1. This is a picture of Alomyrina dichotoma with blackish/ brownish spots on her body. I don't know if it harms the larvae. It's the first time I see it and only one of my larvae is infested with it.
Some other breeders like for example Serge Mallet also recognised these spots in his larvae. As far as I know now, it does not harm the larvae, as all of my larvae were able to pupate and the imagos are hatching out right now... Although these positive news, I think it is better to separate larvae that show signs of this disease, as we don't know what it is and whether it is harmful to other species. Some of my Compsocephalus dimitriewi larvae seem to have died of this disease, although some of them hatched out healthy and their offspring doesn't show any signs of it. Let's see what will happen further...
If you know something about this, please let me know and if you have to report about other beetle diseases, maybe here is the right place to tell people about it...
2. There is another disease that a fungus might be the reason for. This year many breeders told me about this fatal illness which killed almost all of their larvae. Symptoms are:
The larvae come up to the surface of the substrate and die. Then something like a mould, sometimes green, sometimes yellow will grow on the dead corpses. As this disease spreads through spores. you have to be extra careful, when you discover this disease. Through away the substrate infected larvae were found in and separate healthy and sick larvae, best thing is only one larvae per container. Wash your hands and tools after handling infected larvae and disinfect containers before reusing them. By all means, quarantine of newly acquired larvae seems to be the only way to keep out diseases of your own breeding.
If you have any discovered anything else in your larvae, please let me know.
Copyright © B.Harink
Stand:
06. November 2007.