Catapillars in my crickets

[skittles1234]

Ok oddest thing happened. Had no choice but to go get crickets cause I'm not keeping up the demand of crickets that my growing veiled has and my 3 other chams. Can't seem to breed fast enough. Well went to the store to grab some adults for breeding and after I purchased them I noticed there were these lil creepy crawlies in with my crickets and Beatles in the bag. Went back inside they said they were catipillars...I asked what kind and they didn't know. I separated them from the crickets but i don't know what to do with them now. They are black in color aprox 1/2 inch long and kind of fuzzy. They look like they have a stinger on their back end it's sharp not long or anything. And the Beatles
look like darkling Beatles but are half the size and not as oval, more rounded. Any of this make sense or sound familiar?? Safe to feed or trash them?

 

[pssh]

Probably dermestid beetles and larvae. They eat the dead crickets.

 

[skittles1234]

Are they safe? Do they bite? Can I feed them off or keep them for cleaning?

 

[pssh]

I wouldn't just because they feed on dead flesh/crickets. You can keep them for a cricket clean up crew if you want.

 

[skittles1234]

Cool thank u pssh. Keeping them for clean up then. They don't bite though right so when I go to get crickets I'm not getting stung?

 

[pssh]

No. They only nibble dead stuff. Unless you're a zombie it should be fine.

 

[DanSB]

They do sound exactly like Dermestid beetles. I always get them with my small crickets and I suspect them of eating some of them when they going through a molt.

I have been pulling them out and am trying to breed them separately. I'm not sure what to do with them but I just throw dead crickets in their bin so it isn't like they are costing me anything.

People use them to clean bone and skulls for display purposes and they are used a lot as Pssh said for disposing of dead crickets.

 

[DanSB]

No. They only nibble dead stuff. Unless you're a zombie it should be fine.

Now I have a reason to breed them! Zombie defense is an important thing all too often overlooked these days...

 

[skittles1234]

Nifty !! So thank you both. Just read they like to eat house stuff though like wood and wool. I'm keeping a couple of them in my adult and small cricket tubs. The rest I'm keeping in a container. I'm new to sharing my body with bugs. Only just recently could I hand feed crickets and wax worms and now meal worms to my chams. Getting use to them. Just adding something new with spikes and fur freaked me out.

 

[DanSB]

Nifty !! So thank you both. Just read they like to eat house stuff though like wood and wool. I'm keeping a couple of them in my adult and small cricket tubs. The rest I'm keeping in a container. I'm new to sharing my body with bugs. Only just recently could I hand feed crickets and wax worms and now meal worms to my chams. Getting use to them. Just adding something new with spikes and fur freaked me out.

Ha I got a little freaked when I first saw one in with crickets too. Then I read all about them and decided I should probably be careful none ever get loose!

I don't mind so much I just get yelled at when random bugs are found around the house but they are a little destructive.

I keep all my feeder bins in an unused exo terra and it is amazing to me how many crickets are able to escape sealed containers. I've never seen a Dermestid escape, I don't think they are very agile creatures.

 

[skittles1234]

I live in a apparatment complex with a strict no exotics rule. I have 10 reptiles hoarded away here so I cannot afford for them to escape. Don't think renters insurance covers weird squiggly bugs eats walls and carpet etc. lol all my guys are bred in the storage closet out on my porch that the neighbors are convinced im growing pot in because I go in and out daily with a spray bottle for cricket eggs. and with bags of organic soil

 

[DanSB]

Oh man that would be hard. I only have to convince my wife no bugs will escape I can't imagine trying to hide it from land lords too!

We have a detached in laws quarters / cottage that I will be turning into a bug land as soon as our renter leaves. I can't wait to have bug space!

 

[skittles1234]

I have to convince the fiancé that when a cricket runs by it was an elf that's brings in gold coins. Course it don't work lol but I
Try. So now I have 2 pet banana spiders in my house he doesnt know about that take care of escapees

 

[DanSB]

I have to convince the fiancé that when a cricket runs by it was an elf that's brings in gold coins. Course it don't work lol but I
Try. So now I have 2 pet banana spiders in my house he doesnt know about that take care of escapees

Those gold coin elfs do look a lot like crickets! If you would stop hordeing all the gold coins he might believe you more. Just go uy some of those chocolate gold coins and drop them behind the crickets and yell "Look the elf left a coin!"

Hopefully they won't send you the nut house for that but it would be fun.

 

[pssh]

Haha! I would definitely get some gold dollars and leave them around!