Meet Ringo - my new pet!!! (Photo heavy)

[Scotty Hunter]

We live at an RV Park out in the boonies, quite a ways from civilization. I'm not complaining, I enjoy it. But occasionally you get some odd creatures in the area... screaming kids are the most common, but bobcats in the area are not too unusual.

Luckily this guy is much more tolerable than screaming kids and bobcats. I found him walking on the gravel road just two spots down from our pull thru.  Being the oddball that I am, I couldn't help but considering him an instant pet!

So without further ado, meet Ringo Starr, the Hercules Beetle.







One of the largest and strongest beetles in North America.   Completely harmless; doesn't sting or bite, doesn't fly. I've carried him all over and shown him to several people who think I am thoroughly nuts.... and sometimes I think they are right.

But, even though bugs are not my thing in general, Ringo is just too cool to hate. Though it did take me the better part of a day before I had the courage to actually hold him. Now, after having him for 3 days, I find myself carrying him everywhere with me. He just grabs onto my arm or shirt and goes for a walk or ride on the bike.

Do I need therapy?

[dbaldock]

What does he eat, screaming kids?      

[Scotty Hunter]

One can dream.

Right now he's eating a sucrose liquid (artificial nectar) and baby food purees in fruit flavors. Even the entymology dept at a KY University is not entirely sure what the best diet for adults are, so it's somewhat trial and error. He's visibly eating and looks to be enjoying what I give him, but only time will tell if it's a suitable food or if he's slowly starving to death.

[Merlin the Elder]

...reminds me of my mother....

[amy]

Ok...   so what does "enjoying" look like?    I am just pictureing a little beetle smile!

[Scotty Hunter]

lol, well, I put a little blob of nectar a few inches in front of him and instantly he moves forward to it. His little club-looking feelers move back and forth and his front legs sometimes curl around the nectar to move it closer to his mouth.  To me, that is a beetle enjoying something.   Then again, this thread has established I am slightly.. different.

[Merlin the Elder]

...this thread has established I am slightly.. different.

Ummm... different from what or whom?  Seems perfectly normal to me...

[Scotty Hunter]

Ummm... different from what or whom?  Seems perfectly normal to me...

THANK YOU... I knew I was normal in some select circles.

[Tink]

awww, Ringo is a cute little beetle!  I saw one similar to that on my last day of work, but it was solid black.  He was hanging out in the driveway, so I took him over to the lawn.

[Scotty Hunter]

Aww thats nice Tink. I'm sure he/she thanked you. I watched a kid at the pool step on a stag beetle yesterday. The crunch heard 'round the world. Ugh. The kid enjoyed it way too much. Serial killer in the making, I tell you.

So I just got an email reply from one of my many send-outs to various insectarums and entomology departments, and it turns out Dynastes tityus (Ringo's kind) have been found on many occasions "sap sucking" on Ash trees... well, since I can't tell my ash from a hole in the ground, I was very thankful when the email covered how to make a sap-substitute. It is nothing more than dark brown sugar and water heated until liquid, then placed into a feeding sponge (much like a water sponge for hermit crabs.)

So my idea is that the nectar I am using (which is sucrose and potassium sorbate) should be somewhat ideal for him to feed on. I do, however, plan on adding some cane molasses since it did say dark-brown sugar in the email, which is ~6.5% molasses according to wikipedia.

The more I read, the more conflicting things I come across. Some recommended aged bananas as a main food source, others say fruit of any kind shorten the lifespan of Dynastes beetles. Looks like Ringo is going to be my guinea pig.

Im uploading a video to YouTube now if anyone cares to see Ringo crawling all over my hand. Ill post the link in a few minutes.

[Scotty Hunter]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dhocIzX1SM

[amy]

Yep.. gotta admit that is one cool bug.   And you are pretty cool to be such a good bug Mommy.

[Auryn]

I love beetles, always have.

Ill be honest though, since they seem so difficult to take care of as there is no sucesfully proven food source,
I would think it might be best to release him back near where you found him.

As for the kid who stepped on the stag beetle, If I had seen his intent prior to the action, id have had no problem giving him a tongue lashing and rescuing the beetle- I hate people like that kid, makes me wish someone would step on him.

[Scotty Hunter]

I would think it might be best to release him back near where you found him.

As nice as that may be, Ringo is eventually destined for a frame. Far as I know they are not endangered or threatened in Kentucky, which is where I found most of the information on them so far, and I am still waiting for a reply from the MO Dept of Conservation on their status here. But Ringo's life will end here. Though I have no problems trying to make it as good for him as possible. Their lifespan in imago/beetle form is short anyhow, most of their life is spend in the larval stage. And since I don't know how long Ringo was an imago before I found him, I'm pleased with every day he's still alive and even more happy when he eats his food with gusto.

As for the kid who stepped on the stag beetle, If I had seen his intent prior to the action, id have had no problem giving him a tongue lashing and rescuing the beetle- I hate people like that kid, makes me wish someone would step on him.

