Bugs in discoid colony that shouldn’t be there?

[Tacobeardie]

What are these teeny tiny mm long bugs in my discoid roach colony? Noticed them several weeks after ordering discoids from Rainbow Mealworms. I don’t think they’re mites or springtails because these are a tan color but I have absolutely no idea.

 

[ChileanTaco]

What are you feeding your discoids?
I suspect this is something that came with their food, like when you have tiny beetles or moths (it's not exactly that) in your granola, rice...
The photo doesn't show it well (I know it's hard to take a photo of something so small).
What might help with the photo is if you put one on a white sheet of paper and take a photo in full daylight or under a lamp.
Are there different ones, like e.g. larvae and beetles?

 

[hdochow]

clean up crew maybe?

 

[Chris.]

They are a cleanup crew, dermestid beetle larva

 

[ChileanTaco]

@Chris.
Indeed they looked to me somewhat like that... Didn't know the are put in as cleanup crew, so learnt something new (Never had something else than my dubias in my dubias when I ordered them, maybe not used here (?), but makes sense they are there.)

 

[Tacobeardie]

What are you feeding your discoids?
I suspect this is something that came with their food, like when you have tiny beetles or moths (it's not exactly that) in your granola, rice...
The photo doesn't show it well (I know it's hard to take a photo of something so small).
What might help with the photo is if you put one on a white sheet of paper and take a photo in full daylight or under a lamp.
Are there different ones, like e.g. larvae and beetles?

I’ve just been feeding fresh veggies, sometimes fruit, water crystals and roach chow. I think there was one dermestid beetle still in it’s worm form (it was black and looked like a mini millipede) from my last shipment of discoids and I’m sure it ended up in my bin haha. I had a thought that it could be clean up crew babies but I didn’t know they were that small.
Thank you for the photo tips!

 

[Tacobeardie]

clean up crew maybe?

I was thinking the same thing but wanted to be sure <3

 

[Tacobeardie]

They are a cleanup crew, dermestid beetle larva

Perfect thank you! Phew! My anxiety can relax now. I had no idea they could be that teeny tiny

 

[ChileanTaco]

@Tacobeardie

I just see, you also have a Taco My Taco greets your Taco

 

[Tacobeardie]

@Tacobeardie

I just see, you also have a Taco My Taco greets your Taco

Yay!! My Taco also greets your Taco (with the infamous Beardie *side eye* LOL)

 

[Chris.]

@Chris.
Indeed they looked to me somewhat like that... Didn't know the are put in as cleanup crew, so learnt something new (Never had something else than my dubias in my dubias when I ordered them, maybe not used here (?), but makes sense they are there.)

Where I live, I've never seen them shipped with roaches. Probably because they aren't that messy and the baby roaches will eat the fras from the adults.
They are mostly shipped with crickets but I've seen them coming with locusts as well.