Black eyed peas only, for Bean Beetles ?

[powderblutang]

Can you feed any type of bean to these or do they have to just be black eye peas

[kristy55303]

not quite sure but black eyed peas are very cheap and work very well for me. I love it when these guys bloom.
I have been making 190 oz container cultures now that they have overpopulated some of the fruit fly cups i use.
kristy

[joshsfrogs]

Of the commonly available beans, black eyed peas are the only ones that work.

[pl259]

Black eyed peas, mung beans, and adzuki are the three that have been reported to work. I've been using black eyed peas and mung beans with good success. I understand adzuki work but not as well. Each bean becomes a single beetle, so I've been using more mung beans since they are smaller and will produce more beetles per unit volume of beans. The cultures need good airflow as well, but are otherwise easy to do.

[TonyT]

How do you remove the beetles to feed them to the frogs?

TonyT

[divingne1]

I pick the beetles up with my fingernails and feed them to the terribilis one at a time just so watch and make sure they eat them ok. I also have an empty toilet paper roll in the cup that they crawl on and lay eggs on. I just shake it in the tank and the beetles fall off.
Candy

[afterdark]

Dollar store kitty litter scoop. The beans are large enough that they don't fall through - but the beetles do. I shake em into a cup, dust em and toss them in with the frogs. Carnage ensues. 8)

[froglet]

If your feeding alot from them you can use a coffee filter ..... they go in and all you need to do is pick it up .... shake and bake .

[kristy55303]

great now i have to go to that darn dollar store with underpaid employees that are snappy lol
good idea
thanks kristy

[fknighton]

Okay, this is the first time I have heard of black eye pea beetles. Where do I get them and how do you culture them? Thanks! Fran

[TonyT]

Just bought 2 of these today. They should be here sometime next week. Hopefully the frogs enjoy them and they are not a wasted. Anyway here is a link if anyone wants some.

http://dartden.com/viewtopic.php?t=3567 ... highlight=

[pl259]

... Each bean becomes a single beetle, so I've been using more mung beans since they are smaller and will produce more beetles per unit volume of beans...

Just correcting myself here. Turns out my beans beetles actually use a single bean several times. Also the bigger the bean, the bigger the beetle. The beetles that crawl out from the mung beans are smaller and can therefore be fed to smaller frogs. Helps a bit on the sorting process.

I've been using wide mouth mason jars with a SS screen in the top ring. I lay the jar on it's side. When the beetles hatch they crawl all over the place but many hang out on the screen. I just tip the jar a little to slide the beans away from the screened lid, unscrew the lid and tap them into a funnel over my dusting cup. Works well for me.

[nx2ured]

I use ff cups for my bean beetles. I turn an empty solo cup upside down inside the ff cup and they crawl up into the cup.

[jehitch]

Okay, this is the first time I have heard of black eye pea beetles. Where do I get them and how do you culture them? Thanks! Fran

Just an FYI: some state departments of agriculture may regulate these, as they are a crop pest, and the USDA requires a permit to ship them across state lines.

If you're in Michigan, I have plenty! Since they are regulated, we don't have them listed on the web site, so you can call the store at (616) 940-2909 or email me at jehitch@rainforeststationpets.com.

____
Jim

[Philsuma]

Some excellent posts on BB here in this thread.

Bean Beetles are a great supplemental feeder, they hold superfine powder really well and they can always help bridge the gap in a Fruit Fly culture crash emergency. Their escape artist status is overblown as well. They are no worse than Hydei.

And ease of culture ? Toss in 1/2 inch of Black eyed peas into a 32oz deli cup right on top of the old beans every 2 weeks. So easy.