Predators

Can anyone tell me of any predatory bugs that are commonly available and/or easy to keep? Preferably some that can live communally.

Assassin bugs are neat, but kind of expensive for starting a colony of some sort with. I'd still like to get some, but like everything else I want, it has to wait until after Christmas.

Mantids are neat too, but I'd really prefer something that I can keep communally.

I'd say assasins are probably the best bet, at least as far as what's available in the trade. The white spot assasins seem to be the cheapest. They are pretty tolerant of one another, although adults are known to ocasinally prey on nymphs. Sometimes breeders will sell them cheaper if you by alot at one time, it might be worth contacting some dealers.

I've kept predatory stink bugs before, and they're really cool if you can find them. They only get to half an inch or so, but hundreds can be kept in the same cage and they will attack prey in groups, enabling them to take down compartively big insects. I've never seen them for sale though, I collected them myself.

Wade

buy a pair of mating assassins and have them create your colony. just provide a spot of moist substrate and youll find some eggs.

nobody every thought of ANTS???
they are VERY cool, predetors, they live in a communitie, they even kill together! and you can get them everywhere!(except from holland then )

I have a large Lasius niger colonie, and they kill like mads!
i just put a cricket in the feedingbox and they'll start killing at ones...jumping on it, stinging, biting the cricket doesn't stand a change ;P

Those ants seem pretty cool.
Wade> If you ever find anymore ambush bugs, let me know. I want some of those badly. There are some really pretty ones in the US.

Well, ants ARE pretty cool.....
did you never think about getting them?

Once or twice.

but you never got a colonie?
why not?

I don't know, just seems like too much work/money and the normal ants people keep I find boring.

lol......I don't believe you have the right idea of keeping ants:
It doesn't cost you much time,.....let's say I think those assisian bugs take more work.

and if you just catch a queen in the wild, it doesn't cost you ANYTHING!
Normally Formica rufa are pretty agressive.....i have both formica rufa and lasius niger, but also the Lasius niger ("normal black ants") are kind of agressive.......

The holy grail of ant colonies in my opinion would be the capacity to find Bullet ants or 24-Hour ants, those guys are huge, are not really aggressive they do pack a punch, and the coolest thing they stridulate (audibly) good luck finding them in any price list though
ORION

Thanks for the info Darkant.
Orion those ants sound awesome. What about honey pot ants? Are they cool to keep? Anyone got any info on setting up a colony for them?

honey put ants

hmm, i think that is going to be hard.......
they live in the desert you know, and I dunno how you would like to get them :? but i'll try and get you an caresheet/setup.

please join my forum......i'll post it there ;P

http://darkant.proboards25.com

I've been tempted many times to set up a colony, and will do it eventually. In the US, our department of agriculture requires permits of most non native insects (they're not concerned with solitary, obligate predators like mantids and assassins). Ants, however, are annother story. Museums and zoos that keep bullet and non native leaf cutter ants have to practically jump through hoops to get these permits.

Fortunately, there are native ants that can be kept. I always thought the large black carpenter ants would make a nice display.

Wade

permits

well, is there anybody going to find out about you having these ants illegal?

Well, first you'd have to get them

The USDA has kind of a "blanket" ban on exotic insects, focusing mainly on those that feed on plants. Some of the "banned" insects are still widely kept by hobbyist, particularly cockroaches and stick insects. Many of these were in culture for decades before the regulations went in place. In those cases, I think the USDA is simply not actively enforcing their own regulations (at least not in the private sector), probably because it would be impossible since so many people already have them. Also, there's the fact that these insects have not become established as pests despite being kept for 30 years or more, indicating that they're pretty "low risk".

Some animals are considered much more high risk, however, and ants fall into that category. Although not all species would necessarily be a risk, the problems caused here by the imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), a South American species accidently itroduced to the south east US has spread west to Arizona (and maybe California and north into my own state, Virginia. They have killed livestock, pets, and even humans. In light of this, it's no wonder that the USDA is not to enthusieatic about the prospect of private individuals raising bullet ants!

If I could have any exotic ant, I'd love to work with the "dinosaur ant" (I don't have the latin name on me at the moment) of Central America. Huge species, major workers over an inch long. They form small colonies of only around 30 individuals and are carniverous, dismembering small frogs and lizards!

Wade

The dinosaur ants sound awesome too. Too bad the USDA sucks. Thankfully the ants I want are natives. They are the coolest native species that I have seen. Wade - Do you have any info on keeping honey pot ants? I can get queens, just need to learn how to set them up, etc.

I'll check my books. I think there may be an article on it in one of the Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute Invertebrates In Captivity Conference proceedings.

Wade

Great Thanks!
Also, don't forget me if you ever get an ambush bug colony going again!

Don't forget me either!!

what are those, dinosaur ants, never heard of them before......got a website with pictures or something?