Ugh I am the same way. Some of the kids around here are just pathetic, even baby birds on the ground stand very little chance at being harassed, killed or turned into a carry-around pet until they are squeezed to death. There was one boy, looked to be maybe 5, at a CHURCH PICNIC at the pavilion here. The little heathen was picking up sticks as long as he was, lashing other kids with them and laughing like Stewie from Family Guy. His dad said not a word other than "put the sticks down" a time or two. Never took the stick away, never sat the kid down for a time out, never whapped the butt (yes I DO believe in spanking). Lovely. The more I see local kids, the more I love my bug. lol!

I'll be putting up some more pics in a bit, and posting another video of Ringo with, hopefully, less of me and more of him showing. haha.

[Trillium]

He is very cool!  My son would be so jealous!

[Auryn]

See I just learned something new
I had no idea their life spans were so short,
I was under the -now I know wrong- impression that they lived pretty long lives- in bug standards, considering butterflies have a couple of weeks max.

I applaud you for taking the time to learn all that you are

is mounting beetles a complicated process??
i look forward to the pictures

ohhh man, its a good thing that kid at the church pic nic wasn't doing that in front of me, id have had no problem with putting a stop to it if he was hitting my kid with a stick- i can't believe other parents didn't speak up.
I believe in a good swat on the butt too- although growing up it never got to that because my parents put the fear of god in us that they would know if we even thought about doing something we weren't supposed to.

[Scotty Hunter]

Well, okay when you compare his lifespan to a butterfly it's pretty long... 3-6 months max from what I've read (Goliath's can live for up to a year in imago state! UGH! not fair). But having no idea how long he was an imagio(adult beetle) before I found him, his time could be up anyday I suppose. Enjoying him as much as I am, even 6 months is too short! I dont want him to die!!  *pouting*

Like a pig to the slaughter, I see no reason not to make his end of life as happy as possible... assuming beetles can be happy. And considering I can't find a female for him to enjoy. He'll die a virgin perhaps. lol

From what I saw on youtube and some dried-bug websites, beetles are pretty easy to preserve in general. Keeping their color is the hard part. But since he's not an irridescent or rainbow scarab, it shouldn't be too bad. Though high moisture makes his elytra (shell over the abdomen, see Im learning all kinds of new words!) turn almost completely black which is not what I want to frame.
And then I have found videos and guides on how to "relax" them in case he dries out before I can position his legs. I'm hoping to buy a frame on the 5th when we make it back into civilization, there's a rock shop in town that sells mounting boards for gemstones which will work fine for him. And acid free parchment is at the scrapbook store. Ideally, it should be pretty easy... we'll see.

Course the insect mounting pages I have found are a bit more harsh than I care to be. They sell and mention using "Insect Killing Fluid (Ethyl Acetate)" to send the little beastie into a permanent sleep. I think Ringo will agree when I say 'no thanks' on that. lol.

Some more pics of Ringo:


Practicing for the Bug Olympics. Doing pretty well on the uneven bars.


Visiting with a box turtle, no the turtle did not try to eat Ringo, he was just curious.


Enjoying some nectar. A bit much for him, so yes I have cut down on the amount I offer. Trial and error here. lol

[dbaldock]

Does he wag his tail when he's happy?   

[Scotty Hunter]

lol!!...actually, he kinda does. It's hard to explain, so Ill try to get a video when he does it again, but he wiggles his rump and elytra up and down when he eats sometimes. At first I paniced thinking "oh god, he's going to FLY!" but he never did... I would have freaked though, I dont want anything this size flitting around inside the van. (Further reading has said they do not fly, though others in his family can; as well as the 7 inch Dynastes hercules hercules)


I also just found myself making an agreement with my mom. Once I get the vardo finished, and "move out" of the van and into "my own place" as it were, she said I can get all the bugs I want as long as they stay "out of my van!"

I have a feeling once she buys a larger RV though, Ill still be stuck in the vardo with my insectarium while she's stretching out in her RV with more room than she knows what to do with. But I guess thats a suitable compromise since I have my eyes on some African Millipedes next!

[Scotty Hunter]

Tiny little update on my unique pet; Ringo died through the night. I don't know why, but I had no idea how long he was in his adult form when I found him, and they don't live too terribly long as adult beetles anyhow.

I'd like to think the nectar I was using was a suitable food source, as he lasted for 15 days in my care and was extremely active on a daily basis, crawling all over my arm and table, crawling on the keyboard, etc.

The last few days, he started trying to fly. (Yep, he did in fact have wings). I don't know if he was trying to find better food before he died, or if he knew he was dying and was trying to mate (the beetle grand goal, it seems).

Anyways, my ugly bugly is no more. *sniff*

[Merlin the Elder]

Well, just so you know... Today is Ringo's 71st birthday. So somewhere there is some karma happening....

[Tink]

awww, so sorry about Ringo.  I have no doubt, though, that he had a very happy last few weeks with someone who truly cared about him.  All beetles should be so lucky!