Dung Beetles - Yahoo!

[SRBeef]

... At the moment, dragging my pastures would be an act of futility.

Jo why do you say that? the drought? maybe I missed something here. I have been alternating dragging and clipping every time I rotate the cattle out of a paddock and seems to be working well.

Doing both doesn't work very well so I alternate. Jim

I was referring to the dung beetles. I have so many now that a pie doesn't last a week and then its gone. What's left is a pile of sand. In all seriousness, if you watch a pie hit the ground the beetles will be there withing minutes. They look like little helicopters coming in. It seems they have also helped with the fly population as my fly population is considerably less as well. This is by far the heaviest population of beetles I think I've ever had.

Thanks. I understand your comment. Then they "fly in" to a patty? I thought they were more soil-based insects. Learn something new every day. Jim

 

[Jogeephus]

Thanks. I understand your comment. Then they "fly in" to a patty? I thought they were more soil-based insects. Learn something new every day.

Can't say they all do but they are beetles and beetles have wings. I have three species. I have the mammoth sized one you see in the pictures where he rolls the dung then I have two other smaller ones. The medium sized one is the only one I've seen fly and I have no clue where they fly from. They just appear. Within an hour or so the patty looks like someone shot it with No 2 buckshot. Next day there will be sand pushings about the size of your finger coming out the top and within a few days there will be hardly anything left. The smallest one seems to stay on the ground but come to think of it this may not be another species but it could just be babies. Not sure.

 

[dun]

More then I need to know about them:
http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac/library/l ... ubject=602

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Thanks Dun - I just converted into 2 pages for my newsletter.

 

[TexasBred]

Thanks Dun - I just converted into 2 pages for my newsletter.

Jeanne don't forget to include in the article "how they got their name". :lol2: :nod: :lol2:

 

[andybob]

The scarab beetles we had in Africa were never in short supply no matter which wormer was used on the more intensive farms, we didn't dose on the extensive farms especially with native breeds. Several species of the African dung beetle were exported to Australia to help with the bovine manure as the local types were adapted to the local fauna and could not cope with the 'loose' bovine manure, the imported species adapted readily and are common throughout their climatic range now, so they do seem to adapt easily. Some of the larger "Rhino beetle" species were like missiles when attracted to the lights on the front stoep (porch) when you were enjoying a sundowner at the end of the day! all the local species fly very well.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Not sure about dung beetles...haven't check our piles out lately.

On other hand, we have THOUSANDS of these GREEN June Bugs buzzing around in trees, grass, hay, etc. Not the best pilots around, however. Most active during daylight. If anyone needs some, bring a sack and collect all you want! lol.