The Complete Guide to Raising the Eastern Hercules Beetle
May 29, 2017 18:46:09 GMT
nomad likes this
Post by beetlebaily on May 29, 2017 18:46:09 GMT
Today I will be reviewing "The Complete Guide to Rearing the Eastern Hercules Beetle" by Orin Mc Monigle.
About:"The Complete Guide to Raising the Eastern Hercules Beetle" by Orin Mc Monigle is a self published book by Orin Mc Monigle of www.angelfire.com/oh3/elytraandantenna/. It teaches insect enthusiasts how to rear the revered mighty dynastes tityus and other rihnoceros beetles. It is about 40 pages long. It is a short but essential read.
Structure/Idex:
Introduction
About the Eastern Hercules Beetle
Starting Out
Cages and Housing
Substrate
Egg Laying and Care
Raising the Larvae
Pupation
Keeping Adults
Conclusion
Other U.S Rhino Beetles
Glossary
Beetle Resources
Additional Resources
The Good: Mc Monigle did a fantastic job on writing a section warning others that the larvae can and will eat plastic! So that it is important to not use a cracked or damaged cage! Personally I have been using hard plastic 10 gal gerble cages and had no issues.
What I like too is that that Mc Monigle put an emphasis on the substrate. He came up with a ratio to follow by "rotten wood, compost manure, and crushed, dead hardwood leaves in a 1:1:1 ratio" This is easy to remeber and can be found in most common households or garden centers.
The Bad: First off, the range of the Dynastes tityus is a bit off. Mc Monigle says the range is from Southern New Jersey U.S.A to Florida. Though they are native to Florida, Orin is a bit off. I have been checking on bugguide.net for 6 years checking reports. Consistently year after year on bugguide.net according to the map the most northern range is Southern/Central Maryland U.S.A. (NOT coastal Eastern Shore of the state but more like Pg County, Howard County, and Anne Rundel but not limited to) (plus I found a dead male near the swimming pool of my university in Maryland. thescarabfamily.com/showthread.ph...305#pid305) Plus other neighbors of mine have found them in other areas of Southern Maryland (Howard County)
Second, Their was a colored page about tropical rhinoceros beetles, but all the pictures on how to raise the Dynastes Tityus was black and white. It would have been ideal if all the photos were colored.
Finally, It would have been nice to conclude on how to release and where to release adults after you have raised them. Personally I would continue to raise the beetles but would also want to know where and how to properly release them back into the wild. (though I have a few places in mind) They are hanging on in my part of Maryland but it would be better if their were more. Some parts of my area are suffering from lower biodiversity.
Conclusion: I HIGHLY recommend this to those interested in raising and learning about the Dynastes Tityus or any other rhinoceros beetles in your area. Orin is very thorough, organized, but is short and to the point! I would rate his book a 9/10!
About:"The Complete Guide to Raising the Eastern Hercules Beetle" by Orin Mc Monigle is a self published book by Orin Mc Monigle of www.angelfire.com/oh3/elytraandantenna/. It teaches insect enthusiasts how to rear the revered mighty dynastes tityus and other rihnoceros beetles. It is about 40 pages long. It is a short but essential read.
Structure/Idex:
Introduction
About the Eastern Hercules Beetle
Starting Out
Cages and Housing
Substrate
Egg Laying and Care
Raising the Larvae
Pupation
Keeping Adults
Conclusion
Other U.S Rhino Beetles
Glossary
Beetle Resources
Additional Resources
The Good: Mc Monigle did a fantastic job on writing a section warning others that the larvae can and will eat plastic! So that it is important to not use a cracked or damaged cage! Personally I have been using hard plastic 10 gal gerble cages and had no issues.
What I like too is that that Mc Monigle put an emphasis on the substrate. He came up with a ratio to follow by "rotten wood, compost manure, and crushed, dead hardwood leaves in a 1:1:1 ratio" This is easy to remeber and can be found in most common households or garden centers.
The Bad: First off, the range of the Dynastes tityus is a bit off. Mc Monigle says the range is from Southern New Jersey U.S.A to Florida. Though they are native to Florida, Orin is a bit off. I have been checking on bugguide.net for 6 years checking reports. Consistently year after year on bugguide.net according to the map the most northern range is Southern/Central Maryland U.S.A. (NOT coastal Eastern Shore of the state but more like Pg County, Howard County, and Anne Rundel but not limited to) (plus I found a dead male near the swimming pool of my university in Maryland. thescarabfamily.com/showthread.ph...305#pid305) Plus other neighbors of mine have found them in other areas of Southern Maryland (Howard County)
Second, Their was a colored page about tropical rhinoceros beetles, but all the pictures on how to raise the Dynastes Tityus was black and white. It would have been ideal if all the photos were colored.
Finally, It would have been nice to conclude on how to release and where to release adults after you have raised them. Personally I would continue to raise the beetles but would also want to know where and how to properly release them back into the wild. (though I have a few places in mind) They are hanging on in my part of Maryland but it would be better if their were more. Some parts of my area are suffering from lower biodiversity.
Conclusion: I HIGHLY recommend this to those interested in raising and learning about the Dynastes Tityus or any other rhinoceros beetles in your area. Orin is very thorough, organized, but is short and to the point! I would rate his book a 9/10!
