# hitch hiker beetles in cricket tub......



## donia (Apr 15, 2009)

Picked up some black crickets today and found some teeny beetles in with them. They are only about 5mm and are plain brownish/black coloured. There are also a couple of caterpillar-like critters, which I assume are the larval form of the beetles, although are way bigger (about 1cm). 

Any ideas what they are? Have searched on here and they are probably in the family Dermestidae, but anyone know species?


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## np247921 (Aug 26, 2009)

not sure what they are but when ive had them before they tend to eat any dead crickets


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## donia (Apr 15, 2009)

ah, so keeping them on oats isn't a good idea then! have chucked in a couple of dead crickets for them to eat. 

anyone ID these then?


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## DJH1 (Nov 13, 2007)

No help, but i think there's a few thousand species of dermestid beetle. Good luck with the ID! Unless your wanting to clean up skeletons or bones, i can't think why you'd want to keep them- bane of my life, manky little critters.


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## jack_rep (Sep 11, 2008)

larder beetles. a house hold pest which can damage carpets, books, clothes, upholstry ect. Come with most suppliers of crix, now the best thing to have get out in your house


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

jack_rep said:


> larder beetles. a house hold pest which can damage carpets, books, clothes, upholstry ect. Come with most suppliers of crix, now the best thing to have get out in your house


But frogs and lizards will eat them just as readily as crickets- which is their Final Destination in my place!:lol2:


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## donia (Apr 15, 2009)

yeah, i was wondering if i could feed them to some of my critters.........


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## connor 1213 (Apr 6, 2009)

my whites' tree frogs love the caterpillars!: victory:


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## exoticpetshop (Oct 26, 2009)

*hi*

i think only imported livefoods have this.

there hard to get rid of if they start breeding in a tank i had to clean my vivs out every week at one point becouse i couldent get rid of them & they were on my dragons at night stressing them out.
i had to put sticky tap all around the viv becouse they were getting out

just get you bugs somewhere else that dont have these pests eating your livefoods


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## koolkid (Nov 14, 2009)

No they aren't Dermestes Lardarius Dermestes Lardarius look like this
http://i.pbase.com/u44/holopain/large/16494303.Dermesteslardarius.jpg
It's Dermestes Maculatas
http://bugguide.net/images/raw/ZL2Z...Z4LFH6HAH8H5ZIL1ZEHLR8LHR6HWZ5LPZQL8ZHLTH.jpg
http://www.kendall-bioresearch.co.uk/BEETLE93.gif


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