i found an adult wheelbug a couple of hours ago in my front yard. im planning on keeping it. is there any way to tell the males and female apart? and how long their lifespan is? and what food to feed them? im hoping i can feed him/her crickets/mealworms/waxworms
wheel bug
- Thread starter CellyBean
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@CellyBean Regarding properly sexing them, I can find no guide on that but as wheel bugs are a assassin bug your best bet is likely to buy a book on assassin bug care such as the hardcover book here, or the smaller guide.
Many assassin bugs live for 1-2 years in captivity, just depends on their age when captured. They will eat just about any invertebrate, perhaps even the various worms, if not they will eat the mealworms when they molt into beetles. They also enjoy crickets, and are known to prey on crickets up to about twice the size of the assassin bug.
I found a bit of a care sheet here, another one here, and a topic thread here. Just a warning though they fly and if provoked they can bite causing pain lasting several minutes.
Many assassin bugs live for 1-2 years in captivity, just depends on their age when captured. They will eat just about any invertebrate, perhaps even the various worms, if not they will eat the mealworms when they molt into beetles. They also enjoy crickets, and are known to prey on crickets up to about twice the size of the assassin bug.
I found a bit of a care sheet here, another one here, and a topic thread here. Just a warning though they fly and if provoked they can bite causing pain lasting several minutes.
@CosbyArt
i think hes a male looking at these
http://bugguide.net/node/view/7474/bgimage
http://bugguide.net/node/view/11264/bgimage
he has a thin abdomen that also curves up on the sides like the male in those pics
and yeah i've been reading about their bite and yikes im probably not going to be handling him with my bare skin. he hasnt tried to fly yet he seems pretty docile actually
i think hes a male looking at these
http://bugguide.net/node/view/7474/bgimage
http://bugguide.net/node/view/11264/bgimage
he has a thin abdomen that also curves up on the sides like the male in those pics
and yeah i've been reading about their bite and yikes im probably not going to be handling him with my bare skin. he hasnt tried to fly yet he seems pretty docile actually
Interesting, if a male he likely will be more active and start searching in vain for a mate. Maybe you should find him some company, it seems the majority (if not all) of assassin bugs are communal.
Sounds great, indeed the forum posts I've seen about them always seem to say the assassins have to be mishandled/provoked/or in a "bad mood" to even consider biting.
From what little I know that sounds right. They tend to "suck" out the prey insides and takes awhile to do it. I've also read many will drag off their prey somewhere where they can do so safely (a makeshift burrow/hide).
I'm honestly surprised though no assassin bug keepers have responded to your thread as of yet. I guess they are all off being busy with their bugs.
I've thought of getting into keeping assassins myself at one point, but I have plenty of pets anymore without a new one (or new species even). its awfully cold out. i tried looking around in my yard to find anymore but all i found was a stinkbug. it had a really pretty rose-pink underside though. but i dont think there will be anymore until spring. i've been looking online and it seems wheel bugs arent very commonly kept its mainly the white spotted assassin bug and the red spotted assassin bug. do you have any idea how often they need to be feed? after he finished with his cricket yesterday i gave him another one but he didnt go after it and the cricket was still alive today so i fed it to one of my mantids. i tried putting a fresh injured cricket with him but its dead now and i dont know if it died because he ate it or if it died because of its injuries.Interesting, if a male he likely will be more active and start searching in vain for a mate. Maybe you should find him some company, it seems the majority (if not all) of assassin bugs are communal.
Sounds great, indeed the forum posts I've seen about them always seem to say the assassins have to be mishandled/provoked/or in a "bad mood" to even consider biting.
From what little I know that sounds right. They tend to "suck" out the prey insides and takes awhile to do it. I've also read many will drag off their prey somewhere where they can do so safely (a makeshift burrow/hide).
I'm honestly surprised though no assassin bug keepers have responded to your thread as of yet. I guess they are all off being busy with their bugs.
Sorry to hear you came up empty on the search. It does seem the most popular are the spotted assassin bugs and one called a Horrid assassin. I'm not sure if wheel bugs are overlooked as they are a native species, or are a difficult to breed one.
