# Calosoma Fiery Searcher



## lionsden112002 (Oct 21, 2007)

http://bugguide.net/node/view/389

These Green Beetles are everywhere in South Kansas City Area. My son and I collected 6 in less than 10 minutes. We could have had many if we wanted to continue collecting.

Are they "keepable" as a species. Bug net says adults will over winter. However how do you feed catepillars in the winter?

They are so irredescent!!!

Ken


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## AFK (Oct 21, 2007)

those guys are sooo awesome! they look like beetles only found in the tropics, but are found in the continental americas!

see if their bite can draw blood!


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## lionsden112002 (Oct 21, 2007)

Something is occuring for this species in our area. They are exceedingly common at night under street lamps. This morning the whole set we collected seemed to have lost control of their back legs and went turtle up (stuck on their backs). Also in the daylight many of these could also be found on their backs with a dead look to them...I am trying to convey the ease with wich these are occuring there are lots of them on the ground.

The collected beetles aren't dead but when I turn them over their back legs are extended and non functioning and they simply roll over on their backs immediately and move their legs very slowly. This is occuring in my caught beetles and the ones we saw this AM outside.

Very peculiar.

?

Ken


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## AFK (Oct 21, 2007)

i'm in the west coast, so i've never encountered this species, but they could just be playing dead. they could also be excessively stressed out in your enclosure, or they just have a difficult time getting off their backs (your post is very confusing and i couldn't understand what exactly you were trying to say).

many insects are known to be attracted to lights. nothing unusual about that. if you're saying that you're seeing much more than usual, it's probably just a population spike, which is also frequently normal among other animal species. especially so if there is a gypsy moth caterpillar or tent caterpillar infestation (i've seen these infestations when i was in the east coast some years back) since these specific caterpillars are among this beetle's favorite food.


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## Orin (Oct 22, 2007)

This is a long-lived, active species so that behavior only seems to be explainable by a recent outdoor pesticide treatment. If you found them all around one gas station it makes sense; over a wide area not as probable even though they do fly and wouldn't die immediately.


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## lionsden112002 (Oct 23, 2007)

Orin said:


> This is a long-lived, active species so that behavior only seems to be explainable by a recent outdoor pesticide treatment. If you found them all around one gas station it makes sense; over a wide area not as probable even though they do fly and wouldn't die immediately.


For clarity:

At 8:00 PM my family was shopping at a large strip mall with a lot of parking and parking lights.

We found two beetles. (They gave off the stink defense as we bagged them in a shopping plastic sack.) We could have collected many more.

Drove 6 miles to a grocery and my son and I waited in the car as my wife ran into the store. Outside the car many of these beetles could be seen on the ground. We got out of the car and got the bag and collected 4 more. We could have kept collecting but the sack was stinking and they where frantic all over each other.

Brought them home and put them into a critter keeper. All beetles were very active and had full use of all limbs. Not so much more smell.

Next morning. All collected beetles were on their backs and their back legs had become dormant(?) extended and usless for keeping themselves upright. Turned a few over and they would crawl about and the useless back legs cause them to tumble upside down!!

On the way to church saw many of the beetles outside upsidedown with the same leg condition.

Collected beetles are not dead but they are all upside down.

I am not real familiar with beetles and their behavior but this seemed to be a spike in activity in our area. I had not seen this many of these before.

I read more on the linked bug net pages how these beetles can hibernate overwinter.

I have six still.


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## AFK (Oct 23, 2007)

sounds like they are now injured. could be that they were poisoned in their own noxious gas fumes, especially if the ventilation is poor. or maybe adults attacked each other or stressed each other out too much. my best guess though is they have been poisoned from poor ventilation.


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