Thanks! I might throw some music behind the one at the tail end of the video, actually. I know just the song too which hearkens back to one of the first videos I uploaded on my original UA-cam channel where I didn't babble on so much and only had music in the background of my bug vids. Hard to believe, huh? ;)
Thank you for addressing the "organic" definition. As somebody with an agricultural degree, it's very frustrating to see the broad assumption that "organic" means "no pesticides or nasty chemicals".
I had a lot to say on the topic as they are sooo common in our lives for so long now and most people never think about them or how long the residues can stick around. Thanks Trevor!
Well done, Peter. I was particularly interested in your discussion of pesticides, the different types and how they compare. This is something I have always been concerned about since we really have no control over food production. Love the beetles and the velvet ants. They are very pretty and fun to watch. Neat video. Glad the vinegar worked well for you.
Thanks again for that vinegar tip and somebody else mentioned mixing some salt in with it here in today's comments! That link in the caption about organic pesticides is just amazing in how many types are used on crops and what they do to just a few of the bugs they are not intended for.
Wow, I have never wanted a beetle setup more than after watching this video! It just looks like so much fun! You really paint some beautiful pictures with your narration just like good ol' Bob Ross! Maybe next time I can come help you with the camera. Lost you in the frame a bit! I do love the contrast of the different creatures in the tank. So much to look at and enjoy! Happy 4th, Peter!😊❤💥💥💥💥❤😊
Yeah, that annoyed me too with the lost frame in several segments but between the two videos I spent the better part of 3 days making them. Was pretty disappointed in myself when watching them back. It's unimaginable how much work and time goes into these videos for people not used to making them. Most bug videos on youtube are comparably short. My focus is on quality information more so than perfection in the videos. And when I make a mistake it's easier to accept it, explain it and move forward (which is the only direction anyway). Perhaps perfection will come later, but not while I'm putting 16 hours into my business 7 days per week. And a happy 4th to you, Luz! Set up a tank and I'll send you a couple beetles for free.
@@bugsincyberspace I completely understand, Peter! I know how much time you put into these videos. You are very thorough and that is why as a newbie I am seriously considering putting up a beetle tank. Hey, remember I offered to work the canera!😉 Looking forward to your next video!
Thanks T! I almost included another clip of me going to bugguide again and seeing one of your teneb ID's. It literally happened again but this video was only ever supposed to have one part and it just kept getting longer and longer.
Excellent tips and discussion in this video! I love this series! I have you to thank for piquing my interest in a desert communal invertebrate setup a few years ago...and I have thoroughly enjoyed it every since!
Thanks Rus! About as close as we bug keepers can come to having a fish tank in terms of activity levels. Feeding time is always fun and lasts a lot longer than, say, a tarantula strike!
Thanks for the video! Its always awesome to be able to see your little ones in a more realistic type enclosure and see them behave in a more natural way. The next pet bug Im hoping to have are a few Blue death feigning bettles. They are really neat little guys. Have a great day!
BDFB season is kicking off here shortly and then they'll be available through the remainder of the year if prior years are any indicator. Thanks Danielle! I'll be collapsing that tank shortly. I need to invest in some various tanks for "how to" project like this...maybe ones without calcium deposits, melted edges and cracks! ;)
Salt too, thank you! All of my own tanks are functional rather than display ones and so I never make them too pretty but this is a helpful tip and I really appreciate your sharing it with all of us!
It's a new UA-cam feature that will probably be very helpful since my videos tend to run more than a little on the too long for one sitting side. Thanks Wayne!
Bugs In Cyberspace I actually have a blue death feigning beetle and 2 darkling beetles that I caught in my yard. I didn’t even know I had death feigning beetles local to me so that was super exciting. Currently they are in small simple setups but now I want to do a show tank with them. 😀
I just love those and have kept them in tanks in the past. A lot of succulents need more light than we can typically provide for them in our tanks but I 100% agree that a dream desert vivarium includes multiple species of Lithops!
Not much, it’s hard to come up with ideas when you aren’t allowed to do much because places are closed and your stuck at home but still making the vids for my UA-cam channel. Is there anything interesting your working on 😄
FYI organics still can use pesticides, but usually use natural pesticides. It is recommended that you wash all fruits and vegetables in plain warm water.
