Jack of all Inverts

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Buffalo Beetle (Alphitobius diaperinus)

Size

Adults roughly 6.3mm long. Larvae max at 7-11mm long.

Moisture

50% Humidity
Supply moisture through food

Temperature

22-30°C (72-86°F)

Lifespan

Adults may live from 3 months up to a year. Larvae may take 40-100 dys to mature depending on conditions.

Instars

There are believed to be between 6 and 11 larval instars.

Feeding

I keep them on oats, but often provide fruits and veggies, pet kibble/fish food. Remove uneaten food before it molds. They will eat the corpses of dead inverts.

Enclosure

I keep them alone in a ventilated plastic shoebox with oat substrate and various layers of carboard for larvae and pupae to live in. I also keep these in my Lobster and Pallid roach enclosures, and plan to keep them with Dubia too. These guys help eat up uneaten food, insect corpses and fungi.

Breeding

Adult femlales will lay roughly 200 eggs. Young will be produced fast in optimal conditions. Feed them often or simply forget about them as CUC in a setup and wait for millions of worms.

Other Information

This species is a great clean up crew for oviviparious (live birth) roaches. Do NOT use with oviparious (ooth-bearing) roaches, as buffalo worms will eat oothecae.
This species is versitle and has been found in a variety of environments. It has even been found living in bat caves.