Intruder alert several impostors among us

[Uri]

So I found a few of these guys crawling in my roach colony when i went to feed Picasso a big juicy roach as a treat and idk if I should he worried or not or if it’s okay to feed them or if I just need to get rid of my entire colony and start over I have no idea what it even is that’s the largest one there are a few tiny ones

 

[jamest0o0]

That's a dermestid larva. They're often used as cleaners for big bug breeders, usually for crickets, but sometimes roaches. In small numbers they're harmless and even beneficial. They have voracious appetites though and may attack molting roaches when there isn't enough food or if their population gets too out of control.

Lol no need to throw out the colony...

 

[Uri]

That's a dermestid larva. They're often used as cleaners for big bug breeders, usually for crickets, but sometimes roaches. In small numbers they're harmless and even beneficial. They have voracious appetites though and may attack molting roaches when there isn't enough food or if their population gets too out of control.

Lol no need to throw out the colony...

Are they safe to use as feeders too? If they start getting too much can I feed some off as well? Or is that a no go?

 

[jamest0o0]

I haven't ever tried to use them as a feeder, they probably wouldn't hurt, but your cham may not like them.

 

[ERKleRose]

I just picked out the extras when there got to be too many and froze then tossed them when I used multiple in my bins. They ate an entire roach colony, so now I use one in each bin with other clean-up crews, as well

 

[Uri]

I just picked out the extras when there got to be too many and froze then tossed them when I used multiple in my bins. They ate an entire roach colony, so now I use one in each bin with other clean-up crews, as well

That’s probably what I’m gonna end up doing I really don’t want to wake up one morning with no more roaches since they are the biggest staple feeder I have and one of my reptiles favorites all around

 

[Firewallx]

This is just my opinion, I don't know for sure but I wouldn't feed them to your cham because it appears to have a lot of hairs and in some larvae such hairs protect them from being eaten by causing irritation. I know this is the case for some, not sure if it holds true for this guy, but that's my first impression.

 

[jamest0o0]

I just picked out the extras when there got to be too many and froze then tossed them when I used multiple in my bins. They ate an entire roach colony, so now I use one in each bin with other clean-up crews, as well

A while back there was a thread where I said I'd be too worried to use them due to their aggressive eating nature... they said I was paranoid lol. What kind of roaches got eaten?

 

[MissSkittles]

A while back there was a thread where I said I'd be too worried to use them due to their aggressive eating nature... they said I was paranoid lol. What kind of roaches got eaten?

In observing my colony, I get the impression that roaches are actually quite docile. They climb and crawl all over each other without any obvious disagreement and seem to cooperate with food. The worst I’ve seen is the males sticking his flapping wings in every females face. I’ve seen silkworms act with more aggression, one constantly head butting another and just being a pain in the butt to it.

 

[Firewallx]

. I’ve seen silkworms act with more aggression, one constantly head butting another and just being a pain in the butt to it.

Haha! Yeah I saw that with my second gen group. They became jerks to each other once they reached the fifth instar. It was funny to watch though. I remember one whom headbutted another worm and then whacked him with his rear end. Funny how the following generations didn't behave like this.

 

[ERKleRose]

A while back there was a thread where I said I'd be too worried to use them due to their aggressive eating nature... they said I was paranoid lol. What kind of roaches got eaten?

A booming colony of red runners. Lost probably 200-300 of them

 

[jamest0o0]

In observing my colony, I get the impression that roaches are actually quite docile. They climb and crawl all over each other without any obvious disagreement and seem to cooperate with food. The worst I’ve seen is the males sticking his flapping wings in every females face. I’ve seen silkworms act with more aggression, one constantly head butting another and just being a pain in the butt to it.

Eh, some can be pretty aggressive towards their own kind. Dubia are super docile, some others will eat each other and even attack other insects lol

 

[MissSkittles]

Eh, some can be pretty aggressive towards their own kind. Dubia are super docile, some others will eat each other and even attack other insects lol

Wow! I have my discoids, which are docile. There have been times where I’d even think they were sweet to each other. One was apparently dying and two others were by it’s side. Even as I disturbed them by putting in their food, they returned to their vigil. Why yes, I did humanize their actions and saw it as saying goodbye and comforting the dying one.

 

[jamest0o0]

Wow! I have my discoids, which are docile. There have been times where I’d even think they were sweet to each other. One was apparently dying and two others were by it’s side. Even as I disturbed them by putting in their food, they returned to their vigil. Why yes, I did humanize their actions and saw it as saying goodbye and comforting the dying one.

You may be right actually, they're very social creatures. Often caring for their young and communicating with each other in their own weird ways lol.

Some species are even more so attached to each other and will bring food to nymphs and such.

 

[redhorse]

I have feed babies ones to baby chameleons and they love them no issues with the fine hairs plus, it might be for their protection burrowing around in stinky carcass not like some caterpillars that use them with toxins/irritants.

That being said, I would use them but I would not eat them, because the hairs look like "itchy stuff".

I have never felt the hairs but have experienced the Puss Caterpillar (totally not okay) and I didn't even know it was alive just looked like fur or egg case of some kind (working under a gutter installing tv cable).
And I have had tarantula hair which is another No No (Mexican Red Leg would flick/shoot at me often)...