This topic was covered at length in the video with respect to organic pesticides and also mentioned in the caption but we cannot repeat it enough, thank you. Always wash any produce that is going into any mouth, including your own! ;)
It can be done. You'd probably want moisture in the lower levels but not necessarily at the surface. And you'd probably not want to run a heat lamp on top unless the lamp was quite a distance from the substrate's surface, and more on one side of a large tank than the other.
Very informative, Peter! Great job explaining why the pesticides can be so harmful. I loved seeing them all in the same tank looking like a busy freeway! Lol Do you compost, by chance?
I have in the past composted but I do not do so presently. I do blatticompost to some extent. When I have leftover produce I feed it to my roaches, isopods, millipedes and some other bugs as you will have seen in some past videos, no doubt. Thank you for commenting and I'll have to incorporate more time lapse clips into my videos. I really enjoy them too!
@@bugsincyberspace Oh yeah I see now. I figured it would be something you would be into given all that marvelous greenery you have close by and with the materials you sell on your site! Yes, yes, more time-lapse videos! Love them!🙂
I really like the pie dish beetles. I wonder what that "pie dish" shape helps them do. They kind of remind me of Heterosilpha ramosa, the Garden Carrion Beetle, which I nicknamed "Mouse Beetles" because when they clean their face they look like little mice, and they also have a wickedly strong bite for how small their mouthparts are. It's cool that desert hairy scorpions can live with the beetles. Do they just ignore them?
I had no idea that the carrion beetles bit, or where called mouse beetles. I always appreciate the opportunities to learn and then pass the info on. Thanks LOTR! Your question is a good one. I know there are beetles in the Namib Desert that allow droplets of water to form on them in the night air to give them a drink there in the arid areas they live in, but I'm pretty sure these beetles didn't evolve to tempt somebody to make a blackberry pie in them! Perhaps the answer is out there on Google, or maybe InvertebrateDude will come along and drop some knowledge on us about them!
@@bugsincyberspace Pretty sure nobody else calls them Mouse Beetles, I just called them that before I knew what they were called because they resemble mice, and their mouthparts are so small that they can't really bite you when you handle them unless you pretty much let them. I was bit while handling one because it thought I smelled good and decided to have a little taste, and it felt kind of like a wasp sting it was such a powerful little chomp xD They seem to be mostly carnivorous and love to eat flies (adult flies, they need to be held down for the beetle to grab), and I read a related species likes maggots, actually arriving at a carcass to burrow into it and eat the maggots out. They also have a "lock jaw" mechanism where they can grab onto prey and no matter how much it struggles the beetle can hold on, it's very interesting to watch them eat.
If it is a 2.5 tall rather than wide, the floor space may be a bit small. I suspect that it is probably just find though. Often the beetles congregate under a piece of bark, etc. And then as the day wears on and even approaches they become active and wander in search of food, etc. Mostly, it's the keeper's eye that judges what looks right to them in terms of spacing and based on how often the beetles are encountering each other. This itself can be interesting to watch.
Excellent question! In a video I made back in February about a trip to the California desert I collected some desert springtails. I am currently working to expand my breeding population of them and if all goes well they will be part of a clean up crew in future desert themed bioactive tanks!
I'd recommend a tank where it can burrow with a substrate and perhaps a hide of some kind that will prevent collapse, like if you half bury a piece of cork bark, etc. The density of the substrate should help to retain some moisture without changing shape as it moistens and dries, and sand helps with this. Loose material like coconut fiber should be avoided as a base for the substrate, although they are okay as a partial ingredient. A very small water dish with a handful of pebbles sunk in will allow the scorpion to take a drink if it wants to, without drowning. Not everybody provides them the opportunity to burrow, but of course they do in nature. Many will just moisten the substrate a bit now and then and provide an above ground hide on a too-shallow substrate. It works and you'll see your pet more often, but it reflects the minimalist approach to proper care.
@@culturalwheat6682 In a perfect world you collect substrate/soil near to where you found the scorpion. When uncertain, I like to use a mix of soil and sand and keeping in mind the area it was found in as you mix things up. Stripedtails are one of the classically kept species in the hobby and they are not terribly picky in terms of what they accept, though it should be the goal of each keeper to most accurately replicate the habitats they occur in. And yes, as those two species occur in similar areas their care is similar although it is quite likely the desert hairies burrow in deeper.
Love your stuff! Do you think a larger scorpion species like a desert hairy (or even emperor) scorpion could live communally with blue or smooth death feigning beetles? Or do you think the larger the scorpion they may try attacking DFBs?
