does anybody know where i could buy some rhinoceros beetles

and how much they usually cost?

i was doing some reading about them and they sound pretty interesting. i'd like to get enough to breed my own. i can't find any place that sells them though. the only place i could find doesn't sell them until late summer (if they do sell them at all) and they have a $40 minimum delivery fee, and i don't think they do priority shipping. so basically as it stands now if i want any, i would have to wait till late summer and pay a minimum of $70....which is something i'd rather not do.

any suggestions?

What species are you looking for? USDA regs make if difficult or impossible to get the exotic ones, but Dynastes tityus and D. granti (both native) are sometimes available.

Late summer is when wild adults are most abundant, so they're usually more around then. Right now, larvae are going to be your best bet. I rear D. tityus, btw.

Wade

i think D. granti was the type i had read about. was most interested in those since they are large and pretty neat looking. but i would be interested in either native type if either one is easy to keep and breed. but i can't seem to find any type for sale anywhere. any ideas on where i could find some?

that one in your picture looks pretty cool, so i'm sure either type would make me happy haha. i can't find any larvae either btw.

what size of container do you keep yours in. are yours fairly easy to keep/breed?

The picture is D. tityus, it's very similar in overall size and appearance to D. granti, the chief difference is the horns on D. granti are longer. D. tityus has a reputation for having a longer adult lifespan of about a year. The container I keep adults in is about the size of a five-gallon aquarium, but I use a bigger container for groups of larvae.

They are not difficult to keep and breed, the hardest part is preparing substrate for the larvae. They feed on rotten wood and dead leaves. The adults feed on almost any sweet liquid or fruit. Diluted maple syrup is a popular food. The larvae can take a year or more to go from egg to adult. Mine seem to take about 2 years, but Orin McMonigle has reported 1 year for his.

Speaking of Orin, he wrote a book called "The Complete Guide To Rearing Grant's Rhinoceros Beetle" and its available at www.elytraandantenna.com It mostly focuses on D. granti, but the rearing info is exactly the same and he included a section on D. tityus. He also sells them sometimes. I recomend the book highly!

Wade

I've got L3 D.tityus, L2 D.granti and adult Phileurus avaialable. There's some info on them at http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/USInsects

I have a friend that has a large black species from africa, not sure which one though. he sells them for $25 Canadian a pair. Probem is he only ships in Canada, SORRY

That is one beautiful bug....wish we had them in the UK!