Luckily there was no bread inside
Today I noticed there was a little beetle on top of our breadbox. It prompted me to remove the top cover to examine it closer. Then I realized the INSIDE of our breadbox was infested with the same kind of beetle (very small, approximately twice the size of a sesame seed).
"Huh. They must have been attracted to the sesame seeds that fall off the buns we usually buy. Wait. Those aren't sesame seeds either."
And they were not. They were (beige) molted carapaces of varying sizes.
I have since moved the beetle infested underlining to our breadbox into a quarantined environment and have also dropped another specimen into the tank.
Let's watch.
Update(1) - I can't be entirely sure but it looks like the rhodnius is eating one of the small beetles. Rhodnius are carnivorous and consume their prey similar to spiders; by injecting them with digestive paralyzing fluids and then drinking it later. The reason I can't be sure is because of the size difference. Have you ever watched Starship Troopers? Tanker bug vs. unarmed infantry.
Update(2) - In less than 24 hours, the entire population (20 or so) of beetles has been DEVOURED by the Rhodnius leaving only a wake of empty husks and tiny insect poop. This has earned him (or her, I can't really tell) the right to a proper name. And so the tale of Hynoxtan (Nox for short) begins.
Wasp!Update - One of my wasps has hatched from its cell and looks fairly healthy. So far it has mostly just sat on the nest and crawled around a bit checking the other cells. It doesn't seem agitated but that doesn't mean I'm willing to let it fly around my room. It's in a small cage along with the nest. It hasn't made any confirmed kills yet so still level 1. I was rummaging through my backyard looking for caterpillars but all I found were a few empty or dead cocoons, some earwigs and some snails. I want to check a pet store and see if they sell mealworms or something similar.
Update(3) - Thanks to a ridiculous infestation of earwigs in my backyard, I have a near endless food supply for Nox. Normally I'd feel bad for sacrificing insects, but earwigs... I dunno, not that sympathetic. Probably because of the sheer number of them I found nesting. Really, it was like from a horror movie; they poured out.
Wasp!Update - Another wasp has hatched and has joined in resting on the nest. Otherwise, nothing new.
Update(4) - I was right to think that Nox made some confirmed earwig kills. I was wrong to assume he had already eaten then. Since he doesn't have silk to bind his prey, he simply waited for his enzymes to do their thing. Today I found earwig carapaces that were torn apart. No organs. Hynoxtan is a BEAST. I hope he levels soon.
Wasp!Update - Yet another wasp has hatched. I believe this is the last one for a while. None of the other larvae have sealed themselves up since I got the hive and all the sealed cells have been opened. An interesting tidbit is that one of them has left the hive and started searching the premises. This has led to my theory that at least 2/3 of the total hive population must be guarding the nest at all times.
Wasp!Update(5) - A FOURTH wasp has hatched from a previously hidden cell but GOOD NEWS EVERYONE: I caught the 'birth' on camera in video format! Also, wasps regurgitate food for their hungry peers. I didn't film that but I wish I did. Gratitude for this a.b.c. food is expressed through what can only be described as a vigorous bitch-slapping contest and then a short buzz from the recipient of the food. Either that or the food was not to its liking. Oh entymology, you are truly nature's lulz.
Update(6) - You know what's a bad idea? Putting a bunch of earwigs in a near-airtight box. I cannot believe that they could have accumulated such an awful smell. It was like sweaty, back-of-the-pet-shop, overused washroom. I think I'm going to separate the earwigs and Nox soon or release the earwigs altogether.
Wasp!Update - I moved the hive to a much larger clear plastic container similar to the one Nox has been living in I'm guessing it's about 5 or 6 liters? It has no air holes but I'm working on it. I also need to mount the hive back onto a flat surface. I'm lucky the 'base stem' remained intact but the real problem will be temporarily getting the wasps off it while I do. I also want to visit a pet store and see if they sell mealworms. Also, at least one person is as crazy as me.
