1/1/2021: Goliath news

Two weeks ago I received some Goliathus goliatus larvae from Bugs in Cyberspace. Curious about communally housing this species despite numerous warnings, I put two of my larvae in 32 oz cups of mycelium-infused wood pellets and well-rotted leaf litter, and two into a 10 gallon tank with the same mix. All were offered low-quality dog food pellets, though I only added pellets to the tank once but replaced the pellets in the 32 oz cups whenever they were completely consumed. I was nervous for today’s check; would I be welcoming in the New Year to two beautiful Goliathus larvae or one big one?

My heart sank as I explored half of the tank; no larvae in sight anywhere. I checked the other side… and found one huge, ornery larva. Uh-oh.

I continued my search and lo and behold… a second larva near the first! Both are two to three times larger than they were two weeks ago and both dwarf the solo-reared larvae.

I’m elated with these results but will be keeping a close eye on this set up into the future. If both larvae make it to pupation without issue, I’ll be a very happy bug guy.

Here’s to a stellar 2021!

-Kyle