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Ranitomeya

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    California

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  1. You're going to have a hard time importing any sort of weevil into the US legally unless you're affiliated with a lab and have the time and money to get all of the proper permits. All weevils feed on some kind of living plant material or seeds, so they're automatically considered pests or potential pests.
  2. Why don't you just mail them to yourself?
  3. They're pretty common this time of the year where I frequently go to collect. They live in riparian habitats and require a clean water source. They feed on the fluids of other insects and are predatory on similarly-sized or smaller insects, but will also scavenge on recently dead and dying insects. They will cannibalize if not kept well-fed. They're pretty much like amphibious assassin bugs.
  4. Many adult Buprestidae feed on nectar and pollen or tree sap.
  5. If the mold is growing near or on the opening, it's probably too late for them as the mold is likely growing out from inside. If it's just growing on the surface of the casing due to stuck-on detritus, I you could gently remove the mold and what it's growing on with a damp Q-tip. To avoid this happening in the future, I suggest cleaning the oothecae before setting them aside for incubation.
  6. Ranitomeya

    Leaves?

    The only isopods I keep at this time are dwarf whites, and they're functioning as cleanup crews and small feeders. Thanks for the offer, but my dwarf whites don't go through many leaves and are doing fine with very infrequent additions of magnolia and oak leaves.
  7. Ranitomeya

    Leaves?

    The things we do in the name of science?
  8. If there are so many dead bodies that your current cleanup crew can't deal with it, I suggest doing some cleanup and removing the dead ones. Cleanup crews will help remove some of the dead bodies, but they'll only eat so much at a time.
  9. Ranitomeya

    Leaves?

    I have no idea. I'd recommend setting up secondary containers and testing food items. If they survive, reproduce, and the young successfully mature, you should be fine.
  10. Ranitomeya

    Leaves?

    Yes, dead leaves should still contain their toxins. Many plants will actually load additional compounds onto their old leaves before dropping them as a way of getting rid of waste products.
  11. Ranitomeya

    Leaves?

    Palm leaves decompose rather slowly--they're not great for feeding detrivores with, but they provide ample surface area for detrivores to breed in. I'm not sure about mango, mulberry, seagrape, and royal poinciana, but magnolia works just fine and avocado is poisonous to certain organisms like birds and fish and it may not be safe to use.
  12. Yes, an adult would have the ability to tackle a fully-grown Eublaberus, but it may feel intimidated by large prey and refuse it.
  13. I've found that baby powder will act as a decent barrier against ants for a while. It's a fine powder and they have difficult time walking over it without falling over and they'll actually avoid walking over it if possible. Chances are that you have one of the invasive ants--most likely Argentine Ants. The Argentine Ants here are never-ending, so I always have to make sure there's some baby powder on the floor along the edges of the room where they usually come in from. The ridiculous things have many queens for their colonies and the genetic bottleneck has ensured that they all have the same hydrocarbon profile which allows them to form super colonies. Treating just your home for them is like digging in dry sand--more will pour in from the periphery. I'd avoid the use of diatomaceous earth because that stuff never really goes away. Sure, it's not toxic, but unlike toxins, it doesn't break down. It'll get everywhere--including in your enclosures. Even a small amount will irritate your invertebrates.
  14. If you're unable to pin and position them freshly dead and before they've turned dry and brittle, you can put them into a closed container with some paper towel that's been moistened with water and a little detergent and place them in the refrigerator for a day or two. This will rehydrate them a bit and make it possible to manipulate their limbs without snapping their joints. Don't leave them too long or they may get moldy or start falling apart with decay. Don't be surprised if it smells less than appealing if the roach had died and gone through a bit of decomposition before drying.
  15. Mites usually come with infested grain-based foods, substrate containing mites, or from hitchhiking mites on either the animals you've purchased or from ones that have entered your enclosures from outside. Infested grain-based foods are usually the primary source of outbreaks.
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