Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
Click here to visit Classifieds

Insect Question

amazinglyricist Aug 29, 2003 12:43 AM

I've noticed these little hairy larvae that come with crickets and am wondering what they are and what they do. I am also wondering why these are multiplying like rabbits in my cricket container and if they will harm my other herps if I would feed them to them.
-----
http://joshmilliken.tripod.com/

Replies (6)

Colchicine Aug 29, 2003 10:14 AM

I have no idea what you're describing, despite having seen millions of crickets in my lifetime. Try posting on the feeder forum and see what they have to say.
-----
*Humans aren't the only species on earth... we just act like it.

".the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without
spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

slaytonp Aug 29, 2003 11:12 AM

They are multiplying? Larvae don't multiply without pupating and going to an adult stage first. Are there any other stages that don't appear to be larvae? What are they eating? How big? Are they like fly maggots, or are there legs? Sorry, I'm sounding patronizing, and I don't mean to be. You just got me curious enough to go through my bug books looking for something that might be associated with crickets somehow. I have no idea if they'd be O.K. to feed to the frogs, but the fuzziness would make me cautious about it, since the hairs might be a defensive mechanism of some sort. Itwould just be interesting to find out what these are.
-----
Patty
Lost River, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
3 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
4 D. leukomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos

amazinglyricist Aug 29, 2003 12:07 PM

I first noticed them years ago when I would go get crickets and they would scoop from the bottom to get them, but never gave them any thought. I got my box of crickets from Flukers' about a week ago and noticed there were about 6 of them in there and about 4 or 5 small black beetles, so thats why i think they are larvae. I really have no idea what they are eating, and none got in the cricket container that I am using so they must have either been layed as eggs on the egg crate I used from it or they are parasitic and were layed inside of the crickets. The biggest ones are about 1 centimeter long, they are black on top and tan on the bottom and coverd in hair, they have 6 legs, and their heads look like the head of a mealworn just black.
-----
http://joshmilliken.tripod.com/

peregrinefalcon Aug 29, 2003 12:41 PM

They are put in with the crickets to eat the dead ones and the waste. They are harmless, I have fed them to my leopard geckos before. I even keep some in my frog and gecko tank to eat the waste and the dead crix!
Adam
-----
My pic gallery

kocox1 Aug 29, 2003 08:32 PM

I have seen these little bugs myself. If they are supposed to be eating dead crickets, the cricket farms must have many more of them than I have ever seen. Good to know they aren't harmful though

birdznfrogs Aug 29, 2003 07:54 PM

np

Site Tools