I would offer it food every 3 days and then adjust the time between feedings until you find what works. A search just turned up prey (just about anything) but nothing on the amount or feeding frequency.
sschind
Well-known member
I've kept them in the past. i bought two adult females from Roach Crossing at Tinley Park in 2015. 1 died after about 3 weeks but the other lived for about 2 months and laid an egg cluster. Unfortunately a mishap caused it to mold over on me before it could hatch.
This spring I bought 10 nymphs from someone on this site. I kept 4 of them together and 6 of them separate but only 3 survived to maturity and I think they were all males. I don't think they are particularly difficult I just think they are short lived. Over much of there range I'm guessing they are seasonal but that doesn't mean they can't live longer in captivity. I never had a problem with them not eating as they took to crickets with gusto. They are my favorite assassin bugs (besides the horrid) and I may try them again sometime but I have had my fill for now. Good luck and be sure to document your successes and failures. I say that but I am terrible at it and any information we can gather is going to be helpful.
This spring I bought 10 nymphs from someone on this site. I kept 4 of them together and 6 of them separate but only 3 survived to maturity and I think they were all males. I don't think they are particularly difficult I just think they are short lived. Over much of there range I'm guessing they are seasonal but that doesn't mean they can't live longer in captivity. I never had a problem with them not eating as they took to crickets with gusto. They are my favorite assassin bugs (besides the horrid) and I may try them again sometime but I have had my fill for now. Good luck and be sure to document your successes and failures. I say that but I am terrible at it and any information we can gather is going to be helpful.
well this morning there was a big dark spot on the container floor, it kind of looked like blood. i dont know where it came from especially since insects dont have red blood like humans. the wheel bug seems fine he doesnt move around all that much. do they have liquid poop like butterflies or is it solid like mantids?
sschind
Well-known member
I'm guessing it is waste. I noticed darker stains in my containers as well on occasion. They are not particularly active IMO.
i gave him a stick to crawl on and he used it to crawl to the top of the container and is now sitting on the lid. yeah they're not that active, i put three mealworms in his cage with him but he shows no interest in them.
Ranitomeya
Well-known member
Assassin bugs produce liquid waste.
If you want to hatch the eggs, keep them humid so that they do not dry out before they hatch. I've never kept Wheel Bugs, so I have no idea if they are a species with eggs, nymphs, or adults that diapause to get through the winter. If the eggs do not diapause, they should hatch if kept warm and humid--just don't keep it so wet that condensation occurs and the moisture suffocates the eggs. Be prepared to offer them small prey items. Assassin bugs will often take prey items that are larger than them, but smaller prey items put up less of a fight and are less likely to cause problems.
If you want to hatch the eggs, keep them humid so that they do not dry out before they hatch. I've never kept Wheel Bugs, so I have no idea if they are a species with eggs, nymphs, or adults that diapause to get through the winter. If the eggs do not diapause, they should hatch if kept warm and humid--just don't keep it so wet that condensation occurs and the moisture suffocates the eggs. Be prepared to offer them small prey items. Assassin bugs will often take prey items that are larger than them, but smaller prey items put up less of a fight and are less likely to cause problems.
Ranitomeya
Well-known member
A piece of paper towel in a sealed container with a drop or two of water should work. Just open the container every once in a while for some gas exchange. Not much gas exchange will be needed since eggs don't require a great deal of oxygen.
Waxworms will be too big. The assassin bug nymphs aren't very large and aren't very strong. Fruitflies and pinhead crickets would be of ideal size and are most easily obtained.
Waxworms will be too big. The assassin bug nymphs aren't very large and aren't very strong. Fruitflies and pinhead crickets would be of ideal size and are most easily obtained.
by sealed container do you mean there cant be any holes at all? because the eggs are laid ontop of one of those plastic lids with holes in them. and i dont think i can get the eggs off of the lid without harming the nymphs inside. do you think placing the lid inside a plastic bag and then that inside the fridge would work?
sschind
Well-known member
If you don't mind destroying the lid you can always carefully cut away the portion where they were laid and place that into the container. I know I suggested the plastic bag but I would probably be willing to sacrifce the few bucks to destroy the lid. If it were me I'd put a couple of pinholes in the container for ventilation (I already told you my experience) but opening it up occasionally will work as well
