New Job Inverts & A Trade!

Well, as I've mentioned before, I got a new job at Walmart, which is why I've been more infrequent with my posts lately. However, rest assured that I've been staying on top of my invertebrate maintenance, and what's more, I caught a group of Clogmia albipunctata in the bathroom at work! 😆 

I set them up in the typical Psychodidae enclosure, a 32 oz deli cup with a fabric mesh lid, with an inch of flooded leaf litter at the bottom, with a piece of dog food thrown in for extra nutrition. In 10 days, I had larvae already, and maybe a weel later, I started getting adults. 😁 

Here are some pictures of some large larvae, and some adults (some of which are denuded):

Larvae

Adults

Been wanting to breed this species for a year or so now, they're surprisingly hard to source... Glad I finally got some and got them breeding! This species breeds and grows so much faster than Setomima, and is probably a much better feeder option as a result. They are significantly larger than Setomima though.

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I also got some Tenebrio molitor from Walmart as well, most of which have matured now. It's been a few years since I kept this species, nice fo finally have them again. Sadly it seems I won't be breeding them, as all the females came out sickly as hell and seemingly died before laying any eggs.

Anyways, for the first time ever on my blog, here are some pictures of this species:

Can't believe I never took pictures of these before, even though they were one of the first Tenebs I bred (the first being Eleodes hispilabris). I'll have to get some healthy stock from a more reputable source later on.

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Thanks to a trade with Maxwell Wolfgang, I once again have Psytalla horrida, the Horrid King Assassin Bug! I was hoping to breed these in large numbers again like I did back in 2017. That being said, I had QUITE the trouble getting these ones to eat, despite offering the same food items I used to last time I bred them. IDK if it was shipping stress, the shock of being introduced to a new setup, or what, but as a result, all but three died, and the three that survived seem to be a unisex group... 😑  I had to throw them into my Princisia vanwaerebeki "Big/Black" colony to get them to eat, they seem to like the smaller hisser nymphs that are abundant in there. Hopefully I can get some large nymphs/adults of the opposite sex to breed these, or just start all over with eggs or L1s this time.

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Anyways, inlcuded with the Psytalla were some Blaptica dubia nymphs, which were meant to serve as food. However, the Psytalla didn't eat them during shipping, so I decided to save them, because I don't yet have normal dubias. 😆 

I have the 7 or so nymphs set up in a well ventilated enclosure with eggcrates for hides, and no substrate. I'm feeding them dog food and fruits, and am keeping them dry and warm (75-80F°). 

I didn't bother getting pictures of them, but I probably will when I start getting adults! 

Well, that does it for this post, thanks for reading, hope everyone enjoyed, stay safe, and I'll see you all next time! 😉 

Arenivaga floridensis & Pystalla horrida Updates!!!

So, my female A.floridensis finally matured this week, took her long enough! She's a real beauty, here's hoping she lays some oothecae! 😁

Adult female Arenivaga floridensis "White":

Will keep you all updated on her status! 😊

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And my Psytalla horrida have been doing extremely well, lots of eggs have been hatching, and some of my nymphs have already molted to L2!!!

Here are a couple pictures of them:

So happy this species has been thriving for me, they are really helping to cull my Pycnoscelus nigra colony! 😄

Well, that's it for this post, hope you all enjoyed, will see you guys next time! 😉

Pystalla Babies & an Eleodes acuticaudus Update!!!

Well, it's been roughly a month since my Psytalla horrida started laying eggs, and they've already started hatching! 😁 I've been keeping them very warm, which seems to have sped up the incubation process quite a bit! The first babies started hatching on the 8th, and the bulk of them hatched the day after that. There's been one or two hatches since then, but I'm expecting another bunch of them to hatch next week.

Here are some pictures of the cuties:

I've moved them to a Tupperware with eggcarton pieces and TP rolls for hides, and have started feeding them baby Pycnoscelus nigra, (which I have a TON of). So far so good, soon I'll have an army of assassin bugs at my disposal, MUAHAHAHAHA!!! 😜

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A second Eleodes acuticaudus has successfully matured, and it is a male, so now I have a sexed pair of this species! 😃 Can't wait to start breeding them, hopefully they will prove to be easier to rear after a couple of generations in captivity, (like with E.spinipes).

Here are some pictures of him when he was teneral, and then when he darkened up the next day:

So far there's been a 100% pupal survival rate, and no deformities. Let's hope it stays that way! 🙂

Well, that's going to do it for this post, I hope everyone enjoyed, will see you all next time! 😉

Eleodes, Eurycotis & Pystalla Updates!

Well, it looks like I've been able to successfully pupate three E.acuticaudus larvae, in addition to the one that matured. So hopefully I can get all three to eclose properly, and maybe get a pair or two, fingers crossed! 🤞

Here is a picture of a pupa:

Will keep you all updated on them!

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The other day while checking on my Eurycotis lixa colony, I found several 1st instar nymphs in the enclosure! 🙂 Took around 4 months for this first ootheca to hatch, but I just moved them right next to my heat cable a few days ago, so I'm sure they would have started hatching out sooner had I kept them warmer, (incubation for this species is only supposed to take around 3 months).

Here are some pictures of the cuties:

I find it rather ironic how the young nymphs of this species are so light colored, meanwhile the first few instars of E.improcera are normally jet black...

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Lastly, I've been getting a TON of eggs from my Psytalla horrida, I'm going to have my own little army of assassin bugs soon! 😊

Here are a couple pics of the eggs:

Will be sure to let you all know as soon as the first eggs start hatching!

Well, that does it for today's post, thanks for reading everyone, will see you all next time! 😉

Anallacta Hatchlings & Pystalla Eggs!!!

YES, guess what I found in my Anallacta methanoides enclosure a couple of days ago? That's right, HATCHLINGS!!! 😁 So happy to have bred this species successfully, once more ooths hatch and the nymphs go through a few more instars, I will begin distributing this species to US breeders!

Here are a few pictures of one of the nymphs:

So adorable! 😊

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More great news, my Psytalla horrida adults are still doing great, and eating well! I placed them in an enclosure with a thin layer of moist coconut fiber for a couple days, checked on them today, and found 21 dark brown eggs buried in the substrate! 😃

I had tried just putting a deli cup filled with substrate in their main enclosure, (which has a bare floor to prevent their prey from hiding), but they seemed to be unable to find the substrate easily. So I'm just going to move them back and forth between their feeding enclosure and their new egg laying enclosure every few days, seems like the best plan right now.

I've taken the 21 eggs I found and put them in a deli cup with a very thin layer of moist coconut fiber. Here are some pictures of them:

With any luck, I will start seeing nymphs in a few weeks!

Well that's gonna do it for today, I hope you all enjoyed this post, will see you all next time! 😉