Update(7) - All the earwigs have been released into the wild. Bye-bye earwigs! Nox has been relocated back into the confines of his "Bug House" (a small cage about the size of a can of coke). I found one earwig in my own house later and dropped it into the cage with him. To remove all doubt from my system, the same earwig was later found dead in the corner of the cage. It makes me feel less like one of those Victorian age scientists working to prove the spontaneous generation theory (ah hah! raw meat spawns maggots!). I'd feel comfortable about releasing Hynoxtan back into my house if I didn't already know that his species also feeds off the blood of mammals.
Wasp!Update - I have the most emo wasps ever. All they do it sit around their hive. I put people food all around them (bits of fruit, raw honey, refined honey, tiny bits of cooked meat) but I don't think they're going for it. A small, interesting note is that they refuse to touch McDonald's hamburger meat. They're willing to snap and bite at metal paper clips but not McDonald's. I speared a small piece of meat at the end of a straightened paper clip and prodded the hive with it (lol this makes me sound soooo retarded) but they didn't react aggressively. For my next act, I will be covering my hand in honey and smacking them repeated while shouting and blowing at them.
Update(8) - I dropped a silverfish into Nox's cage. I had a pair of silverfish (just prior to raising my wasps) named Agichthy1 and Agichthy2 but they didn't do anything interesting so I let them go outside. It is my morbid hope that this silverfish leaves behind a more intact carapace after its death so that I might be able to better analyze the physical trauma inflicted by Nox's attack. I also find it interesting that silverfish can essentially turn things like drywall, paper, glue and even shampoo into flesh. If nothing else, I admire its highly efficient digestive system.
Wasp!Update - Nothing! They're still being emo. Their abdomens don't noticeably throb while they're resting. One of them has taken up residence AWAY from the nest and very close to the edge of the container like some kind of advance scout. Wasp poo looks similar to bird poo.
Update(9) - I posted pictures and videos 2 entries up.
http://pocketto.livejournal.com/35254.html
Update(10) - I found a beetle today. My attempt to identify it has yielded a scientific name: catharellus lecontei. I will call him Cale. He's about the size of a penny but his shell looks thicker than Nox's. I am eager to pit them against each other but I doubt they'd actually fight.
Wasp!Update - My wasps know how to bite. (video soon)
Update(11) - As expected, Cale and Nox don't fight. Makes me wonder what I can feed Cale. Nox ate the earwigs I caught for him yesterday. I caught a glimpse of him attacking one and it looked like a rough tackle. My dad found another earwig in the house and I dropped it in with Nox.
Update(12) - I really shouldn't have named Cale. He's either dead or dying right now for some reason. I'm glad I took 2 pictures while he was still alive. I'm assuming Nox had something to do with it but he's innocent until proven guilty despite the circumstantial evidence. So basically if I wake up tomorrow and I find an empty, Cale-shaped husk in the box, Nox has claimed yet another victim. As much as Cale's untimely death is a shame, it does solve the problem of me not knowing what to feed him. The other earwig from yesterday is still there. Also, Desmond was over and I asked his opinion of what the box smells like. He said "cheese".
Update(13) - Cale was totally dead by this afternoon so I decided to perform an autopsy on him. That's right, an insect autopsy. I've done one before on a rhodnius for a lab (that's how I knew how to identify Nox). Anyways, using very delicate instruments (straightened paper clips), I spread Cale's protective wing covers and gently unfolded his wispy thin wings and... Totally empty. It was like from a horror movie. "Autopsy log 001. Subject's lower organs have been... Entirely extracted. No previous wounds were recorded on the subject prior to the initial incision. Explanation pending. What could have done this?..." And then I get eaten by a monster. Anyways, the abdomen was totally hollow but the thorax and head still contained some recognizable parts (recognizable to ME). Most notably, parts of the digestive tract were still present in the form of a blackened tube. It is in this researcher's opinion that Nox was responsible for Cale's death. Interestingly, Cale's shell appeared perfectly intact before I started. I believe that the rhodnius's nickname of "assassin bug" is very appropriate. Nox's kills have been extremely clean and fairly efficient. The earwigs that were torn apart as noted in an earlier report (Update 4) were a result of the other earwigs scavenging their own dead for food. This was a behaviour I observed recently.
