Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got my first beetle, and I was stoked..until I saw it had wings. Do the little suckers fly?

I've never seen them fly. That's not to say that they can't but I haven't observed them do such.

I've had qute a few of them around because I was interested in establishing a breeding colony so mostly they live in a tupperware box outside the fridge. The box has a lid on it just in case but I've also not seen them climb the walls of the tupperware. Maybe it's too slippery or maybe they're just content to stay in the substrate of rolled oats.

All beetles can fly, but usually very clumsy. I don't think I've ever seen a darkling beetle, or mealworm beetle, fly. They can but they don't tend to. I would just make sure to keep some kind of cover on the container you keep them in.

Not ALL beetles can fly, some have fused wings. There are like, a gazillion species of Darkling beetle though, so I couldn't find any info on it. :

I don't cover my meal worm colonies, and I've never seen one fly out

The colonies tend to retain too much moisture if covered. Big problem...

Good luck,
Indiana_Dan