Abbott Ecology

  First attempt at Strategus aloeus lifecycle I’m a little embarrassed to include this experiment, because I made some rookie decisions and lost 8 larvae, then released 2 back to the garden bed that I found them in because they are native beneficial insects.  Unfortunately I could not find any literature on Strategus aloeus husbandry. I had found them incidentally in my yard and thought to myself “hey, this thing is terrifying! I’ll see what it turns into!” After some lost sleep and a very detailed conversation about beetles from a man in the Philippines about native ranges of beetle species, we were able to identify my likely species. As larvae and adult they eat rotting vegetation. I collected them and their surrounding dirt to set up my first terrarium.  At that point I didn’t have a glass tank, instead I had a hamster cage. I thought it would be perfect because it was roomy and about 6” deep with clear plastic walls and lots of ventilation on top. Eventually I found a...