7 replies to this topic

[AntsMaryland]

Do Dermestid beetles make good feeder insects for ants? Just curious. They seem like a cool beetle to keep.

[Ants4fun]

I think the larvae would be ok. Beetles usually have chemical defenses that make them unpalatable to ants.

 

Apparently, the larvae are used as tarantula feeders, so I don't see why not.

[AntsAreUs]

It depends on what kind of dermestid beetles you get. Some reproduce very slowly.

[dermy]

It depends on what kind of dermestid beetles you get. Some reproduce very slowly.

Yeah I agree it really depends on the species, as well as how you are feeding them. I wouldn't use any Attagenus or Anthrenus [Carpet beetles] as feeders because it takes them somewhere between 4 months to even years to go through the life stages. [I have a 4 year old colony that just barely broke the 1 thousand mark.......] also they aren't as big as other Dermestid species are.

 

Something else to be concerned would be the hairs, some species not only poses these hairs but also spines at the end of the larvae that are curved [some like Dermestes lardarius are curved in such a way that they can actually spike you as they wiggle around trying to get away from you] some people are allergic [me included, but that doesn't stop me] to the hairs and frass of Dermestids. Even if you aren't allergic now you can randomly develop this allergy in a few months/years of exposure to them.

 

The best species to use would probably be Dermestes atar or Dermestes maculata [these are common as skull cleaning beetles but have fun getting them, most people only seem to sell them in the thousands as skull cleaning beetles] since they reproduce relatively quickly [usually 45 days per cycle] and don't have the problem I've experinced with Dermestes lardarius of not breeding in the winter [I've tried for 6 years and still have never gotten them to breed for me in the winter so I've since given up, I've even tried hibernating them one year and it STILL didn't work....]

There is also the very real problem of escapees, there is a "the beetles won't fly under 80F" myth out there that I only think applies to Dermestes maculata, [I don't have experience with this particular species sorry :|  ] because other Dermestes species will fly readily at room temps. When I kept Dermestes lardarius they were really good at flying. They don't even need any kind of point to fly they just straight up fly right up. They have also been known to infest people's houses sometimes so you gotta be really careful with that, they are technically pests after-all.

Dermestes lardarius is the species I often find in cat food bags from stores sometimes.

At least you know feeding the beetles wouldn't be too hard, since they will eat literally almost anything, such as dry dog food [look out for mites they can literally kill colonies of beetles fairly quickly] and other food scraps. Make sure you give them variety if you are gonna use them as feeders since what they eat will be what the ants will get in the long run.

You also need to provide them with some water, such as a wet but not soaking paper towel or cotton ball, just make absolute sure it never touches the food or it'll either get moldy or attract mites. Providing a water source helps a lot with female egg production, as I've learned from many sites/research papers I've read over the years.

 

I wouldn't recommend them as a stable food source since they don't really have much "meat" on them compared to other feeders like mealworms/superworms. I've never fed my ants any Dermestids because I wouldn't wanna waste any of mine since they take forever for me to get up in size anyway.

[AntsMaryland]

 

It depends on what kind of dermestid beetles you get. Some reproduce very slowly.

Yeah I agree it really depends on the species, as well as how you are feeding them. I wouldn't use any Attagenus or Anthrenus [Carpet beetles] as feeders because it takes them somewhere between 4 months to even years to go through the life stages. [I have a 4 year old colony that just barely broke the 1 thousand mark.......] also they aren't as big as other Dermestid species are.

 

Something else to be concerned would be the hairs, some species not only poses these hairs but also spines at the end of the larvae that are curved [some like Dermestes lardarius are curved in such a way that they can actually spike you as they wiggle around trying to get away from you] some people are allergic [me included, but that doesn't stop me] to the hairs and frass of Dermestids. Even if you aren't allergic now you can randomly develop this allergy in a few months/years of exposure to them.

 

The best species to use would probably be Dermestes atar or Dermestes maculata [these are common as skull cleaning beetles but have fun getting them, most people only seem to sell them in the thousands as skull cleaning beetles] since they reproduce relatively quickly [usually 45 days per cycle] and don't have the problem I've experinced with Dermestes lardarius of not breeding in the winter [I've tried for 6 years and still have never gotten them to breed for me in the winter so I've since given up, I've even tried hibernating them one year and it STILL didn't work....]

