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  1. chanda

    Any tips or suggestions for hatching wheel bug eggs?

    I collected a wheel bug last July, and she has recently started laying eggs in her enclosure. She was an adult when I found her, so I'm hoping that she had already mated and that the eggs are viable. She is still active and eating so far - but I know she doesn't have much time left. I have...
  2. chanda

    What is this?

    I don't think that will work. Normally, they incubate inside the female's body. The eggs actually hatch *inside* her body and the mother expels the nymps as they hatch. If the ootheca is dropped prematurely, the eggs and the developing roaches inside them will just dry out and die. They only...
  3. chanda

    Plz id

    That is an assassin bug - but it is not one of the "kissing bugs" (Triatominae). Like the vast majority of assassin bugs, it is a predator that will devour other bugs. It will not feed on human blood, nor will it spread diseases - but it can give you a painful (but not medically significant)...
  4. chanda

    True Spider ID

    That looks to me like Larinioides cornutus. Compare to this one: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1635969/bgimage or this one: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1514288/bgimage or this one:https://bugguide.net/node/view/1393662/bgimage
  5. chanda

    Help!!! Emergency!

    If they are a native species where you live, you could release a bunch of excess slings outside and let them find food for themselves.
  6. chanda

    Is it possible to keep wasps?

    It seems like social species would be pretty hard to keep, but some solitary wasps can be kept in captivity. They're going to be a relatively short-term pet because their natural lives aren't terribly long (typically less than a year) and it would be difficult to replicate the necessary...
  7. chanda

    new Amblypygi owner, rate my setup?

    First - what species is Cruciatus? There are lots of different species, and the care requirements will vary according to the species. That enclosure looks way to wet to me - and all the moisture on the glass is making it hard to get a look inside. I'd lose the plastic wrap at the top, so you...
  8. chanda

    Breeding Amblypygi

    My amblypygi are Damon diadema, not medius, but I imagine it's not too different. I just put the male into the female's enclosure. I don't do anything special for mating - it's just the same conditions that I keep them in anyway. The enclosures are large (roughly 18" tall x 12" long by 12" wide...
  9. chanda

    Cricket question

    I just leave it dry - that way it doesn't get moldy. They'll eat dry food readily. I also give them fresh veggies, which provides them with adequate moisture. I imagine the worms you've seen them eating are the dead/dying ones that get stranded on sidewalks and driveways after the rain? They're...
  10. chanda

    Cricket question

    Yes, they will eat dry cat or dog food. That's what I give my feeder crickets and roaches - along with assorted veggies and the occasional bit of fruit.
  11. chanda

    Cricket question

    While raw meat might be an acceptable food supplement for crickets (albeit an unnecessary and potentially smelly one) I would not recommend a highly processed meat product like a hot dog. Many hot dogs use added nitrates/nitrites as preservatives - and they can have negative health effects, both...
  12. chanda

    What's the weirdest invert you kept or have?

    Velvet ants are great! I love keeping those!
  13. chanda

    What's the weirdest invert you kept or have?

    I've tried keeping solifugids - with limited success. They just don't seem to do well in captivity. I did keep a tarantula hawk once. (In the summer, when I was teaching classes about bugs and spiders, I'd usually try to bring one in to show the kids - them let it go again. This poor girl had...
  14. chanda

    Has anyone ever traveled for Ts?

    I drove about 400 miles (each way) to Payson, AZ for an Aphonopelma chalcodes - sort of. (I actually drove up there to go beetle hunting - Dynastes grantii - but when I found a hitchhiking juvenile chalcodes crossing the road in front of my car, I had to stop and pick her up!) I love road...
  15. chanda

    Species ID Massachusetts

    That appears to be one of the funnel weavers (Agelenidae) - maybe a Coras species. Compare to this one: https://bugguide.net/node/view/376357
  16. chanda

    Keeping a wasp.

    It depends entirely on the species of wasp. Many wasps - including the mud daubers and tarantula hawks - do not require other insects or spiders as part of their diet once they are mature. Their natural adult diet is nectar from flowers or fruit juices. It is as larvae that they are obligate...
  17. chanda

    Keeping a wasp.

    It really isn't the same. A predator like a tarantula needs to eat other living creatures (like crickets, mealworms, or roaches) to survive. A fully mature wasp does not need to eat spiders. She will do just fine with nectar or fruit juice - which is what she would primarily eat in the wild. It...
  18. chanda

    Keeping a wasp.

    She doesn't need to eat spiders. While some adult mud daubers may occasionally feed on hemolymph from spiders, their primary diet is nectar or fruit juices. It is the larvae of mud daubers that rely on spiders as food - but given her condition, she's unlikely to be able to construct and stock...
  19. chanda

    Keeping a wasp.

    Wasps that can't fly (either due to wing damage or flightless wasps like velvet ants) are pretty easy to keep. They just need a well-ventilated enclosure, things to climb on, and food. I've had good luck using sliced fruit (mostly grapes and oranges) for food. Just change it out every couple of...
  20. chanda

    Spider ID?

    I'm not sure about that. While the coloring is right, the shape of the cephalothorax doesn't look right for one of the Araniella, plus it looks like this spider has elongated spinnerets that you wouldn't normally see in an orb weaver. It would be helpful to have clearer pictures - and to know...
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