Desert hairy scorpions are actually the most tried and true communal scorpion for blue death feigning beetles, however emperor scorpions have higher humidity needs and so you'd really need a large tank with a humid side and a dry side and even then it would be new territory with no precedence that I know of. Great questions, Logan, and thank you for contributing to the conversation!
There’s a few problems I see when keeping the blue death feigning beetles with my scorpions, my scorpions seem extra stressed and the beetles keep falling into the water dish. It is also possible that the beetles could eat a scorpion as it molts, if superworms and their adult forms do it, then these might too as they are related.
Been thinking about doing a really big desert terrarium with the scorpions, beetles, some Jerusalem crickets, trapdoor spiders, trapjaw ants, small desert ants, ants lions and some isos and springtails. Curious how well it'd work out tbh. Also would want it to have a section that gets flooded in the wet season dries up in dry.
My H. petersii scorp has munched on several darklings (superworms that got away into the substrate) - so they will definitely prey on them. Not ideal, but it happens :|
I wouldn't recommend it for most of the typically available scarabs/dung beetles. They tend to require more moisture and it's likely the larvae of the beetles showcased in this video would disturb molting or pupating scarab larvae if you weren't digging them out. Now, adults could be together just fine but the lifespans of scarabs are typically reduced considerably in a dry tank. Great question, thanks!
You mentioned fake plants. I wasn't sure if you stated if they were okay or not in the video. Will the beetles try to nibble on the plastic? Will they completely ignore it? Is it best to have no plastic in the tank?
They will likely ignore plastic entirely unless it happens to be moist for some reason and then they take a little drink off it. Fake plants are totally okay! Great question, Phil!
I thought the blue death were not meant for to much moisture? I want to breed them for me and my friends but I don't want to kill or hurt them. Really what should I do?
Hey! Great video! Are there any other scorpions you could recommend housing with death feigning beetles? I have a desert setup in a 5 gallon tank. Thank you :) (also do you know where to get pestizide free compost? Or does hummus from the forest also work?)
What type of desert sand do you recommend I feed mine beetle jelly and they step in it and get sticky and the sand sticks to them I probably need some sort of alternative but don’t know what
I go into detail on the sand options in part 1 and there is a timestamp in the description area of that video for you to get where you need to go. Here is a direct link, if it works... ua-cam.com/video/yDCrbibs7aM/v-deo.html Thanks TAA!
Cleaning it is really pretty optional. For starters, you can't really see their frass. If you look really hard and it's bothering you, simply take a spoon and turn the top layer of substrate under a bit. Good for another year (or years). In other words, because it is a dry environment it will not mold or become a health issue for the beetles. And so it's really up to the keeper (you) to decide when you want to give the substrate a turn, or shovel off the top layer and replace it, or do a full substrate change. Thank you for your questions, Nikita!
I have just finished my tank for blue death beetles, I added an succulent without washing it. Should I take the succulent out or will they be ok. I have one week until they come. I left the succulent in the plastic pot it came in.
It's a risk. You can contact the sell of the plant and ask if them if pesticides are used at any point on plant or soil, and then cross your fingers that they knew what they were talking about. Tough call!
I would not recommend keeping them together and it may surprise you to hear me say that it's because the velvet ants might harm the scorpions. Velvet ants have a very thick cuticle despite looking soft and fuzzy. If a scorpion were to pinch a velvet ant and bring it to it's mouth, it might get a very powerful sting that could harm it. It is not clear as to how velvet ant stings affect different scorpion species but velvet ants do have a shockingly long and thin stinger that they can move around and direct to sting their would be predators, and repeatedly! Against humans it is one of the most powerful insect stings known!
One of a million good links about organic pesticides and how they can affect just a few pollinating insects can be found here. Remember why they put pesticides on the foods grown for us to eat in the first place, whether organic pesticides or not. It's to deter insects. And also, do you really think farms are always perfectly following the instructions for application? The insect is the enemy. In my experience, desert beetles and possibly millipedes are especially sensitive to pesticides. Read this link... xerces.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/13-053_04_Organic-Approved%20Pesticides_web.pdf
lol, you got me on this one. Desert beetles are the prey of rodents in nature and so I wouldn't probably risk a beloved gerbil with one as the beetles have defenses even we don't fully understand against their predators. Velvet ants should definitely not be kept with gerbils and probably not even scorpions.
not sure about the VA's, sorry and ironclads are always in short supply. I can always make up desert substrate. Just listing it here and there lately because we are short on time these days, due to world events and my increased commitment to making videos. Thanks B and I'll list some now!
