Found this in my roach colony it killed to my roaches, what is it?
HelpIt's a darkling beetle (from a superworm)
They start off with that vivid copper colour and soon go black
You can still feed it to your beardie or keep it to breed superworms
So wait...how does that work? How does a beetle come from a superworm?
Man, every time I think I know most everything about keeping a beardie as a pet, reality slaps me over the head with something absolutely bonkers like this haha.
A superworm is the larval form of a darkling beetle
I learned something extremely important on this night, thank you.
Most reptile feeder ‘worms’ turn into something. Butter, wax, silk, horn etc
Probably a good thing you learned before you end up finding one someday. It happens to all of us, I think.
I found a couple of them, and thought they’d come in from outside - so I “returned them to their home” in the yard. Still wonder if I unintentionally introduced an invasive species, lol.
I did this with hoppers amd crickets and then we found out they were hiding in the pipe chirping😂.
So wasnt funny but is funny. Now i kill them with a shoe because cant do anything else with them. My rankin will only eat baby crickets and hes like 1 now
A superworm is a pre mutated beetle, like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, a superworm becomes a darkling beetle
I let some superworms set in a bag from the pet shop a bit too long and they tore through it, but I assumed I'd either find them or their dead bodies eventually. A few weeks later I found like a dozen massive beetles in the span of like one day and thought I had an infestation, then come to find out it was just the worms I lost lmao. I was just upset about the wasted money I spent
The worms have the second chance perk.
Virtually every feeder worm for reptiles is the larval form of a beetle or fly (such as black soldier flies). Sometimes you'll find one or two in your worm tubs. Sometimes a whole bunch. And it's important to know if you're keeping extra worms in anything but their own container, as in the situation.
You already got the replies you wanted, but I will add that any larva (or almost) will change dramatically if their conditions and needs are being satisfied (given enough time).
Caterpillars are the easiest to recognise of course, but most other larva will turn into beetles of some kind. That's because many insects go through a complete metamorphosis, and the larvae often live in different habitats compared to the adults.
Hornworms turn into moths. That's why they're usually more expensive than other bugs
Wax worms also turn into moths. I think there quite pretty and cross the road amd let them fly