"Huh. They must have been attracted to the sesame seeds that fall off the buns we usually buy. Wait. Those aren't sesame seeds either."
And they were not. They were (beige) molted carapaces of varying sizes.
I have since moved the beetle infested underlining to our breadbox into a quarantined environment and have also dropped another specimen into the tank.
Let's watch.
Update(1) - I can't be entirely sure but it looks like the rhodnius is eating one of the small beetles. Rhodnius are carnivorous and consume their prey similar to spiders; by injecting them with digestive paralyzing fluids and then drinking it later. The reason I can't be sure is because of the size difference. Have you ever watched Starship Troopers? Tanker bug vs. unarmed infantry.
Update(2) - In less than 24 hours, the entire population (20 or so) of beetles has been DEVOURED by the Rhodnius leaving only a wake of empty husks and tiny insect poop. This has earned him (or her, I can't really tell) the right to a proper name. And so the tale of Hynoxtan (Nox for short) begins.
Wasp!Update - One of my wasps has hatched from its cell and looks fairly healthy. So far it has mostly just sat on the nest and crawled around a bit checking the other cells. It doesn't seem agitated but that doesn't mean I'm willing to let it fly around my room. It's in a small cage along with the nest. It hasn't made any confirmed kills yet so still level 1. I was rummaging through my backyard looking for caterpillars but all I found were a few empty or dead cocoons, some earwigs and some snails. I want to check a pet store and see if they sell mealworms or something similar.
Update(3) - Thanks to a ridiculous infestation of earwigs in my backyard, I have a near endless food supply for Nox. Normally I'd feel bad for sacrificing insects, but earwigs... I dunno, not that sympathetic. Probably because of the sheer number of them I found nesting. Really, it was like from a horror movie; they poured out.
Wasp!Update - Another wasp has hatched and has joined in resting on the nest. Otherwise, nothing new.
Update(4) - I was right to think that Nox made some confirmed earwig kills. I was wrong to assume he had already eaten then. Since he doesn't have silk to bind his prey, he simply waited for his enzymes to do their thing. Today I found earwig carapaces that were torn apart. No organs. Hynoxtan is a BEAST. I hope he levels soon.
Wasp!Update - Yet another wasp has hatched. I believe this is the last one for a while. None of the other larvae have sealed themselves up since I got the hive and all the sealed cells have been opened. An interesting tidbit is that one of them has left the hive and started searching the premises. This has led to my theory that at least 2/3 of the total hive population must be guarding the nest at all times.
Wasp!Update(5) - A FOURTH wasp has hatched from a previously hidden cell but GOOD NEWS EVERYONE: I caught the 'birth' on camera in video format! Also, wasps regurgitate food for their hungry peers. I didn't film that but I wish I did. Gratitude for this a.b.c. food is expressed through what can only be described as a vigorous bitch-slapping contest and then a short buzz from the recipient of the food. Either that or the food was not to its liking. Oh entymology, you are truly nature's lulz.
Update(6) - You know what's a bad idea? Putting a bunch of earwigs in a near-airtight box. I cannot believe that they could have accumulated such an awful smell. It was like sweaty, back-of-the-pet-shop, overused washroom. I think I'm going to separate the earwigs and Nox soon or release the earwigs altogether.
Wasp!Update - I moved the hive to a much larger clear plastic container similar to the one Nox has been living in I'm guessing it's about 5 or 6 liters? It has no air holes but I'm working on it. I also need to mount the hive back onto a flat surface. I'm lucky the 'base stem' remained intact but the real problem will be temporarily getting the wasps off it while I do. I also want to visit a pet store and see if they sell mealworms. Also, at least one person is as crazy as me.