@@michaelchao313 lol, such a bold question. It's been more than a minute but I believe I collected the punctulatus (now listed as punctulatum on bugguide...though I am not in favor of the change so much lol) myself. The story behind my M. sleeperi is a fantastic one, too rich for answering in a mere youtube comment. However, if you send me some M. vogti I will regale you with tale about gypsies, tramps, thieves and one very unassuming beetle specimen. ;)
@@bugsincyberspace At this moment my megasoma vogti colony is down to five larvae since my female already laid half her eggs in the wild. I can send you one larvae after my larvae mature a little more and I can be sure I'll have at least one pair. If you want more vogti larvae you can wait a year till I can breed my vogti and get more larvae.
I have 3 Velvet Ants in a typical 20gal glass aquarium. They climb glass very comfortably... but I apply a very light, 1 1/2in('ish) strip of petroleum jelly(Vaseline) around the rim of the enclosure. I don't even keep a lid on the enclosure, because they are completely incapable passing the the petroleum jelly. They'll just sort of work their way around the glass, scratching at the thin layer once im awhile. Anyone knows of health issues, please correct me. But... I've never seen any signs of adverse effects over years doing this.
Only problem is when the jelly dries a bit or gets dusty over time and they can traverse it but with regular checks, sounds like it’s working just fine!
@@bugsincyberspace yeah, I generally refresh it every couple weeks. I've also noticed petroleum jelly changes under strong lights/heat as well... so I wouldn't advise it for its strong top lighting. But it's been nice to keep them off of the lids in my enclosure.
I personally like a 60 watt bulb on a metal screened lid for a tank that size though it may depend on how hot or cold the room gets with the changing seasons.
Sweet timelapses by the way. I love it when they grab a piece of food and walk away with it.
Thanks! I might throw some music behind the one at the tail end of the video, actually. I know just the song too which hearkens back to one of the first videos I uploaded on my original UA-cam channel where I didn't babble on so much and only had music in the background of my bug vids. Hard to believe, huh? ;)
@@bugsincyberspace I remember those videos.
Thank you for addressing the "organic" definition. As somebody with an agricultural degree, it's very frustrating to see the broad assumption that "organic" means "no pesticides or nasty chemicals".
Pesticides are so scary for pet insects! Glad you mentioned something on this. - Trevor
I had a lot to say on the topic as they are sooo common in our lives for so long now and most people never think about them or how long the residues can stick around. Thanks Trevor!
Well done, Peter. I was particularly interested in your discussion of pesticides, the different types and how they compare. This is something I have always been concerned about since we really have no control over food production. Love the beetles and the velvet ants. They are very pretty and fun to watch. Neat video. Glad the vinegar worked well for you.
Thanks again for that vinegar tip and somebody else mentioned mixing some salt in with it here in today's comments! That link in the caption about organic pesticides is just amazing in how many types are used on crops and what they do to just a few of the bugs they are not intended for.
Wow, I have never wanted a beetle setup more than after watching this video! It just looks like so much fun! You really paint some beautiful pictures with your narration just like good ol' Bob Ross! Maybe next time I can come help you with the camera. Lost you in the frame a bit! I do love the contrast of the different creatures in the tank. So much to look at and enjoy! Happy 4th, Peter!😊❤💥💥💥💥❤😊
Yeah, that annoyed me too with the lost frame in several segments but between the two videos I spent the better part of 3 days making them. Was pretty disappointed in myself when watching them back. It's unimaginable how much work and time goes into these videos for people not used to making them. Most bug videos on youtube are comparably short. My focus is on quality information more so than perfection in the videos. And when I make a mistake it's easier to accept it, explain it and move forward (which is the only direction anyway). Perhaps perfection will come later, but not while I'm putting 16 hours into my business 7 days per week. And a happy 4th to you, Luz! Set up a tank and I'll send you a couple beetles for free.
@@bugsincyberspace I completely understand, Peter! I know how much time you put into these videos. You are very thorough and that is why as a newbie I am seriously considering putting up a beetle tank. Hey, remember I offered to work the canera!😉 Looking forward to your next video!
