Useful book and old insect rejuvenation

[Guest AlexW]

 

This Google book preview is quite interesting. The section I highlighted shows that Carabus (which @Hisserdude has kept) starve to death in old age because their mandibles become too worn-out to eat normal food, but feeding macerated, soft liver re-invigorates them and their reproductive systems. Because most adult insects do not molt, I presume that feeding soft foods to many different kinds of old insects, including roaches, could lengthen lifespan.

There are also other interesting topics above and below. For example, Heliconius butterflies have long adult lives because they can get amino acids from eating pollen; Dryas can only ingest nectar and therefore dies of malnutrition. I know that rhinoceros beetles are mostly sugar-feeders as well; perhaps pumping nutrients into grub or adult food can artificially make adults live longer, though it is possible adults cannot digest and absorb these nutrients and so such artificial nutrition-loading must take place during the grub stage only.