Cleaner crews?

sharlaxle

New Member
Ok so I have a question. Has anyone every heard of a cleaner crew? I was surfing an insect supplier when I ran across a listing for a medium cleaner crew. They look like a very creepy caterpillar type thing. Their name is Dermestid Beatles. Does anyone have any experience with these things? What do you all know about them? I am thinking of putting them in my bins if they don't climb.
Thanks all,
Sharl
 
I think you often find them in with crickets. They are small hairy caterpillars that turn into small black beetles. My understanding is that they eat dead crickets. They are also called carpet beetles so you don't want to have any loose as they can be quite distructive.:D
 
If you want a cleaner crew for your feeders many people who have had success with Isopods (rolly pollys).
 
Dermestidae ist the scientifical family name. There are lots of species, some eating plants residues, some eating carrion, some other live from grain. The carrion eating ones are used to clean skulls without effort, they're vermins in padded animal collections and can destroy wool textiles, too. But those can even help to eliminate dirt in cages. I prefer using naturalistic soil in chameleon cages, which includes all microorganisms and beetles from the decidous forests (here are some nice postings about it). Those are my "cleaning crew", they destroy feces and fallen leaves, they remove shedding residues and left over supplements. It's a little working ecosystem. There would be place for dermestid beetles, too, but those wouldn't help more than my "cleaning crew" already does ;). I don't think dermestid beetles would be useful in a cage without any dirt they can live from. But you could let them work inside a cricket or other feeder bin same way, too. P.S.: The larvae do definitely "climb" up walls, the beetles themselves can't.
 
For feeders, I like to throw in some buffalo worms. When I get dermestid beetles with my crickets, the beetles fly! I do NOT like that.
 
I dont know if other species fly, as I've only had it happen a few times with a specific supplier. It could be that they just have a species that flies.
 
To add to what the others have said there are generally dermestid beetles with my crickets when I get them and I really don't think they make a big difference other than the possibility of an infestation in your house and eating all your wool or carpet.

Pssh: What is a buffalo worm?
 
Whaaaaattt? I didn't know they could infest your house! I just sucked 2 up in the dust-buster from opening my cricket order:eek: Why doesn't anybody tell us these things?!?!
 
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