Update(7) - All the earwigs have been released into the wild. Bye-bye earwigs! Nox has been relocated back into the confines of his "Bug House" (a small cage about the size of a can of coke). I found one earwig in my own house later and dropped it into the cage with him. To remove all doubt from my system, the same earwig was later found dead in the corner of the cage. It makes me feel less like one of those Victorian age scientists working to prove the spontaneous generation theory (ah hah! raw meat spawns maggots!). I'd feel comfortable about releasing Hynoxtan back into my house if I didn't already know that his species also feeds off the blood of mammals.
Wasp!Update - I have the most emo wasps ever. All they do it sit around their hive. I put people food all around them (bits of fruit, raw honey, refined honey, tiny bits of cooked meat) but I don't think they're going for it. A small, interesting note is that they refuse to touch McDonald's hamburger meat. They're willing to snap and bite at metal paper clips but not McDonald's. I speared a small piece of meat at the end of a straightened paper clip and prodded the hive with it (lol this makes me sound soooo retarded) but they didn't react aggressively. For my next act, I will be covering my hand in honey and smacking them repeated while shouting and blowing at them.
Update(8) - I dropped a silverfish into Nox's cage. I had a pair of silverfish (just prior to raising my wasps) named Agichthy1 and Agichthy2 but they didn't do anything interesting so I let them go outside. It is my morbid hope that this silverfish leaves behind a more intact carapace after its death so that I might be able to better analyze the physical trauma inflicted by Nox's attack. I also find it interesting that silverfish can essentially turn things like drywall, paper, glue and even shampoo into flesh. If nothing else, I admire its highly efficient digestive system.
Wasp!Update - Nothing! They're still being emo. Their abdomens don't noticeably throb while they're resting. One of them has taken up residence AWAY from the nest and very close to the edge of the container like some kind of advance scout. Wasp poo looks similar to bird poo.
Update(9) - I posted pictures and videos 2 entries up.
http://pocketto.livejournal.com/35254.html
Update(10) - I found a beetle today. My attempt to identify it has yielded a scientific name: catharellus lecontei. I will call him Cale. He's about the size of a penny but his shell looks thicker than Nox's. I am eager to pit them against each other but I doubt they'd actually fight.
Wasp!Update - My wasps know how to bite. (video soon)
Update(11) - As expected, Cale and Nox don't fight. Makes me wonder what I can feed Cale. Nox ate the earwigs I caught for him yesterday. I caught a glimpse of him attacking one and it looked like a rough tackle. My dad found another earwig in the house and I dropped it in with Nox.
Update(12) - I really shouldn't have named Cale. He's either dead or dying right now for some reason. I'm glad I took 2 pictures while he was still alive. I'm assuming Nox had something to do with it but he's innocent until proven guilty despite the circumstantial evidence. So basically if I wake up tomorrow and I find an empty, Cale-shaped husk in the box, Nox has claimed yet another victim. As much as Cale's untimely death is a shame, it does solve the problem of me not knowing what to feed him. The other earwig from yesterday is still there. Also, Desmond was over and I asked his opinion of what the box smells like. He said "cheese".
Update(13) - Cale was totally dead by this afternoon so I decided to perform an autopsy on him. That's right, an insect autopsy. I've done one before on a rhodnius for a lab (that's how I knew how to identify Nox). Anyways, using very delicate instruments (straightened paper clips), I spread Cale's protective wing covers and gently unfolded his wispy thin wings and... Totally empty. It was like from a horror movie. "Autopsy log 001. Subject's lower organs have been... Entirely extracted. No previous wounds were recorded on the subject prior to the initial incision. Explanation pending. What could have done this?..." And then I get eaten by a monster. Anyways, the abdomen was totally hollow but the thorax and head still contained some recognizable parts (recognizable to ME). Most notably, parts of the digestive tract were still present in the form of a blackened tube. It is in this researcher's opinion that Nox was responsible for Cale's death. Interestingly, Cale's shell appeared perfectly intact before I started. I believe that the rhodnius's nickname of "assassin bug" is very appropriate. Nox's kills have been extremely clean and fairly efficient. The earwigs that were torn apart as noted in an earlier report (Update 4) were a result of the other earwigs scavenging their own dead for food. This was a behaviour I observed recently.