Did I kill them?!

[Crasher_Insane]

Okay, so I've read that kale can be a good, nutritious feeder for insects so whilst I was picking up my bug's food I grabbed a head of it. The mealworms liked it well enough but I think it may have done something bad to my beetles. I pretty much covered the top of their container with pieces of kale last night and when I checked them today half of them were on their backs not moving.

The weird thing is the kale on top of the mealworms looks fine, but the stuff that was on the beetles was seriously dried and shriveled up. Strange enough, except I feel that I may have asphyxiated them. Anybody else have this problem? What did I do wrong?

 

[charlie476]

When you say the top of container do you mean top of their bedding or top of container? Ive noticed with alot of my younger beetles id say 1st 3-5 days of becoming a beetle alot would be flipped over and just lay there not moving. I would flip them over and then they would carry on about their business. Once they were a week or older some would get flipped over but they would manage to get back upright on their own.

 

[Crasher_Insane]

Currently they are in a tupperware container with no lid. I just placed the kale on top of their bedding. And I've had then for a while now, so I know what you mean about getting stuck on their backs. But usually it's maybe 1/10 of them flipped. When I looked this morning it was easily half or more of them and they weren't moving their legs or anything.

 

[charlie476]

Well hmm i don't have any direct answers that can help. I know when I had newspaper on top of the wheat bran weeks ago They would be underneath it stuck to the paper upside down. Ive seen a few beetles laying upside for a couple days and when i finally flipped them over he went trucking along. But at the same time Ive seen some upside down and make no attempt at all. Did you notice if they move at all when you flip them back on normal side? I am working on a university to contact this week to answer alot of questions about them I will add this in there. But in the mean time ill research this out tonight hope i can find something for you. Ill ask a few breeders I know as well maybe they can shed some light on this.