# NEW pumilio froglet feeder insect !



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

This has happen 3 times now, so I'm fairly certain it's now worth talking about....

I've seen some springtail / mite-like bugs in my bean beetle cultures on a couple occasions. Mainly running around on the cardboard egg crate. They are fast and long shaped, not at all like a mite. More like a brownish coloured springtail and very simialr in size. They always present themselves when the cultures are booming and there is a lot of detritus and gunk and old beans.

I tapped them out a couple times into my Cauchero viv before, but today, I watched a bunch of froglets go to town on them. 

No idea of the species....no idea of the breakdown of calcium or protein. All I know is I shook off about 200 or so and about 6 froglets, some only days oow were very happy.

I'll try to get some pics on here.

oh....they don't effect BB production like mites do with FF. 

BONUS feeders !


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Cool...maybe it is something that can even be cultured on its own.


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## VenomR00 (Apr 23, 2010)

If it is what I am thinking then what you have are what I get if I allow to many crickets to die. They are a species of maggots that eat the decaying matter. I don't know there name atm but thats what they are for. Just so you know ^^


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

It's not a larvae....at least the feeding out final insect isn't.

It looks and moves a lot like a springtail....kinda fast.....shaped long and more thin than fat.

Not at all like a beetle.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Cool! Can you get any pics of them? I'm going to go check my beans, lol.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Here's the other bonus feature....

Out of 8 BB cx's...the odd insects are only in one of them.

They don't seem to break out or make it out of the cx and become a problem like mites. My BB cxs touch and are sometimes on top of each other...and no transfer !


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Maybe they came in on a bean. You going to try to culture them?


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## johnachilli (Feb 8, 2007)

VenomR00 said:


> If it is what I am thinking then what you have are what I get if I allow to many crickets to die. They are a species of maggots that eat the decaying matter. I don't know there name atm but thats what they are for. Just so you know ^^


Those are most likely phroid flies


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## johnachilli (Feb 8, 2007)

could they be firebrats?


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

johnachilli said:


> could they be firebrats?


ya know....until further review....that may be a distinct possiblity.

The weird thing is that I have only seen the springtail size....never any larger and they are a light brown colour.


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## Eric Walker (Aug 22, 2009)

I thought fly larvae as well. most larvae are slow thought ime. Do they jump at all or flop like hydei phil?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Phil,

Do they look like psocids (booklice)? they are approximately the shape and size of what you described and the detritus in a bean beetle culture should be good food for them. You could have introduced them from the beans or the cardboard. 
See Psocids or booklice (Primary Industries & Fisheries, Queensland) for a basic representative. 

Ed


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Ed said:


> Phil,
> 
> Do they look like psocids (booklice)? they are approximately the shape and size of what you described and the detritus in a bean beetle culture should be good food for them. You could have introduced them from the beans or the cardboard.
> See Psocids or booklice (Primary Industries & Fisheries, Queensland) for a basic representative.
> ...


 
Bingo....we have a winner.

but

do they have a winged adult stage? If so...I've never seen it....


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## thedude (Nov 28, 2007)

Philsuma said:


> ya know....until further review....that may be a distinct possiblity.


haha, this made me think of a sketch from the whitest kids u know







anyway, sounds interesting. im hoping you can culture them.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Philsuma said:


> Bingo....we have a winner.
> 
> but
> 
> do they have a winged adult stage? If so...I've never seen it....


There are some related winged versions but the ones you have do not have wings. They are flightless. 

Ed


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## JeremyHuff (Apr 22, 2008)

Phil, 
set up a culture of them on crushed dry beans and see if they take off. I'd be interested in getting some at Hamurg if your are able to reproduce them.

J


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

This article gives some good indications on how to mass rear them http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2userfiles/place/54300530/pdf/1016_EcEn_101.616.pdf 

I would suggest adding some stiff dark construction paper to the cultures as a method to collect them. 



It looks like just beans aren't as good a substrate as some other food items (see http://www.icup.org.uk/reports\ICUP771.pdf )

Ed


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## tikifrog (May 11, 2004)

I think I have a couple cultures of these bugs going. I found them in an old turtle food stick container and they seem to be reproducing. 

I don't like how it was stated in the link that: 

"Huge infestations spread to structures and cause worker discomfort" :O(

Ranitomeya, Eldo and bj froglets eat them too.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Haha...I'm pretty sure that description is for workers in a grainery or other huge food stuff storage unit.

Heck...I only culture @ 40 FF cups and I'm a little itchy at times already....no biggie.

So far so good.....I marked the one psocid cx with a red "X" and it's right next to all the other BB cx and so far no cross contamination.


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## ESweet (Apr 13, 2009)

Interesting find Phil. I'd be interested to see if we can culture these and feed them out easily. Maybe you can get those guarumo froglets to grow up with these!


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

ESweet said:


> Interesting find Phil. I'd be interested to see if we can culture these and feed them out easily. Maybe you can get those guarumo froglets to grow up with these!


Erik,

They definately live in the frass and bean detritus at the cup bottom but migrate all over the inside of the cup and the inside of the lid.

I use cardboard and cardboard eggcrate to allow them to collect and then shake these out into the vivs.

There are still BB popping out in the cx, so maybe there is not a negative impact to either species. The psocids are almost as large as a springtail but tan colored, not white and they are really prolific. The cauchero froglets love them.

oh yeah....those tricky Rio Guarumos ! I have 2 groups of 1.2 each and def egg laying but very poor results so far.


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## tim13 (Feb 1, 2011)

phil,

any update on the booklice? selling cultures yet??


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

tim13 said:


> phil,
> 
> any update on the booklice? selling cultures yet??


Hi Tim,

Glad you tickled this thread....the booklice died out. Seems they just couldn't sustain themselves but it was cool while it lasted.


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## tim13 (Feb 1, 2011)

any ideas as to what wiped em out? they have to be sustainable somehow.


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## tikifrog (May 11, 2004)

I currently have three colonies going. They have infested a reptomin container as well as tetramin can and a sera micron based tadpole food mix.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

tikifrog said:


> I currently have three colonies going. They have infested a reptomin container as well as tetramin can and a sera micron based tadpole food mix.


Cool....mine lasted a little over a month, I believe.


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## tim13 (Feb 1, 2011)

seeing as how they're "booklice" , could you just chuck some phonebook paper in a containter and moist one corner of it and see what they do?


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## tim13 (Feb 1, 2011)

sorry to double post.... anyone know how to get these aside from accidentally? any foolproof methods to get some of these to try and culture?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

tim13 said:


> sorry to double post.... anyone know how to get these aside from accidentally? any foolproof methods to get some of these to try and culture?


Look at http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/fo...milio-froglet-feeder-insect-2.html#post526142 that at least has some culture information. 

Ed


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## tim13 (Feb 1, 2011)

maybe i misunderstood..... you linked to the thread you posted in?  is that forum sarcasm? lol


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## DJboston (Oct 25, 2008)

He is 100% serious. As am I.


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## PeanutbuttER (Jan 1, 2011)

Here I thought it was just an infinite loop


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

No, energy saving. Instead of linking to the links in the thread.. it is easier to link to the one post. 

Ed


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## frogmanchu (Feb 18, 2011)

Any new leads on the book lice anyone? I'm very interested to see what everyone hsd tried and succeed with.

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2


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