The 2009 Beetle Hunting Thread

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The 2009 Beetle Hunting Thread

(Administrator) 2009-11-18, 21:43 #1

Member since May 2011 · 2173 posts · Location: Brisbane
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Subject: The 2009 Beetle Hunting Thread

Progress Report:

There's a plethora of small brown beetles out right now. They're more or less unremarkable, and I'm not particularly interested.

It seems to be too early for the rhinos. While I did fine the glorious specimen shown below, it's one of only two I've found so far this year. The other one was about half the size. =/

[Image: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2676/4103621401_5588417cc1.jpg]

Click for larger.

BLEARGH

(Administrator) 2009-12-24, 00:22 #2

Member since May 2011 · 2173 posts · Location: Brisbane
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Finally, the beetles are out. After a few days of rain and really annoyingly tropical weather, there are beetles everywhere. It's fantastic. =D

I'm going to put together a Care and Feeding guide for beetles soon, and will attempt below to record some thoughts about them before i forget. Consider this the official Beetle Trivia thread!

Beetles aren't smart. They're very much aware of the moment, and little else, so if they're hungry that's the only thing they've ever known. When they're under attack or being prodded by fingers, getting out of the way is the only thing they've ever wanted to do. The females are especially single-minded, and they like to dig, so that's pretty much all they do: they'll push and push and dig and move their heads around and scramble and dig through everything. Cardboard box? Houdini escape while you sleep! Cupped in your hand? Pushing through your fingers, go go go dig dig dig!

Males are pretty laid back. They'll sit around and do nothing for hours at a time. Females are in some sort of hurry most of the time. They want to bury themselves right fucking now. I think they're more inclined to hide themselves as a protective measure, and males aren't really stressed about it, so whatever man <yawn>.

Not being able to cover themselves will stress a female out, and vastly shorten their lifespan. A female in a plastic box with no cover will die in a few days. They just aren't happy this way. You can watch them dig and dig and dig against the sides of the container, getting slower and slower over a few days, until you find her one morning on her back, dead.

Beetles are clumsy. Mad clumsy. They fall off things, they bump into things, and when walking across a smooth floor will somehow find themselves upside down in short order. I don't understand how this works, exactly. As near as I can tell they're on a timer, and after a certain number of steps they just have a little spasm and flip upside down.

Beetles can't easily right themselves when they're upside down. They need something to grab, so always leave them in a container with something to hang on to. Sticks, branches, leaves, whatever.

Beetles are not happy without something to hang on to, they'll stress out and die. In a shiny plastic tub they're going to go slowly insane, as you would if you were on an icy plain with no way to stand up comfortably, slipping and sliding all the time. Give your beetles something to hang on to, and they'll be quite content.

Beetles are good climbers, and love narrow sticks and branches and fingers. The can also climb cloth and other materials, like shirts and curtains.

Australian beetles don't fly much, especially in captivity. When they do, they make a lot of noise and leave their elytra (wing covers) open so they're quite large and easily spotted. They're as clumsy in the air as on the ground, and typically there's less flying than there is controlled crashing. They bounce off walls and fall to the floor, or grab any material (ie: curtains) on their way down.

Beetles are not dextrous. Their little hands have two hooks and no other manipulators, so they're limited to hanging on or letting go. That's it. They can't pick things up, they can't use tools, and they can't read Braille. Put one on your shirt and they'll cling to it. Hold one in the air, legs flailing, and it'll stick like velcro to anything it touches, including your skin! So be careful.

Beetles do not like to be picked up. They hate it, in fact, and will cling desperately to anything and everything to avoid being hoisted into the air. They'll cling so hard that you can lift up heavy objects by sticking a beetle on them first, then picking up the beetle. A few dozen beetles could probably lift a car, if you could somehow attach them to a crane...

Beetles will shift quickly if you tickle their backs. They hiss and grump and lurch, but will move forward, away from your annoying digits. They'll move more quickly if they have something to cling to, so put a stick, shirt or finger in front of them for best results. Not all beetles do this! While the Japanese and Australian rhinos do, some - like the Caucasus (Atlas) - will grip tighter and would probably rather die than let go of your arm.

Beetle claws are sharp. Real sharp, especially when they're newly emerged. Do NOT pull one off your arm! Tickle his back and he'll move on his own, releasing you without a mark. Pull hard at your own peril! This is especially true of larger beetles (like the Atlas). They'll leave great red furrows of exposed flesh if you try to yank one when he'd rather not be yanked.

Beetles have six legs. The front two are used for pulling things towards the beetle, such as food or branches, and they're used for hanging off things. The rear four legs can only grasp things behind them, so are used as brakes when heading downhill, or for primary adhesion to things like your finger or a branch.

Australian rhinos will extend their front legs out sideways when they sense predators (ie: your face). Japanese rhinos don't do this.

Australian rhinos make a hissing sound by rubbing their soft inner bits against their hard elytra (wing covers). No other beetle I've seen does this. It's a frightening, freaky sound at first, but eventually you recognize it for a generic sound reflecting their petulant demands that you stop poking them thank you very much! They also respond to each other, so if one hisses another one might do it too.

