see if there is an oak forest nearby and go for a walk. Check the logs and wood on the ground to see if they are white and soft inside. We call this 'white rot wood'. I think your beetles will need this type of wood.
Otherwise you might google online if you can buy some 'white rot wood' online. There is beetle breeders all over the world, so there might be a shop nearby.
I don't think that the wood chips are the right type of wood as they are dried. The beetles need soft wood that has been changed by fungi. Anyone feel free to correct me if I am wrong. I did have some beetles as pets, but I don't have extensive experience with them.
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Post by livingplanet3 on May 11, 2022 11:35:23 GMT -8
Bess beetles need decayed wood. They won't be able to eat raw hickory chips. You can feed them on a product called "flake soil", which is prepared specifically for rearing beetles. There aren't very many suppliers of such in the US, but one of them is - bugsincyberspace.com/product/oak-flake-soil/ |
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