Dermestes frischii
The ratio of larvae and adult beetles that you will receive are random.
The number of beetles is estimated by weight. Approximately 20 late stage larvae weigh 1g, as do 24 adult beetles. Using the largest larval stage as a gauge, 7,5g of mixed stage larvae and beetles will have at a bare minimum 150 individuals. Over winter, during the months of reduced breeding, this is usually pretty accurate. However over summer when there is a lot more breeding happening, 7,5g could easily be 300 to 400 if there are lots of young larvae in the mix.
The beetles are always sent with a tracking code, so that you can track the shipment.
Dermestes frischii:
My longest thriving colony! They clean bones very quickly in warm conditions. This species is relatively tolerant of salt.
They can survive a salt content of 25%, whereas the mortality of D. maculatus is 100% with a salt content of 9.2%.
Distribution: Nearly cosmopolitan.
Origin: Europe, Belgium. In my care since 2017.
Also a colony of the Western Sahara, Africa, since 2025.
Description: The adults are 6 to 10 mm long. The elytra are brownish to black and have, in contrary to Dermestes maculatus, rounded tips. The underside of the adult beetles are mainly white with a black spot on the last segment of the abdomen. The shape of this spot is an identification key for this species (see Figure 1). Full-grown larvae are 10 to 14 mm long. The larvae are dark-brown in colour and have a light-brown median stripe across their back.
Another identification key between this species and D. maculatus, is the pattern of the light-colored satae on either side of the thorax. In D. frischii, this pattern is fringed (see Figure 2), slightly comparible to the flames on a Hot Wheels car.
There is also a difference in the appearance of the larvae of the two species. In D. frischii, the dorsal stripe is interrupted just behind the head of the larva on the pleurite of first thoracic segment (see Figure 3).