There is also the very real problem of escapees, there is a "the beetles won't fly under 80F" myth out there that I only think applies to Dermestes maculata, [I don't have experience with this particular species sorry :|  ] because other Dermestes species will fly readily at room temps. When I kept Dermestes lardarius they were really good at flying. They don't even need any kind of point to fly they just straight up fly right up. They have also been known to infest people's houses sometimes so you gotta be really careful with that, they are technically pests after-all.

Dermestes lardarius is the species I often find in cat food bags from stores sometimes.

At least you know feeding the beetles wouldn't be too hard, since they will eat literally almost anything, such as dry dog food [look out for mites they can literally kill colonies of beetles fairly quickly] and other food scraps. Make sure you give them variety if you are gonna use them as feeders since what they eat will be what the ants will get in the long run.

You also need to provide them with some water, such as a wet but not soaking paper towel or cotton ball, just make absolute sure it never touches the food or it'll either get moldy or attract mites. Providing a water source helps a lot with female egg production, as I've learned from many sites/research papers I've read over the years.

 

I wouldn't recommend them as a stable food source since they don't really have much "meat" on them compared to other feeders like mealworms/superworms. I've never fed my ants any Dermestids because I wouldn't wanna waste any of mine since they take forever for me to get up in size anyway.

 

Thanks.

 

I currently breed mealworms and plan on breeding crickets (for the fun of it). I'm interested in breeding Dermestid beetles by the sheer interest in them. I just wanted to know if they could also be fed to ants.

 

Thanks.

[dermy]

 

 

Thanks.

 

I currently breed mealworms and plan on breeding crickets (for the fun of it). I'm interested in breeding Dermestid beetles by the sheer interest in them. I just wanted to know if they could also be fed to ants.

 

Thanks.

They are pretty fun to mess around with, especially if you can get a species that breed faster. Dermestes atar are the usual "worms" that you get with crickets sometimes, but it still might take a bit to get a colony going from just those. Although definitely not as long as 4 years .

 

 

 

[AntsMaryland]

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

I currently breed mealworms and plan on breeding crickets (for the fun of it). I'm interested in breeding Dermestid beetles by the sheer interest in them. I just wanted to know if they could also be fed to ants.

 

Thanks.

They are pretty fun to mess around with, especially if you can get a species that breed faster. Dermestes atar are the usual "worms" that you get with crickets sometimes, but it still might take a bit to get a colony going from just those. Although definitely not as long as 4 years .

 

I got into this interest by literally going to a Sushi place. Looking at some raw fish and meats and stuff over the counter where they were making the Sushi.

 

And I immediately thought, "ooh Dermestid beetles would be fun to keep..."

 

Ironic...

[123LordOfAnts123]

I’ve included Dermestes maculata in my mature roach colonies for a few years now. They proliferate on insect carcasses and seem to wither away slowly without a constant supply of fresh dead roaches, as is often the case in small or newly started roach cultures. I consider this a good thing, however, as my previous preferred insect janitor - the lesser mealworm - thrived on the same food the roaches did. As such their numbers occasionally exploded to the annoyance of the roaches, and when crowded they WILL take flight. Even your average mealworm beetle will fly; even in healthy colonies I still get a few adults who seem to want nothing more to disperse. I’ve yet to witness this in D. maculata. They’ve been an integral resource in the prevention of phorid flies, which are the bane of any large roach bin.

As for their use as feeders, they’ve proved less versatile than their janitorial counterparts the lesser mealworm. (which is essentially a smaller, active, more plump mealworm that breeds with the speed of light) Their setae are rather thick and stiff past the first couple of instars and most ants but the most voracious would have difficulty overcoming them. Instars 1-2 still possess short hairs and may be used for ants with some success. For me, larvae of all sizes have proved excellent feeders for small tarantulas. Interestingly, the adults don’t seem to possess any sort of chemical defense, or at least none noticeable to the nose as is common in many Tenebriodae. Crushed adults have proven well liked, particularly for ant species that tolerate chitinous prey low in moisture, such as Pogonomyrmex or Dorymyrmex.

Edited by 123LordOfAnts123, March 31 2018 - 7:19 PM.