Folwer Beetle (Smaragdesthes africana africana) Family-? , Tribe- ?

They originate from Tanzania. My 7 cocoons that i recorded took 69 days to hatch. They became cocoons on Jan 16/06 and hatched on March 26/06. The room temperature was ranging from 20*C at day time to 15- 17*C at night time. Adults live for several months, some times even up to 1 year. They have a short life cycle of about 4 months. The larvae are non canibalistic, and woun't eat each other even if there is no more food for them left :)!

sex difference: males with abdominal channel on sternits

Females: get 18- 22mm.

Males: get 18- 22 mm.

Diet: Larva; Oak, Chestnut and Birch. Beetles; Apples, Bananas, etc. especially soft sugary foods.

Cocooned beetle. It is best to carefully remove a portion of their cocoon or even place them in special cocoon slots to hatch in. If let to open the cocoon to them self, and if in that case the cocoon shell will be dry and hard, the beetle will come out with deformed wings.

Beetle almost ready to come out of cocoon, still has the rainbow coloration but will loose it ones exposed to the light.

They are most usually green, but with the right angle of light, they become a bet reddish.

After purposely braking a bet of their cocoons, it insures the beetle will emerge with no scratched on its wings, and in the case the cocoons are too dry it insures that they do not get trapped with in them.