*camera
Very nice conclusion, really like the timelapses of the tank, very interesting to see all the different species interact with each other. :)
Thanks T! I almost included another clip of me going to bugguide again and seeing one of your teneb ID's. It literally happened again but this video was only ever supposed to have one part and it just kept getting longer and longer.
@@bugsincyberspace Oh that's crazy LOL, again I haven't really been all that active on Bugguide, so that's weird! 😄
Excellent tips and discussion in this video! I love this series! I have you to thank for piquing my interest in a desert communal invertebrate setup a few years ago...and I have thoroughly enjoyed it every since!
Thanks Rus! About as close as we bug keepers can come to having a fish tank in terms of activity levels. Feeding time is always fun and lasts a lot longer than, say, a tarantula strike!
Love that little koala bear! I do the same thing with the beetle jellies. That's a great tip!
Thanks for confirming it as such, Angela! I do hope to get one of the thistle-down velvet ants to share with everybody at some point this season.
Thanks for the video! Its always awesome to be able to see your little ones in a more realistic type enclosure and see them behave in a more natural way. The next pet bug Im hoping to have are a few Blue death feigning bettles. They are really neat little guys. Have a great day!
BDFB season is kicking off here shortly and then they'll be available through the remainder of the year if prior years are any indicator. Thanks Danielle! I'll be collapsing that tank shortly. I need to invest in some various tanks for "how to" project like this...maybe ones without calcium deposits, melted edges and cracks! ;)
that mug is incredible
If my house catches fire and I can only grab 10 things, it's in the bag! 👍 Thanks Stephen!
desert set ups my favorite since i live in desert environment i like have a piece of outside indoors
Well said. and I agree. Although an aquatic insect tanks is pretty inspiring too!
I love anything aquatic. Mainly in to fish but I dig aquatic insects too Id have to get me a set up so I can say i have one
Your videos are so helpful! Your one of the reasons I got into insects! Thank you for purely existing and doing what you love!
Such a sublime comment, KF. Thank you!
you can use equal parts of vinegar and salt to clean your tanks of calcium/mineral deposits.
Salt too, thank you! All of my own tanks are functional rather than display ones and so I never make them too pretty but this is a helpful tip and I really appreciate your sharing it with all of us!
This is a great video! Loved the scorpion section and the tabs on the timeline.
It's a new UA-cam feature that will probably be very helpful since my videos tend to run more than a little on the too long for one sitting side. Thanks Wayne!
I loved this video! A lot of good inspiration for a desert beetle setup. 🙂
Thanks Jennifer! You don't have any desert beetles yet?
Bugs In Cyberspace I actually have a blue death feigning beetle and 2 darkling beetles that I caught in my yard. I didn’t even know I had death feigning beetles local to me so that was super exciting. Currently they are in small simple setups but now I want to do a show tank with them. 😀
I just found your channel and your store. Omgosh you have all the buggies I have been looking for. Will be placing an order soon.
New subscriber. I came from Rus at Aquarimax.You can add stone plants from the Kalahari desert.
I just love those and have kept them in tanks in the past. A lot of succulents need more light than we can typically provide for them in our tanks but I 100% agree that a dream desert vivarium includes multiple species of Lithops!
Welcome and thanks too for mentioning Rus. Just love his Aquarimax Pets channel for many years now!
Great video really helpful, can’t wait for more interesting videos 😄
Thanks NIAB! What are you working on for your next vid?
Not much, it’s hard to come up with ideas when you aren’t allowed to do much because places are closed and your stuck at home but still making the vids for my UA-cam channel. Is there anything interesting your working on 😄
FYI organics still can use pesticides, but usually use natural pesticides. It is recommended that you wash all fruits and vegetables in plain warm water.
This topic was covered at length in the video with respect to organic pesticides and also mentioned in the caption but we cannot repeat it enough, thank you. Always wash any produce that is going into any mouth, including your own! ;)
I have six bfdb I bought from you. They're the best pets!
Thanks so much for commenting, B!
🤩 I love your videos
Thank you, Jessica. I love your comments and appreciate your viewership!
great video! could desert millipedes or ornate harvestmen be added to this kind of communal set-up or would they need more moisture?
It can be done. You'd probably want moisture in the lower levels but not necessarily at the surface. And you'd probably not want to run a heat lamp on top unless the lamp was quite a distance from the substrate's surface, and more on one side of a large tank than the other.
