Dermestid Beetles | Small Winter Starter Pack
Cannot ship to New Zealand.
We ship to ALL states; however, WA requires an import permit. This permit is around $30, and you can apply with the link provided below.
We require a copy before beetles are shipped to include in your shipment for biosecurity.
Find permit forms here: https://wlc.dbca.wa.gov.au/
Live insects ship Mondays before 10am; this is a scheduled shipment. Orders placed after 10am will ship the following Monday unless advised otherwise with a fulfillment/shipment email.
If the buyer is not paying for EXPRESS shipping, all beetle orders are non-refundable.
It is recommended you buy and pay for live insects as a separate shipment from other items. Purchasing combination shipments with other items is done at your own risk.
❄ Winter packs information ❄
During the cooler seasons (especially when shipping from Tasmania), dermestid beetles can enter seasonal diapause no matter the temperature of their enclosure.
They receive natural seasonal cues and can become slower to reproduce and feed and can even appear nonexistent in their enclosure.
While maintaining a steady temperature and low-humidity environment helps bypass this natural instinct, sometimes you'll only get half your colony working while the other half spends a lot of time gravitating towards their heat source.
We cannot guarantee a quick-paced colony throughout winter. Purchasing at this time of year is done at the buyer's own risk.
We offer these colonies for urgent purchases, seasoned insect owners, buyers needing to boost their existing colonies, or those wishing to attempt to start a small colony and build it up through the cooler months.
If you're new to dermestids and wish to start a thriving colony and have any concerns about a specimen (food) going bad or your bugs dying out quickly. We advise against starting a colony during winter.
This starter pack contains approximately 150-200 mixed individual beetles, larvae, and pupae. During these months you may receive a lot of pupae that need to emerge. Please be patient; it can take 1-2 weeks for your new colony to adjust and begin activity.
What does diapause look like?
Motionless and dormant, your insects may appear dead. Please give them a few days to adjust. Maintain your temperature between 21 and 27°C and your humidity around 35-40 (ideally). If you do not have an enclosure with an internal heat source, your dermestid will find it hard to get active.
Tips for winter:
❄ For climates during the cooler months that drop down below 21°C, a heat source is a must. This includes night temperature, as you want to maintain a steady temperature for the best results. While dermestids appear dead during their season of diapause, if they are consistently cold, they will eventually die.
❄ Don't have your heat source on the bottom of the enclosure; this only draws the dermestids downwards and out of sight.
❄Watch your humidity levels when adding drinking moisture. It's best at around 40 or under. A really humid enclosure during winter can harbor mould and attract mites. Mites will kill a colony, and mould attracts fungus gnats.
❄ Minimize feeding; if during summer your dermestid can clean two rats in two days, try only one rat to avoid anything turning bad.
❄ Be patient; even if you think they might be dead, they can curl up and become motionless if they're cold and especially for a few days after transit.
❄ After transit, give them a few days to a few weeks to emerge, reproduce, and clean a full carcass. This time of year is slow, and instant results are rare.
❄ Dermestid do not love to be shipped but this is the only way for some people to start their own colony. Patience is key, especially directly after shipping. Do not assume dermestids are dead especially within the first few hours. We recommend you do not tip dermestid shipment tubs into indoor rubbish bins if you assume they're all dead upon arrival, they can warm up and invade your home within a few hours.
For more detailed information on dermestid basics visit our page on keeping, housing and feeding dermestid beetles.
