Defining Characteristics:

• Hardy
• Sustainable
• Prolific
• Protein rich

Name: Ulomoides dermestoides, commonly known as the Peanut Beetle. They got their name because they love peanuts! Peanut Beetles will eat peanuts and their outer shells. Eggs are laid inside the peanut, and as the larvae develop within they will eat their way out!

Peanut beetle larvae are great for small pets such as baby lizards, small geckos and turtles, dart frogs, tree frogs, toads, and many small fish. Adult beetles are not palatable and should not be fed to your animals.

Temperature (°F): They should be kept between 70 and 80°.

Humidity: 50-60%

Storage: Keep in a dark, warm, and dry area.

When You Receive Your Culture:

• Open the lid and add a small slice of russet potato as a moisture source.
• Though we will send cultures packed with eggs, larvae, and adults it may take almost a month for your culture to fully mature.
• DO NOT feed the adult peanut beetles to your pets! They have chemicals within their bodies that may be harmful to your pets. The larvae, however, do not have this same issue and are excellent feeders!
• If you plan to expand the culture, be sure to include both a substrate layer of wheat bran and a top layer of raw and unsalted peanuts. The substrate layer is important, as the final stage instars will leave the peanuts and burrow into the substrate to pupate.

Lifespan: Adult peanut beetles can live up to 2 years, and females can produce up to 300 eggs throughout their lives! This makes them an incredibly sustainable and economically viable feeder.

This being said, it is recommended that overpopulated cultures either be split or euthanized within six months to support the beetles’ health and well being.

PLEASE NOTE: Cultures are shipped with eggs and larvae, but no adult beetles due to sensitivities experienced in transit. Your culture should mature and begin producing adult beetles in 2-3 months, so be sure to have other feeders on hand while the peanut beetle lifecycle works its magic!

To Extend the Life of the Culture: Reduce the temperature to the low end (anywhere from 65-70°F) and keep the humidity down (in the range of 30-50%). This will drastically reduce the rate at which they eat and breed which will sustain the cultures for a longer period of time.

Feeding: Their main food source should come as no surprise—peanuts! Unsalted raw peanuts are their favorite food. They will also eat anything that is decaying such as other dead insects, fruit, and plants.

Small slices of potato can be put directly into the culture. We recommend that you remove the slice after 24-48 hours if the beetles haven’t eaten it all to avoid molding, or place the potato slice onto a piece of egg crate or petri dish that can be easily removed should molding occur.

Feeding to Your Pet: In a fully established culture, retrieving the larvae is a pretty simple process and can be done one of two ways.

1. Remove a peanut that has sunk into the substrate and crack it open. There is a high likelihood that you will find larvae of varying sizes within the peanut. From here you can put them into another container and use tongs to feed, a dish/bowl, or in the case of aquatics simply introduce them into the aquarium.
2. Remove the peanuts from the culture and pull larvae directly out of the substrate. This will often yield larger larvae as they leave the peanuts and enter the substrate to pupate.

It’s useful to have an extra container for peanuts that won’t be collected from while you're pulling seeded peanuts or substrate—a glass cup or small Tupperware dish should do the trick. After you've collected the desired amount of larvae, simply return the adults and the peanuts to the culture.

Nutritional Information:

• 50-55% protein
• 18-25% fat
• 20-30% carbohydrates
• Excellent source of amino acids