What is this?

[Ryan.M]

I found this in a tub of 2 week old crickets from a petstore, not sure what it is. If its the larvae of something gnarly I may just keep him!

He's about half a cm long (maybe a little less). He "looks" like a caterpillar, but I'm pretty sure he's not. He's got a bunch of tiny little hairs coming out throughout his body. Sorry the pics suck, my buddy has my extension tubes so i couldnt focus close enough. But hopefully one of you can ID this little guy.

Thanks!

 

[Ryan.M]

Gah, I googled it and I think its a Dermestid beetle larvae. I guess they're used to clean up the ###### in cricket enclosures.

I don't think he qualifies as gnarly so I'm going to let him free outside :lol:

 

[PhilinYuma]

Gah, I googled it and I think its a Dermestid beetle larvae. I guess they're used to clean up the ###### in cricket enclosures.

I don't think he qualifies as gnarly so I'm going to let him free outside :lol:

Yep, that's's what it is? Why not leave him in the cricket tub, though? he'll have plenty of food and maybe he has brothers and sisters there!

 

[Ryan.M]

Yep, that's's what it is? Why not leave him in the cricket tub, though? he'll have plenty of food and maybe he has brothers and sisters there!

The last of the crickets have been eaten by hungry ghosts :lol:

Instead of living out his days in a cricket tub destined for the land fill I figure I'd let him experience life on the "outside", regardless of how much shorter it's bound to be haha!

I'da googled this earlier if I thought the search "caterpillar in cricket tub" would yield so many spot on results! :lol:

 

[PeterF]

ID agreed,

This is speculation, but would not dermested larva be a possible danger to cricket eggs?

 

[DannyN]

ID agreed,

This is speculation, but would not dermested larva be a possible danger to cricket eggs?

Crickets lay their eggs in the soil. The dermestids can get to it.

 

[PhilinYuma]

ID agreed,

This is speculation, but would not dermested larva be a possible danger to cricket eggs?

Interesting question, Peter, but so far as i know, dermestid beetles only feed on dead animal material and some vegetable products like cocoa beans, though there are a lot of species, and I guess that one could conceivably eat the eggs. That is no a problem in this case, though, since the crix were not being bred but simply held as feeders.

 

[Peter Clausen]

These are common in pet store cricket bins, but generally considered an unsightly nuisance. A few species occur. That larva looks like the one that is like the world's fastest larva. Pound for pound I bet they're faster than cheetahs! Of course, I always feel like I got away with some freebie bugs when I find some in with my recently purchased crickets . If you have a lot of bugs they can also become a problem that doesn't go away if you don't keep things on the tidy side. I'm sure there are enough people on this forum with feeder bins of various kinds. The adult dermestid beetles fly well and will migrate to other tanks.

 

[Rick]

I liked finding them. Free feeders.