Peanut Beetle Larvae Culture (SHIPPING NOT INCLUDED)
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16 oz Active Peanut Beetle Larvae Culture
Each culture contains an established colony of peanut beetles (Ulomoides dermestoides), including various sizes of larvae and adult beetles.
Peanut beetle larvae are one of my favorite tiny feeders for jumping spiders, mantids, small tarantulas, and other insectivorous inverts. They’re soft bodied, active, easy for predators to grab, and a great option when fruit flies are too small or you want something a little more substantial.
They’re also highly nutritious, with an approximate profile of 55% crude protein, 18% crude fat, 3% ash, and 24% carbohydrates. Like any feeder, they’re best used as part of a varied diet.
Your culture arrives already established in substrate with larvae and adult beetles so it can continue reproducing at home. Production may slow temporarily after shipping, so give the colony a few weeks to settle in and build back up.
Important: Do NOT feed adult beetles, only larvae.
The larvae are the feeder insect. Adult peanut beetles should remain in the culture to reproduce and should not be offered as feeders. Adults produce defensive compounds that make them unpalatable and potentially unsuitable for your animals.
Culture Care
• Keep the culture dry and well ventilated. Never mist the substrate or pour water directly into the culture.
• Keep around 75–85°F for active production. Warmer temperatures will increase development and reproduction. Cooler temperatures slow the colony down and can be useful if you want to reduce production temporarily.
• Keep the culture away from direct sunlight, condensation, and excessive humidity.
• Provide oats or wheat bran as substrate. I recommend keeping active breeding cultures in oats, then moving sifted larvae into a separate container of wheat bran. The finer bran makes the larvae much easier to collect for feeding without repeatedly disturbing the main breeding colony.
• Add approximately a 1” layer of raw, unsalted peanuts. Peanuts may be shelled or unshelled. The beetles use them for food and breeding, and developing larvae can often be found inside them.
• Peanuts can improve production, although an established colony can continue reproducing without relying exclusively on them.
• Offer a small piece of squash or potato 1–2 times per week as a moisture source.
• Remove uneaten vegetable pieces within 48-72 hours or sooner if they begin to soften or mold.
• Do not mist the culture. Moisture should come from small pieces of fresh vegetable rather than added water.
Harvesting Larvae
Because your culture arrives already active, you can begin collecting larvae as needed. For long term production, allowing the colony to build up between larger harvests will help keep it productive.
Sift the culture to separate larger larvae from the oats, then transfer the collected larvae into their own container of wheat bran. Keeping harvested larvae separate makes routine feeding much faster and prevents you from having to disturb the breeding colony every time you need feeders.
Older peanuts can also be cracked open to find smaller developing larvae.
Return adult beetles and usable peanuts to the breeding culture after sifting. Avoid removing every larva from the culture so that plenty remain to pupate and replenish the adult population.
Maintaining the Colony
Most cultures need several weeks after shipping to reach peak production. Once established, you should see overlapping generations of eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult beetles.
As the colony becomes crowded or the substrate becomes heavily broken down, split or reset the culture rather than continually adding food to the original container. Transfer adult beetles, larvae, and several well used peanuts into fresh substrate with new peanuts.
Maintained this way, a peanut beetle colony can continue producing feeders indefinitely without needing to repeatedly purchase new starter cultures.
Quick Care
Temperature: 75–85°F
Substrate: Oats or wheat bran
Food/Breeding Material: Raw, unsalted peanuts
Moisture: Small squash or potato pieces 1–2x weekly
Humidity: Keep substrate dry; avoid condensation
Harvest: Once established, approximately every other week
Feeders: Larvae only: do not feed adult beetles