Very informative, Peter! Great job explaining why the pesticides can be so harmful. I loved seeing them all in the same tank looking like a busy freeway! Lol Do you compost, by chance?
I have in the past composted but I do not do so presently. I do blatticompost to some extent. When I have leftover produce I feed it to my roaches, isopods, millipedes and some other bugs as you will have seen in some past videos, no doubt. Thank you for commenting and I'll have to incorporate more time lapse clips into my videos. I really enjoy them too!
@@bugsincyberspace Oh yeah I see now. I figured it would be something you would be into given all that marvelous greenery you have close by and with the materials you sell on your site! Yes, yes, more time-lapse videos! Love them!🙂
I really like the pie dish beetles. I wonder what that "pie dish" shape helps them do. They kind of remind me of Heterosilpha ramosa, the Garden Carrion Beetle, which I nicknamed "Mouse Beetles" because when they clean their face they look like little mice, and they also have a wickedly strong bite for how small their mouthparts are. It's cool that desert hairy scorpions can live with the beetles. Do they just ignore them?
I had no idea that the carrion beetles bit, or where called mouse beetles. I always appreciate the opportunities to learn and then pass the info on. Thanks LOTR! Your question is a good one. I know there are beetles in the Namib Desert that allow droplets of water to form on them in the night air to give them a drink there in the arid areas they live in, but I'm pretty sure these beetles didn't evolve to tempt somebody to make a blackberry pie in them! Perhaps the answer is out there on Google, or maybe InvertebrateDude will come along and drop some knowledge on us about them!
@@bugsincyberspace Pretty sure nobody else calls them Mouse Beetles, I just called them that before I knew what they were called because they resemble mice, and their mouthparts are so small that they can't really bite you when you handle them unless you pretty much let them. I was bit while handling one because it thought I smelled good and decided to have a little taste, and it felt kind of like a wasp sting it was such a powerful little chomp xD They seem to be mostly carnivorous and love to eat flies (adult flies, they need to be held down for the beetle to grab), and I read a related species likes maggots, actually arriving at a carcass to burrow into it and eat the maggots out. They also have a "lock jaw" mechanism where they can grab onto prey and no matter how much it struggles the beetle can hold on, it's very interesting to watch them eat.
Can the thistledown velvet ant be kept with blue death feigning beetles? What was the white and gray ant you had called?
I bought 3 blue death beetles and I am housing them in a 2.5 is that way to small?
If it is a 2.5 tall rather than wide, the floor space may be a bit small. I suspect that it is probably just find though. Often the beetles congregate under a piece of bark, etc. And then as the day wears on and even approaches they become active and wander in search of food, etc. Mostly, it's the keeper's eye that judges what looks right to them in terms of spacing and based on how often the beetles are encountering each other. This itself can be interesting to watch.
Will springtails survive in such a dry environment?
Excellent question! In a video I made back in February about a trip to the California desert I collected some desert springtails. I am currently working to expand my breeding population of them and if all goes well they will be part of a clean up crew in future desert themed bioactive tanks!
love it!
Thank you, Djemma!
Hi Peter! I have caught a stripetail scorpion Is their care similar to desert hairy? And what substrate
I'd recommend a tank where it can burrow with a substrate and perhaps a hide of some kind that will prevent collapse, like if you half bury a piece of cork bark, etc. The density of the substrate should help to retain some moisture without changing shape as it moistens and dries, and sand helps with this. Loose material like coconut fiber should be avoided as a base for the substrate, although they are okay as a partial ingredient. A very small water dish with a handful of pebbles sunk in will allow the scorpion to take a drink if it wants to, without drowning. Not everybody provides them the opportunity to burrow, but of course they do in nature. Many will just moisten the substrate a bit now and then and provide an above ground hide on a too-shallow substrate. It works and you'll see your pet more often, but it reflects the minimalist approach to proper care.
@@bugsincyberspace thanls!
@@bugsincyberspace any specific substrate mixes you recommends?
@@culturalwheat6682 In a perfect world you collect substrate/soil near to where you found the scorpion. When uncertain, I like to use a mix of soil and sand and keeping in mind the area it was found in as you mix things up. Stripedtails are one of the classically kept species in the hobby and they are not terribly picky in terms of what they accept, though it should be the goal of each keeper to most accurately replicate the habitats they occur in. And yes, as those two species occur in similar areas their care is similar although it is quite likely the desert hairies burrow in deeper.
