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Would you like a pet rhino
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Would you like a pet rhino?
There are more beetles in the world than any other group of insects. They come in a
great range of sizes, colours and shapes. One of the largest is the Rhinoceros beetle.
The Rhinoceros beetle grubs provided in your kit are commonly found in gardens in
tropical Queensland. This species is called Xylotrupes gideon.
Rhinoceros or Rhino
beetles belong to a big
Don’t be scared!
family of beetles Although their horns may
known as scarabs. Scarabs have look ferocious, Rhino beetles
special antennae with fans on can only pinch very weakly.
their tips. Other familiar scarab Their mouth parts are used for
beetles are dung beetles, feeding, and are so small they
Christmas beetles and cane bee- don't pose a threat to humans.
tles, which damage the roots of Male Rhinoceros Beetle Rhino beetles are harmless
sugar cane. Although the sap of young shoots of many and can be handled safely -
grubs may look similar, trees - a favourite is the although you should always
Rhinoceros beetles don't Poinciana trees which wash your hands first so that
damage cane, so don't kill them! have been planted in our you don't harm the beetle.
parks and streets. Sometimes Don't be frightened by the
Rhinoceros beetles are one of large groups of them can be seen loud hissing squeaks they make
the most spectacular beetles in on a single tree, perhaps as part when disturbed. It’s just a bluff,
Australia. They are found from of their mating behaviour. But it's produced by rubbing the
south-east Asia through the rare for them to permanently abdomen against the ends of the
islands of Indonesia to the damage the tree. wing covers (elytra). If you
Solomons and Australia. examine a squeaking beetle
They can grow up to Life cycle closely, you can see the
7cm long. The male is Although Rhinoceros beetles abdomen moving in time with
easily identified by the forked fly all year round, they are seen the squeaks. This noise-making
horns on his head and thorax. more frequently during the is called stridulating.
Horn size is important when summer months around a street The serrated claws on the ends
fighting. When two males meet light or porch light. They are also of the beetle’s legs help it when
around a female, the males butt, found in fruit such as over-ripe clinging, digging and mating.
toss and try to push each other off pawpaws left on the tree. They may also grip onto your
the tree branch. The larger male The female beetle lays clothing or your finger. Most
usually wins. Villagers in north- about 50 white eggs in people react by trying to pull
ern Thailand keep Rhino beetles decaying plant matter. the beetle off, which just
as pets. They place them on a They take about 10 days to encourages a tighter grip. Use
bamboo cylinder with females hatch and the grubs begin feeding gentle persuasion instead.
inside and gamble on whose on the organic matter. (Compost Simply pat the beetle on the
beetle will win the fight. bins are popular nurseries for rear and it will slowly move off.
Rhinoceros beetles feed on the these beetles.)
Buy an insect kit and let’s take a closer look!
1. What is a life history? It’s there any rhino beetle grubs?
the complete cycle of your pet Find another habitat - maybe an
insect’s development over time. area with more leaf litter under a
You can begin your study at any shady tree - and dig again. Do
time - because it is a cycle! you find more or less insects?
Why? Don’t forget to put the soil
Form groups of 4-5 students and
and insects back!
share out the larvae. Each group
looks after its own larva. Once a 3. How rhinos help. Insects
week measure your larva’s play a vital role in the environ-
weight and length. When you ment by recycling nutrients. The kits are available from $45 plus
have observations for all stages They are also a major food postage from the Australian Insect
source for many birds, mammals Farm (07) 4063 3860 or
of the life cycle, you can
and reptiles. Prepare a list of www.insectfarm.com.au
describe your insect’s life histo-
ry. Present the information on a environmental roles in the vari-
graph, using a computer printout ous life stages of your insect.
5. Follow the trail. Beetle
or an illustrated poster and com- Explain their ecological impor- grubs help to aerate the soil - a
pare the results with other tance. major component to any healthy
groups. Some students have 4. Compost Comparisons. garden. Find a wide, flat tray at
studied growth variations by When changing over the mulch, least 3cm deep. Add a 1cm layer
varying the food supply. keep the old pellet-filled soil and of clean, dry, fine sand or saw-
use it in an experiment. Buy dust. Place a couple of grubs in
2. Do the Hula Hoop Dig. the dish and map their trails.
Place a hula hoop on the school some seedlings (eg. basil or
oval grass. (Ask the groundkeep- parsley) and plant them in pots, 6. Introduce composting. Does
er first!) Using small gardening one using the pellets added to your school tuckshop compost its
forks, dig up the area inside the the potting mix and another waste? Research how compost-
hula hoop to a maximum depth of using pure potting mix. Record ing works and have a debate
10cm and see how many insects the growth of each plant. Which about whether it should be intro-
you find. What are they? Are duced at your school.
plant grows the best?
Caring for Farm for some new organic end of the school year you can
mix (costs $4-$5, phone release the beetles in the school
grubs 07-4063 3860). When grounds. Alternatively, a keen
The grubs have a fully grown (around teacher or student may like to take
translucent creamy- September or October ) the beetles home and breed their
white body with fine, the larva forms a cell in own larvae for next year.
reddish hairs and a dark the soil and lines it with its
own droppings which solidify
Any questions?
brown head. They can grow If you have any questions or
up to 7cm long, almost filling into a waterproof layer. The
you need assistance with any
the palm of your hand. Always larva then turns into a pupa
insect-related issues, please
wash your hands before touch- inside the cell.
phone Sue Hasenpusch on:
ing any insects, avoid using (07) 4063 3860 or email:
insect repellent sprays and Caring for beetles
sue@insectfarm.com.au. There
handle them gently. The insect After 6-12 weeks the adult
is also a wealth of information
kits contain clean organic beetle hatches out and digs its
on the following websites:
mulch, the ideal diet for grow- way to the surface. The beetles
can be up to 7cm long and live for Australian Insect Farm
ing rhino grubs. They eat the
about 2-4 months. Once the bee- www.insectfarm.com.au
mulch and create natural rhino
poo fertiliser. In a few months tles hatch, place a piece of old Queensland Museum
(July) when the larvae have fruit such as pawpaw in their con- www.qmuseum.qld.gov.au
converted nearly all the mulch tainer every day. If you live in WTMA
to pellets, contact the Insect Tropical North Queensland, at the www.wettropics.gov.au
Larva illustration: Geoff Thompson, Qld Museum
Wet Tropics Management Authority
PO Box 2050 Cairns QLD Australia 4870
Ph: (07) 4052 0555 www.wettropics.gov.au.
