superworm escape! HELP

This is really freaky. :uhoh2:

A few months ago I accidentally filled the superworm's bedding too high and it gave them enough leverage to escape apparently. :/ I stopped the problem as soon as I noticed a superworm crawling around my room. It was too late and I'm sure a dozen or two must have escaped.

Now, a few months later... the ones I couldn't find have pupated into the nasty black beetles. (I know, I'm a reptile lover... but these huge beetles give me the creeps). My mom has found them upstairs in the guest room, I've found them in my room (where I was keeping the bugs) even caught one crawling up my sheets, and even down to the first level of our house. Wow. I didn't think they could crawl so far. Now, I know cold kills them but I can't just kill the heat in the house.

Has this happened to anyone before... is there any way I could kill these bugs or somehow lure them and trap them?

I know superworms will eat about anything. Are the adult beetles the same way?

Will they be destroying my furniture and possessions?

I told my mom the beetles don't bite and can't fly so not to worry. But I'm not 100% sure on that. As I know the superworms CAN bite so couldn't the beetles too?

What if one of our cats decides to eat one- could it be harmful?

Thanks a TON guys!

PS. This time I have moved my supers to a 10 gal glass tank... so I don't think there will be escapes again.

You could try a few roach or ant motels to see if it attracts the beetles since they'll eat anything. I'm sure food is scarce in the wide open house so they should be attracted to the traps. Also sticky pads used to trap mice in the areas you'fe seen them in.

I don't suspect it would hurt the cats if they eat one, after all our leos are a lot more sensitive then a cat's digestive tract is, and cats DO eat their own poo sometimes (ick) so... I wouldn't worry there.

As far as destroying the furniture/possessions/flying I can't really say on that one. I wouldn't imagine they are like termites in that respect but maybe you can do a google search to find out for sure.

Thanks DogShrink for the ideas!

:O poor you! i hope you get the problem sorted out.
Something like this happened to us last year.. someone must have bought a beetle into the house on their shoes or something.. and then we had loads of beetles. They all eventually just died.

http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG369/notes/lesser_mealworm.html
http://www.prespest.com/pantry-pests.htm
I dont wan to alarm you but they can do some damage. I made the mistake of tossing them in my yard and am now a bit freaked out. These are about mealworms which are darkling beetle larvae too. Just cleam your pantry often and try the roach motels or kill your lights when you can and use a electric blacklight bug zapper.

Yes, this happened to me a couple of years ago. Just catch them as you find them. If you can hold off on the poison, are you willing to put them in an enclosure? Then you could have free superworms. I rejoice every time I find a beetle in my leo tank. They also live a lot longer than mealworm beetles.

Aliza

How about tipping a glass jar on a pillow or something and put lettuce and/or carrots in the bottom. They can slide in but it would be too slick to climb out on an incline. Put several throughout the house.
Good luck! That would creep me out, too!
BTW, supers may be able to climb the sealant on an aquarium. Can you put clear mailing tape over the sealant? They can't climb that.

ZooKeeperKarin said:

How about tipping a glass jar on a pillow or something and put lettuce and/or carrots in the bottom. They can slide in but it would be too slick to climb out on an incline. Put several throughout the house.
Good luck! That would creep me out, too!
BTW, supers may be able to climb the sealant on an aquarium. Can you put clear mailing tape over the sealant? They can't climb that.

Click to expand...

So far there are no escapees from the 10 gal glass tank. Also, I'm happy to report that I've found no more super beetles! I also did not resort to using any poison, I just picked them up as I found them. They must have all died. >:]

I don't want to breed supers, I already have a thriving and self-sustaining mealworm colony. My supers are just for a little variety and one of my male leos only seems to eat supers.

Thanks for the feedback folks! No more beetle nightmares. heheehee

YAY!!! I bet y'all are happy