Males tend to die shortly after mating. If you try to breed them, keep this in mind. Dead beetles aren't as entertaining as live ones, so maybe let them copulate after you're done playing with 'em.

After mating, the male may stay very close to the female, which is unusual (Japanese rhinos don't do this). They'll stand on top of the female and defend her from all other males for hours after their dirty deed is complete. My theory is he's making sure no other beetle's reproductive juice competes with his.

Beetles are mad horny. Do NOT leave a male and female in the same space unless you want them to fornicate. It'll take about ten seconds for them to align and do the dirty, so don't think you can prevent it. Keep the females in a separate container until you're ready for the sexy time. (note: it's not all that interesting to watch after the 400th time...)

Beetles have no eyelids, and can't blink or shield themselves from the sun. That's probably one reason they stress out and die when they can't burrow. It's also why you can't tell if they're sleeping, resting or plotting your demise.

More to come!

BLEARGH

(Administrator) 2009-12-24, 12:27 #3

Member since May 2011 · 2173 posts · Location: Brisbane
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More beetle facts!

Beetles will lose limbs, and there's nothing you can do about it. Their hands will come off. Their legs will fall off, usually from the last joint from the body, and usually off the front legs, but sometimes off others. One of my biggest beetles this year lost an entire middle leg a day after I found him, and has since lost both front hands, but seems unaffected by it. Well, he falls off his branch a lot, but he doesn't complain about it.

Beetles will fight. It's intensely comical, as they try to scoop their opponent off the branch with their horn. It's hilarious watching one beetle get lifted up, legs all straining to maintain grip, as the other one scoops and then launches him into the air. Japanese beetles, with their exceptionally long horns, are much more fun to watch, but it's all good.

Beetles need a reason to fight: competing for females or food will launch a battle, but nothing else will. They'll just clamber over each other (the Australian ones may hiss while doing it) but are otherwise uninterested in each other. Throw a girl into the mix though and they're instant enemies.

Beetles that lose a battle will become sulky for a while. Sometimes they never really regain their joie de vivre and die a few days later, but this isn't common.

Generally speaking, whichever beetle gets his horn under the other one first wins. Also, the bigger ones usually win.

Beetles like fruit. They're especially fond of kiwi, but will also happily accept pretty much anything, including apples and bananas. In Japan you can buy beetle jelly packets, but I find fruit is easier to find in Australia. Go figure.

Beetles in their natural environment are self-cleaning. Crawling through wood and grass is a great way to keep the skin clear. In a cage, it can be difficult. If your beetle hasn't got sticks and leaves and stuff, he may get covered in fruit and stay that way.

Sometimes beetles get mites. These little tiny pests are harmless to humans but will stress out your beetle a little. Keep on top of the problem by brushing them off with an old toothbrush or similar, and they'll not cause too much trouble. I have never found a way to get rid of mites entirely. Sadly, in Japan, it's not uncommon to see a beetle in a shop that's so overwhelmed by mites that he can't do much but sit there and wait to die. Don't let this happen to your little friends!

Beetles poop a brown, liquidy excrement that's not particularly offensive. It's not very sticky, it's not very smelly, it's not hard to clean. Judging by the way they seem to get it all over their cage (up the walls, on the lid, etc) I'd guess that it shoots out of them with particular velocity, but I've never seen it happen. To clean it up, some water and a little soap will do the trick: wipe with a paper towel and you're done.

I recommend removing your beetles from their cage before feeding them. They're not really messy eaters, but they tend to spread the food around and decaying fruit tends to rot, smell bad and attract flies. Remember that they need something to hang on to, so if you're popping them in a bucket or other container to feed, give them a chunk of fruit large enough to grasp and eat.

Beetles' mouths are very interesting. If I were to describe it in human terms: their lips are solid and unmoving parts of the facial shell, and they scrape this over the fruit to soften it and dislodge pieces to eat. Their tongue is two-part furry thing that's normally tucked away inside, but darts out and pulls fruity bits into the mouth. Sometimes they'll confuse you for food, and will scrape their 'lips' over your fingers. Don't be alarmed, you're just fruity and they're just confused. It doesn't hurt and won't raise a welt or anything.

Beetles can't bite, don't sting, and can't hurt you in any way, short of hanging on tight while you yank 'em off your arm. Those hooks are really sharp, but harmless if you tickle 'em to make 'em move off. Never yank!

Beetles are mostly nocturnal. They'll come out at twighlight, but tend to stay buried during the day. While this sucks for you, they don't seem to have any particular problem being awakened and played with during the day. Because they're active at night, especially when young, you may not want to keep their box next to your bed.

Beetles don't live long. Born shortly before Xmas, they'll be dead by February or thereabouts. Most rhinos mate and lay eggs as early as they can, then die. The eggs hatch, the larvae spend a few months digging around and getting fat, then they cocoon themselves and begin the metamorphosis into beetles, digging free at the same time their ancestors did last year.

More to come, I'm sure. =)

BLEARGH

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