Bugs In Cyberspace thanks peter! I will go collect some substrate tomorrow. Is there any way to tell the age and sex of a wild caught scorpion?
Love your stuff! Do you think a larger scorpion species like a desert hairy (or even emperor) scorpion could live communally with blue or smooth death feigning beetles? Or do you think the larger the scorpion they may try attacking DFBs?
Desert hairy scorpions are actually the most tried and true communal scorpion for blue death feigning beetles, however emperor scorpions have higher humidity needs and so you'd really need a large tank with a humid side and a dry side and even then it would be new territory with no precedence that I know of. Great questions, Logan, and thank you for contributing to the conversation!
@@bugsincyberspace Thanks Peter! I may be introducing a desert hairy scorp to my smooth death feigning beetle desert habitat in the future!
There’s a few problems I see when keeping the blue death feigning beetles with my scorpions, my scorpions seem extra stressed and the beetles keep falling into the water dish. It is also possible that the beetles could eat a scorpion as it molts, if superworms and their adult forms do it, then these might too as they are related.
Been thinking about doing a really big desert terrarium with the scorpions, beetles, some Jerusalem crickets, trapdoor spiders, trapjaw ants, small desert ants, ants lions and some isos and springtails. Curious how well it'd work out tbh. Also would want it to have a section that gets flooded in the wet season dries up in dry.
My H. petersii scorp has munched on several darklings (superworms that got away into the substrate) - so they will definitely prey on them. Not ideal, but it happens :|
Always good to get feedback on these points. Thank you, NCS!
Which of the desert beetles you sell reproduce best? I’ve managed to reproduce BDFBs and want to add some more species to their tank.
Can i use play sand in a desert beetle enclosure (same sand used for hermit crabs) ?
I have a rather large glass jar that I wanted to set up but is it better to have a horizontal setup ?
Can desert scarabs/dung beetles also work in this type of desert tank with the creatures you have already in here?
I wouldn't recommend it for most of the typically available scarabs/dung beetles. They tend to require more moisture and it's likely the larvae of the beetles showcased in this video would disturb molting or pupating scarab larvae if you weren't digging them out. Now, adults could be together just fine but the lifespans of scarabs are typically reduced considerably in a dry tank. Great question, thanks!
You mentioned fake plants. I wasn't sure if you stated if they were okay or not in the video.
Will the beetles try to nibble on the plastic? Will they completely ignore it? Is it best to have no plastic in the tank?
They will likely ignore plastic entirely unless it happens to be moist for some reason and then they take a little drink off it. Fake plants are totally okay! Great question, Phil!
@@bugsincyberspace Thank you for your time!
@@phil3299 AnyTime!
I was wondering can I keep blue death feigning beetle with velvet ants and scorpion at the same time ?
Yup
I live in south USA and my house stays between 74° and 80°. Would I need a heat lamp for my beetles?
I thought the blue death were not meant for to much moisture? I want to breed them for me and my friends but I don't want to kill or hurt them. Really what should I do?
Hey! Great video! Are there any other scorpions you could recommend housing with death feigning beetles? I have a desert setup in a 5 gallon tank. Thank you :) (also do you know where to get pestizide free compost? Or does hummus from the forest also work?)
What type of desert sand do you recommend I feed mine beetle jelly and they step in it and get sticky and the sand sticks to them I probably need some sort of alternative but don’t know what
I go into detail on the sand options in part 1 and there is a timestamp in the description area of that video for you to get where you need to go. Here is a direct link, if it works...
ua-cam.com/video/yDCrbibs7aM/v-deo.html
Thanks TAA!
What store did you get the grapes at?
Costco
What do you have to do to clean the tank?
Cleaning it is really pretty optional. For starters, you can't really see their frass. If you look really hard and it's bothering you, simply take a spoon and turn the top layer of substrate under a bit. Good for another year (or years). In other words, because it is a dry environment it will not mold or become a health issue for the beetles. And so it's really up to the keeper (you) to decide when you want to give the substrate a turn, or shovel off the top layer and replace it, or do a full substrate change. Thank you for your questions, Nikita!
I have just finished my tank for blue death beetles, I added an succulent without washing it. Should I take the succulent out or will they be ok. I have one week until they come. I left the succulent in the plastic pot it came in.
