Environmental Factors in Oryctes rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Breeding

Abstract

The Oryctes rhinoceros (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) is a common coleopteran insect in tropical and subtropical areas with many potential uses. Its larvae are commonly found in dead coconut trees and hay piles in the wild and are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere. This study investigates the environmental factors influencing the growth of Oryctes rhinoceros beetle larvae and provides valuable insights into their breeding conditions versus their potential applications. The research examined three key affecting factors of larval development over time, namely, moisture content, growth space and soil content. Results of a pretest run revealed that moisture content, but not the soil content, affected the larval survival greatly. A reasonable confinement on feed moisture (i.e., 30%–60%) was included in the later conducted three-factor factorial experiment. At last, results of the factorial run suggested that: (1) for a consistent and massive larval breeding, environmental factors, setting moisture content at 60%, larval space at 100 cm³/larva and no soil addition, are deemed appropriate, (2) for nutritional purpose, setting moisture content at 60%, larval space at 300 cm³/larva and no soil addition are recommended, and (3) for soil pollution remediation, setting moisture content at 60%, larval space at 100 cm³/larva and a soil-to-feed (S/F) ratio of 2:1 is concluded. This study marks the first engineering breeding exploration of Oryctes rhinoceros larvae, offering practical recommendations for various research purposes and applications.