777
Junior Aurelian
Posts: 97
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by 777 on Sept 29, 2018 18:25:49 GMT
Recently I’ve been trying out ways to obtain more rainbow dung beetles here in eastern Texas, and I’ve found a technique that has worked for me with flying colors (no pun intended). First of all, if you have access to cow dung, then you are in luck! If you find somewhat fresh cow dung sitting outside on a windy day, get a stick and spread it around as much as possible to get the smell going (I know, it’s pretty gross). Dung beetles rely on smell to find their food, so the wind will spread the scent for long distances and make the beetles go crazy. You might want to bring a foldable chair for this, because it requires some waiting. After some time, a rainbow dung beetle or two will arrive, which will give you a chance to snatch them from the air with your net (they sound like bumblebees, so keep your ears open for them). Rainbow dung beetles are very fast when it comes to flying, so I recommend you wait until they hover above the dung so you can make a successful swing with your net. You must also stand still while waiting for them (they can apparently see movements). If they land on the dung, they will immediately burrow themselves in it, so you will have to put on some rubber gloves and dig them out with a stick. If you are a germaphobe, then this technique might not be for you. I recommend you try this out for other species of dung beetle, and you can tell me if this works for you if you like!
Update: I used this technique yesterday and I have attracted and caught about 36 rainbow dung beetles from just ONE cow patty in 30 minutes!
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Post by wollastoni on Oct 2, 2018 8:40:55 GMT
Great !
Show us some pictures of these rainbow beetles ! Which species are they ?
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777
Junior Aurelian
Posts: 97
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by 777 on Oct 2, 2018 16:39:59 GMT
Great ! Show us some pictures of these rainbow beetles ! Which species are they ? They are called Phanaeus vindex. Unfortunately, I cannot put on pictures for some reason (I use this site on mobile). Individual beetles of this species can be very different from each other, such as varying horn sizes, or just body size in general. Some male Phanaeus vindex have tiny horns, while others I have caught have horns that nearly reach all the way to their elytra! They are a wonderful species. |
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Post by louisianacurmudgeon on Oct 2, 2018 22:44:58 GMT
Quite familiar with capturing Dung beetles having done so for the past 50+ years. typicall daily catch here at my home.
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777
Junior Aurelian
Posts: 97
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by 777 on Oct 3, 2018 0:27:46 GMT
Quite familiar with capturing Dung beetles having done so for the past 50+ years. typicall daily catch here at my home.
What kinds of dung beetles did you enjoy catching? |
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Post by louisianacurmudgeon on Oct 3, 2018 0:56:39 GMT
unable to upload any images to this thread and several others. I am not the only one having this problem.
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godot
New Aurelian
“Don’t let’s do anything, it’s safer.” — Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Posts: 7 
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by godot on Oct 11, 2018 0:50:34 GMT
Our hobby brings us to the strangest lengths!
If it interests you, your “gross” technique is actually not too uncommon even catching insects that we wouldn’t generally consider to be attracted to things like dung. Many lepidopterists who are seeking out tropical butterflies will specifically seek out droppings from carnivorous animals (leopards, for example) because butterflies will congregate there to “mud-puddle” or feed on the rot. They can get salts, sugars, et cetera there that they can’t get from nectar alone.
Congratulations on your lucrative afternoon! I hope you have more to come.
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777
Junior Aurelian
Posts: 97
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by 777 on Oct 11, 2018 18:57:14 GMT
Our hobby brings us to the strangest lengths! If it interests you, your “gross” technique is actually not too uncommon even catching insects that we wouldn’t generally consider to be attracted to things like dung. Many lepidopterists who are seeking out tropical butterflies will specifically seek out droppings from carnivorous animals (leopards, for example) because butterflies will congregate there to “mud-puddle” or feed on the rot. They can get salts, sugars, et cetera there that they can’t get from nectar alone. Congratulations on your lucrative afternoon! I hope you have more to come. Thank you! I didn’t know butterflies like those do that. The diversity and constant information from insects always keeps things exciting when we collect them. |
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Post by louisianacurmudgeon on Oct 19, 2018 16:18:30 GMT
Phanaeus vindex in simple above ground trap. I usually operate 30-60 traps like this at my home most years for the past 40+ years. I also capture Phanaeus triangularis here at my home as well.
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Post by louisianacurmudgeon on Oct 19, 2018 16:32:07 GMT
Example of one trap on one day. But I have more than 200 traps like this operating most years here at my home in Louisiana. I collect numerous different species of dung beetles at this same location.
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Post by vardaturion on May 13, 2020 19:24:40 GMT
What sort of dung do you generally use for your traps? I live in N. Texas and have tried using human feces and have managed to catch Onthophagus and Canthon species so far. I'm pretty new to this and only set my traps up a few weeks ago, so maybe it's not to the season I can catch them yet.
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Post by jshuey on May 14, 2020 16:11:54 GMT
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Post by trehopr1 on May 14, 2020 18:35:20 GMT
I have never really given dung beetles much thought. Though lepidoptera are really my primary order of interest; I don't shy away from taking the occasional nifty beetle.
Last year, whilst going thru a collection of assorted Insecta being parted out for sale (due to a collectors poor health); I spied a half drawer packed with at least 40 or so species of dung beetles from all over the world. Everything from Elephant dung species to some quite colorful ones and even some with the most fantastic horned arrangements on their prothorax !
Simply put; it gave me a new appreciation for these overlooked beetles...
I retrospect, I probably should have just bought the whole half drawer but, that would have probably cost me 100-150 bucks for the lot and I needed to use my cash on lepidoptera. The material was very well prepared with legs neatly pinned close to the body (symmetrical) and with very nice full data printed labels. Very professional...
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