It's a risk. You can contact the sell of the plant and ask if them if pesticides are used at any point on plant or soil, and then cross your fingers that they knew what they were talking about. Tough call!
@@bugsincyberspace I bought the plant from Menards😬
@@bugsincyberspace I have contacted the sellers and they have said that they have sprayed the plant once, should I dispose of it?
My beetles aren’t very active in the day, is this normal?
Can we wash the fruits in white vinegar then rinse the vinegar??
6:54 what kinda roach where they eating
Are scorpions and velvet ants compatible?
I would not recommend keeping them together and it may surprise you to hear me say that it's because the velvet ants might harm the scorpions. Velvet ants have a very thick cuticle despite looking soft and fuzzy. If a scorpion were to pinch a velvet ant and bring it to it's mouth, it might get a very powerful sting that could harm it. It is not clear as to how velvet ant stings affect different scorpion species but velvet ants do have a shockingly long and thin stinger that they can move around and direct to sting their would be predators, and repeatedly! Against humans it is one of the most powerful insect stings known!
@@bugsincyberspace So you can keep desert beetles with scorpions or with velvet ants but not both
One of a million good links about organic pesticides and how they can affect just a few pollinating insects can be found here. Remember why they put pesticides on the foods grown for us to eat in the first place, whether organic pesticides or not. It's to deter insects. And also, do you really think farms are always perfectly following the instructions for application? The insect is the enemy. In my experience, desert beetles and possibly millipedes are especially sensitive to pesticides. Read this link...
xerces.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/13-053_04_Organic-Approved%20Pesticides_web.pdf
Can the velvet ants and the feigning death bettles coexist with gerbils? Or will the gerbil feed on the insects?
lol, you got me on this one. Desert beetles are the prey of rodents in nature and so I wouldn't probably risk a beloved gerbil with one as the beetles have defenses even we don't fully understand against their predators. Velvet ants should definitely not be kept with gerbils and probably not even scorpions.
When will you get more beetle substrate and when will the ironclad beetles and velvet ants come back in stock
not sure about the VA's, sorry and ironclads are always in short supply. I can always make up desert substrate. Just listing it here and there lately because we are short on time these days, due to world events and my increased commitment to making videos. Thanks B and I'll list some now!
Can you make a video on megasoma sleeperi
Make you a deal. Somebody out there helps me source M. vogti and I'll make a video on all 3 US species!
@@bugsincyberspace Who supplied you with the punctulatus or sleeperi
@@michaelchao313 lol, such a bold question. It's been more than a minute but I believe I collected the punctulatus (now listed as punctulatum on bugguide...though I am not in favor of the change so much lol) myself. The story behind my M. sleeperi is a fantastic one, too rich for answering in a mere youtube comment. However, if you send me some M. vogti I will regale you with tale about gypsies, tramps, thieves and one very unassuming beetle specimen. ;)
@@bugsincyberspace At this moment my megasoma vogti colony is down to five larvae since my female already laid half her eggs in the wild. I can send you one larvae after my larvae mature a little more and I can be sure I'll have at least one pair. If you want more vogti larvae you can wait a year till I can breed my vogti and get more larvae.
@@michaelchao313 Well, anybody watching should see how two guys fishing in the same pond became friends! Shoot me an email, Michael! 👍
I have 3 Velvet Ants in a typical 20gal glass aquarium. They climb glass very comfortably... but I apply a very light, 1 1/2in('ish) strip of petroleum jelly(Vaseline) around the rim of the enclosure. I don't even keep a lid on the enclosure, because they are completely incapable passing the the petroleum jelly. They'll just sort of work their way around the glass, scratching at the thin layer once im awhile.
Anyone knows of health issues, please correct me. But... I've never seen any signs of adverse effects over years doing this.
Only problem is when the jelly dries a bit or gets dusty over time and they can traverse it but with regular checks, sounds like it’s working just fine!
@@bugsincyberspace yeah, I generally refresh it every couple weeks. I've also noticed petroleum jelly changes under strong lights/heat as well... so I wouldn't advise it for its strong top lighting. But it's been nice to keep them off of the lids in my enclosure.
Do you use human-grade jelly candy for that purpose?
What type of heat build should I use for my dessert beetles
I have them in a ten gallon tank
I personally like a 60 watt bulb on a metal screened lid for a tank that size though it may depend on how hot or cold the room gets with the changing seasons.
Not how pesticides work chief.