The beginings of my collection

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

A couple of years ago I began gathering beetles simply because I needed something with which to expand my wunderkammer. As I continued gathering, I became more and more interested in the collecting as a hobby aspect of it which led me expanding beyond beetles and actually taking it up as a hobby rather than just a way to fill my cabinet.

I have some old photos of the beginnings of my collection and I figured I would share them with you.

If you find any misidentified insects, please let me know.

First up is Tetracha carolina.

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

Next is the Necrophila americana.



The one on the bottom right is now full of holes and missing 3 1/2 legs thanks to a slight dermestid problem.

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

Here we have Cotinis nitida (I think.)

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

The last one that I have a photo of at the moment (other than a male tityus that is already posted in the favorite specimen thread) is a female Dynastes tityus.



A relative found her dead in her window sill and passed her on to me.

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

I just found another image.

Here is the box I started with these beetles. The other images are actually cuts from this image. That is why they are such low quality.

I have since filled this box up.

[admin]

Sept 15, 2011 9:24:40 GMT -8 Rev. Redmond Farrier said:

The last one that I have a photo of at the moment (other than a male tityus that is already posted in the favorite specimen thread) is a female Dynastes tityus.



A relative found her dead in her window sill and passed her on to me.

These are nice. And worth some money too. You should try to get as many as you can.

[Rev. Redmond Farrier]

I want to collect more of these guys, but I am lucky if I see even one each year. I am hoping that as I get more educated in this field that I will be able to find techniques that will enable me to find many more of these guys. If all goes well, I may even try my hand at raising some if I can find a male and female paring.
I actually thought about buying a pair, but the only ones I found were $55 for the couple. That is a steep price to pay for something that I should be able to find for free since they naturally grow in my area.

[starlightcriminal]

Rev, you are in Florida right?

I asked this same question because I had never found one and got lots of great responses. I went out during July and August to all the remote gas stations near hardwood hammocks, mostly around Ocala, and I found a decent number. I saw probably 20 total with only three being alive. Most were squashed by cars already, I never ended up with major male but I'm sure I can find one next season now that I know where. But they are ubiquitous if you find a good location, I saw them almost every night I went out. I checked the Holiday Inn in Ocala as recommended on the board and found some there, also Strategus sp. and a number of other cool, larger beetles. Also all the outlying gas stations or other bright, isolated lights nearby. It was quite fruitful in general, lots of ground beetles and such and lots of nice moths, especially Arctiinae. And of course Lunas everywhere.

[beetlehorn]

In order to help in this matter I will address both of you here. First of all I would like to compliment you Reverend on your beginning collection, and newfound hobby. Let me warn you though....once the collecting bug has bitten you, the effects are long lasting. You will find yourself longing for more and new specimens, thereby feeding your desire to discover and learn more about this activity, and all of this will result in an ever growing collection. Also to you starlight criminal (interesting name!), you are quite correct in assuming you should find more Dynastes tityus in the same locations. I can tell you from experience that I always seem to find them within the same general area, year after year. There must be some large old trees with hardwood substrate in and around them, in order for the beetles to grow through their larval stages, and develop into adults. I go out hunting for them at dusk, because as you stated, you have to beat the possibility of them being squashed by cars. Go on moonless nights, during hot humid weather, and don't pass up other possible locations. You might want to try blacklighting for them in suitable habitat, I use a combination of flourescent black and white light.
If you want to try to rear them, then go to the old forum section of this website, under the topic list {Coleoptera} on page three about 3/4 of the page down, there is an article I wrote a few years ago called "Rearing Dynastes tityus, my method". I think it will give anyone interested in this activity a good idea of what is involved. I have reared these beetles on several occasions, and they are relatively easy to maintain. Whats more, you can get some really nice large specimens in A1 condition if you use the right substrate and keep them in a warm environment. You will be amazed at how fast the larvae grow, and the rewards are definately worth the effort. Below is a nice large specimen I reared three years ago, it has an unusual rich golden coloration that is somewhat different from the army green background color common to most of these beetles. Tom

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[evra]

Nice beetle collection. I like the Dynastes tityus. You did a good job spreading her, especially for a beginner. I had a few of her western cousins, Dynastes granti at my lights tonight. By the way, a big part of the hobby is keeping information about where and when you collect your specimens. It's usually kept on a label under the specimen on the same pin.

[starlightcriminal]

Thanks beetle, confirms some of what I am learning about these excellent beetles too. I searched in an effort to find a pair to breed from, I am interested in life cycles and just generally like animal husbandry. These are supposed to be quite easy to raise. Unfortunately I found no males that were alive this year so I will have to wait for next year probably. I did find them repeatedly at the same location. I got this locale from another insectnet member, there's a post about it. That member found them decades ago in that location so the habitat must still be very suitable. I checked places near moist hardwood hammocks, places with the highest likelihood of having lots of rotting oak.

To my surprise, they live forever as adults. I still have the females I collected wandering around, they are on a mixture of applesauce, banana and pure maple syrup and even seem to have "learned" what the feeding dish is as they will come to it even if it is completely cleaned in between feeding. I'm used to the short life an average Lepidopteran, having them around for so long has been a lot of fun. I can see why the kids go crazy for beetles in Japan- they're easy and "cute" as far as insects go.

[what]

Sept 18, 2011 7:09:46 GMT -8 starlightcriminal said:

I still have the females I collected wandering around, they are on a mixture of applesauce, banana and pure maple syrup and even seem to have "learned" what the feeding dish is as they will come to it even if it is completely cleaned in between feeding.

If you collected the females as adults in the wild you may be able to get eggs out of them if provided with enough space and substrate for egg laying... Not sure if that is the case here but thought I would offer that up.

[jackblack]

Hi Rev,
Your early collection boxes remind me of a coffin with the material base .
I once had a conservationist famous one at that and film maker visit me and asked would you like to see my beetle coll and she said would love to , when I opened the store box she almost fainted and said , ( Oh I can`t look at that insects in coffins )!!!!!
Then I was basically a stamp collector also , but we all have to start somewhere .
Now I rear breed document and publish , so if it wasn`t for our early amateur beginnings there would still be so much unknown about many species , I`m not bragging at all but I can`t remember how many new sp I have discovered and brought to light .I`m still an amateur in some peoples eyes although I fund myself through my work.
Since I started on insectnet I have greatly enjoyed the conversation which goes on here , everyone is pretty down to earth , not like some stuck up people who think they own the field of their study.
Good on everone keep up the good work .

[starlightcriminal]

Yes, What, that is my plan. I have kept them in a very large storage bin without about a foot and a half of rotting mulched oak from a dying tree the city removed some time ago. I soaked the mulch for a few weeks, baked it and put about half in the container. I stomped that so it would be firm and then added the remaining oak material. They've been in this for a couple of months about, I was told to just forget about it until next spring after the females die off. At this point, if the females were mated, the grubs should be easy to find. Sound about right to you? Any tips would be appreciated, this is my first go at beetle rearing.

I thought the same thing- a wild female might already be mated.

[what]

Dont want to steal Rev's thread but he has an interest in rearing so hopefully he wont mind.

That sounds about right but you may want to check sooner than spring depending on how large your bin is. With two WC females you are very likely to have eggs already, possibly small grubs. I generally prefer to separate my grubs into individual containers for rearing, but D. tityus shouldnt have a problem being kept together. They may run out of food if just left in there but that depends the number of grubs and size of the bin, its amazing how much substrate grubs go through!