Just a bark-eating zophoba beetle. In addition to isopods and springtails, they take care of the cleanliness of my corn snake terrarium. They cope better with the conditions in the terrarium than isopods and springtails. In the nature of their Central and South American homeland, they feed on guano from fruit-eating bats. In my terrarium they eat undiscovered remains of my snake. However, you should make sure that the zophobas don't take over. They could become a stress factor and life risk for the main residents. The larvae also like to eat styrofoam, from which many back walls are made. They eat almost everything! That's why it's important to keep an eye on it. Since zophobas pupate only in isolation, there is only a small risk of overpopulation (depending on the interior). Also, the larvae from the terrarium shouldn't be fed to other animals because this could spread diseases. If you notice that they become too many, you can put wet pieces of bark in the terrarium. An hour later you collect the bark together with the larvae and kill them friendly in the freezer. The easiest way is to collect the adult beetles and allow only a few to lay eggs. Because of these peculiarities, I cannot fully recommend it, but I have had good experiences myself. We're all pioneers with different experiences.
Oops! Post #404! Time for a bug report! That's my bud, the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). Since 2011, this species has been detected in Germany and comes originally from East Asia. They are also found in North and South America. Often on house walls, they sometimes get lost inside. They can't survive the winter in warm houses, so I left it free.π
That's my bud, the stink bug! I thought of it as a different species, but thanks to a friendly hint I know that it's the introduced species Halyomorpha halys. Since 2011, this species has been detected in Germany and comes originally from East Asia.
Crane fly, Tipula sp.β€ (05/2003 in Oberursel, Germany)
Isn't it beautiful?π Crane flies are completely harmless.π Many believe they are huge mosquitoes.π Their mandibles are only suitable for absorbing water and nectar and can't penetrate through the skin.β What can end fatally, however, is to get the giggles from people panicking around the whole apartment.ππππ
Do you see behind the wings these small stems with the thickening at the end? In evolutionary terms, these are reduced wings and serve as orientation. They are called halteres and are a fascinating development of Mother Nature. Many other flying insects have that too. Simply said, the halteres swing through the wing movements, and as the animal changes direction, the vibration also changes.π‘
πΈπ Marmalade hoverfly (male), Episyrphus balteatus (06/2019 in Oberursel, Germany)
Marmalade hoverflies always follow the nice weather! π This species belongs to the migratory insects and forms dense seasonal swarms. In autumn, these travel from Central Europe to the Mediterranean region (vice versa in spring). The hoverflies cross the passes of the low mountain ranges, the Pyrenees and the Alps! ππ
πΆ Music: "Hey, Are You Here?" π€ by Kara Square π Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial 3.0 π Sound effect: "Helicopter" π€ by navaneetha kris π Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
My new roommate "PiΓ±ata DeBicho"! π€ It's a conehead mantis (Empusa pennata). But you shouldn't believe everything. β There is also some evidence that it comes from the planet Remulak! πΎπ Who cares! Just let the little conqueror march a bit! π
--------------------------------- Music: Mixed parts of "Haze" by Doxent Zsigmond (2018) and "Muy Caliente" by Apoxode (2019). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)
I mostly feed Dubia roaches to my leopard geckos. I breed them myself. Although it's a cockroach species, they are the least problematic feeding insects that I know. They don't make any noise or smell, can't climb smooth surfaces and really don't multiply in the home. They are always accepted by all my geckos and move moderately fast, which makes handling easy. In addition, they have a balanced nutrient ratio.
My friend is back and finally grown up! π Of course you can drink my tasty sweat, you must be very thirsty! π π€
Based on the nymphs that have occurred so far, you couldn't really say anything about the species. Netherless, my suspicion was already in the direction of Planuncus tingitanus s.l., because they are often found near houses. Ectobius vittiventris also accidentally gets into homes due to massive outbreaks caused by hot and dry summers. However, the wings of E. vittiventris are always longer than the abdomen. So I'm probably right with P. tingitanus .
By the way, it's not the worst idea to offer drinking opportunities in this heat. There are plenty of ways to make this possible. On the Internet you will find many crafting instructions for insect watering places. πΉπ
Someone came to visit me again! π€ A little bit bigger and the color turns amber. I think this is a Planuncus tingitanus s.l., because of its habitat. They're invasive and prefer shrubs and trees near human settlements. "S.l." stands for "sensu lato" meaning "in the sense of". It's a species complex consisting of different species or possibly just one. So it's kind of working title, until molecular investigations provide new insights. But I can't even be sure if this little visitor belongs to the Planuncus species. Forest cockroaches often differ only minimally, such as on the genitals. However, it's my pleasure to serve as an insect motel. Feel like home, eat some dirt, stretch your limbs and just feel good! Sloth life!β
