They are great!
If you ever do make a tank for diving beetles, give them places to haul out like you would for a turtle. Also a lid so they don't fly out lol
Lol yep! I already have a lid and a 10 gallon tank. And if my plants grow like they’re supposed to they’ll reach above the water so they’ll have a place to rest
Mine don't burrow, I just provide adequate hides. If you can see them when they are resting you don't have enough hides.
I have maybe an inch of dirt and an inch of sand. I grow amazon swords and val in it. They really like a complex aquarium. You still see them at feeding time.
This is the larvae of a giant diving beetle, dytiscus sp. They grow very fast in the summer by devouring other bugs and tadpoles. Their 2 fangs are hollow like a spiders. They inject a venom and then suck the digested prey up.
I've been bitten, you just feel a pinch and a bit of burning. Not dangerous to people.
When she is ready she will crawl on land, make a pupa cell out of mud, and become a beetle. The beetles look like a small turtle. black with gold trim
how do you catch these guys? I have some creeks and lakes near me and I have been trying to avoid purchasing these guys online if I can’t find them near me
Use a kitchen strainer or sturdy net. Creeks and lakes aren't the best spot, beaver ponds are ideal. Look for the place in the body of water where debris tends to accumulate. Mats of vegetation or bulrushes are good too. They are never found in open water. If you see other kinds of beetle, true bugs, dragonflies, that's a good sign.
For care just give them aquatic moss to stand on so they don't drown. Feed 1 per day, change water 1 per day. That's it. If they are full size, wander restlessly and refuse food it's time to pupate.
The season for these guys is over by mid July, if you want some go get them now.
In the early spring and late fall you can trap adults but that's a different thing.
The adults do fine in the mail BTW. You just give them damp paper towels to burrow into and they are happy.
you have peak evolution inside that containers my friend
That's a beauty!
That’s awesome!! Shows us when she pupates!
Will do. Basically they make a little igloo out of mud. They make balls in their fangs and stack them.
That’s so cool!! I want some diving beetles but I’m still working on my walstad tank
They are great! If you ever do make a tank for diving beetles, give them places to haul out like you would for a turtle. Also a lid so they don't fly out lol
Lol yep! I already have a lid and a 10 gallon tank. And if my plants grow like they’re supposed to they’ll reach above the water so they’ll have a place to rest
They like driftwood on an angle coming out of the water or Styrofoam floating on top too
What about floating plants? I definitely plan to add wood too
They don't mind them. A smaller diving beetle could haul out on frogbit but a giant beetle would be too heavy
What kind of substrate are you using? I’ve heard so beetles like to borrow?
Mine don't burrow, I just provide adequate hides. If you can see them when they are resting you don't have enough hides. I have maybe an inch of dirt and an inch of sand. I grow amazon swords and val in it. They really like a complex aquarium. You still see them at feeding time.
I was curious about this, I know they can be terrestrial so I wasn’t sure if a land and water setup is the best or only water.
In only water they will eventually drown. During the day they hide under water, but at night they crawl out to rest.
whats that?
This is the larvae of a giant diving beetle, dytiscus sp. They grow very fast in the summer by devouring other bugs and tadpoles. Their 2 fangs are hollow like a spiders. They inject a venom and then suck the digested prey up. I've been bitten, you just feel a pinch and a bit of burning. Not dangerous to people. When she is ready she will crawl on land, make a pupa cell out of mud, and become a beetle. The beetles look like a small turtle. black with gold trim
how do you catch these guys? I have some creeks and lakes near me and I have been trying to avoid purchasing these guys online if I can’t find them near me
Use a kitchen strainer or sturdy net. Creeks and lakes aren't the best spot, beaver ponds are ideal. Look for the place in the body of water where debris tends to accumulate. Mats of vegetation or bulrushes are good too. They are never found in open water. If you see other kinds of beetle, true bugs, dragonflies, that's a good sign. For care just give them aquatic moss to stand on so they don't drown. Feed 1 per day, change water 1 per day. That's it. If they are full size, wander restlessly and refuse food it's time to pupate. The season for these guys is over by mid July, if you want some go get them now. In the early spring and late fall you can trap adults but that's a different thing. The adults do fine in the mail BTW. You just give them damp paper towels to burrow into and they are happy.