# Velvet ants?



## SandDeku (Apr 6, 2011)

This online store is selling something called "Velvet ants". Apparently some sort of wingless wasp. Toxic--yes. Anyone got a caresheet on them? And are they even worth getting? They're adorable though. D;


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## Tleilaxu (Apr 6, 2011)

No their not. Though if you want one they eat honey, cut open fruit, and live for about six months at most in captivity.


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## SandDeku (Apr 6, 2011)

Tleilaxu said:


> No their not. Though if you want one they eat honey, cut open fruit, and live for about six months at most in captivity.


awe.... Dx but they're so friggin' adorable! D: They're like a teddy bear. Wish life was simpler. lol. Oh well. Weird huh? I like furry insects---yet I dislike furry T's XD Exception of a new exception of a T. called chilean copper T. :O It's friggin adorable. Well. yeah. lol.  Iam very very very strange like that and very very very very picky.


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## ZergFront (Apr 6, 2011)

Tleilaxu said:


> No their not. Though if you want one they eat honey, cut open fruit, and live for about six months at most in captivity.


 Man, that would only be worth it if colony packages were available (male + female).


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## Tleilaxu (Apr 6, 2011)

They are cute but their sting packs a wallop, and I really dont see the appeal in keeping one. They are certainly not bred in captivity... and their lifestyle conspires to make breeding really hard in the first place. Its also likely you can find your own if you go looking.

These wasps are obligate parasitoids, and a lot of them people dont even know the host species they need to breed and some even need different species to get males and females. Their biology needs a lot work. Great research potential but thats about it IMO. Males seem not to live long in captivity either.


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## SandDeku (Apr 6, 2011)

Tleilaxu said:


> They are cute but their sting packs a wallop, and I really dont see the appeal in keeping one. They are certainly not bred in captivity... and their lifestyle conspires to make breeding really hard in the first place. Its also likely you can find your own if you go looking.
> 
> These wasps are obligate parasitoids, and a lot of them people dont even know the host species they need to breed and some even need different species to get males and females. Their biology needs a lot work. Great research potential but thats about it IMO. Males seem not to live long in captivity either.



See I like the fluffy wasp-like look. But I don't think Iam near their natural habitat. Iam from NJ. and I don't want to get near a flying insects nest. Which if they're parasitoids they would be near em. :x I'd love to get my hands on some(not really touching em---easily frightened).


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## beckett5000 (Apr 7, 2011)

I think I have seen these around every now and then at my house (I live in Tennessee). If it's what I think it is I have alway heard people nick name them cow-killers, because that's how they describe their sting.... strong enough to kill a cow!!!! The ones I have seen are black and red striped.


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## What (Apr 7, 2011)

SandDeku said:


> But I don't think Iam near their natural habitat. Iam from NJ.


Velvet ants are only worth keeping if you collect them, but they are not rewarding to keep and some species have the annoying habit of endlessly stridulating.

From NJ you have 3 species according to BugGuide.


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## cacoseraph (Apr 7, 2011)

they are pretty cool to observe.  the larger red and black species are very pretty, i think

they can squeak, too!


[YOUTUBE]-ZBtqRaQ4zI[/YOUTUBE]


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## SandDeku (Apr 7, 2011)

cacoseraph said:


> they are pretty cool to observe.  the larger red and black species are very pretty, i think
> 
> they can squeak, too!
> 
> ...


@ the previous poster: Are they locally available in new jersey? Would I be able to breed them?
@Caco: they're adorable to be honest. They're by far just became one  of my favorite insects.

My favorite insects:
-Large domed beeltes or death feigning beetle
-Ants
-Velvet ants
-Slugs & snails(mollusks i know--still Iam pretty fond of them and I rarely get bored of any of them sorta hoping to catch some species this year. Just waiting to see where to find em. )
-Some spiders(arachnids I know.)
-Leaf Bugs
-Mantids
-Pillbugs & Millipedes
-Aquatic beetles
etc.
this is not in order of preferance. lol. Though so far velvet ants may have just became one of my top three favorites. THOSE includes
-Velvet ants & ants(I know ants and velvet ants are not the same but very similar in my opinion therefore both have smitten me in such way).
-Beetles
-Mollusks


I'm fully aware of the danger of a velvet ant. But before I even take into consideration of ever owning one. I'm going to equip myself by buying some tough gloves(hardest I can find to prevent any stings to actually hurt me), jars, an already set up terrarium, knowledge, and food supplies. lol.


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## cacoseraph (Apr 7, 2011)

i am kind of antigloves for avoiding bites.   they make it really hard to know how much force you are exerting on the bug.

plus my main concern is what happens when a bug gets into your gloves?  you are probably going to end up killing or damaging the bug AND getting bit or stung to high heaven

edit: and velvet ants are SUPER quick and pretty fast for their size.  i would guesstimate that they can run from the fingertip (outside) to around the cuff of the glove and inside it in something like half a second.  from a dead stop. generally humans can react (and certainly not accurately) in that kind of time frame.  and tbh, it might even be quicker, i don't know what their rate of acceleration is, but it's pretty good /edit



velvet ants are really easy to manage, without gloves.   they can't climb smooth vertical surfaces so just make sure they are in tall cage with no stuff to climb.  you do have to watch out for light bugs, though.  condensation or mist on the glass will collect dust out of the air and already have impurities in it. when the water evaporates it leaves whatever was suspended/dissolved in it on the glass. eventually that provides footholds for very light bugs to climb up.   but beyond that, a tall cage and some decent size tweezers/tongs are all you need.


and really, decent sized tweezers are so incredibly useful for so much stuff in the bug hobby that you should get a pair anyways.  i have a pair of 10 or 12" that i use for just about everything.  i use them to hand out food so i don't have to touch it ( i don't want to contaminate the food, see?).  i use them to mix up substrate when i am making a new batch.  i use them to retrieve cage items out of cages of things i would prefer not to be bit by.  i use them to retrieve boluses or dead feeder bodies (though, i only use my main tweezers when it wouldn't be safe to use my "yucky tweezers", which are a pair of 3.5" tweezers with a flat head).

a good set of decent size tweezers are a very important part of keeping your normal bug maintenance nice and boring


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## SandDeku (Apr 7, 2011)

cacoseraph said:


> i am kind of antigloves for avoiding bites.   they make it really hard to know how much force you are exerting on the bug.
> 
> plus my main concern is what happens when a bug gets into your gloves?  you are probably going to end up killing or damaging the bug AND getting bit or stung to high heaven
> 
> ...


I have some tongs... But Iam clumsy with tungs. D; so I may kill whatever is on it. happened with a cricket. . As for gloves. would it be possible to fully tape it? so there is no way it can get in? As well as wear clothings that are fully protected and also tape them before I handle the tank? I just wanna be able to move the insect to a safe location whenever I do clean the tank. So I don't end up being bit and accidentally squashing it. I react violently to pain---body reaction. 
As for the bug being able to climb through impurities. Wonder if something like vaseline on the lip of the tank would help? they use it for ants. OR I could build a mote on the corners of the tank. So it doesnt go to the corners. Im not sure how intelligent they are.

PS: also heard that uhh as silly as it sounds. But I heard that perfumes/colognes repell ants. That they hate the smell of it and that I could dab a bit of it around the innerds of the tank to discourage climbing. Will that work on velvet ants? 

Do they need a moist habitat for any impurities to form? 

I could clean up impurities with white vinegar.


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## zonbonzovi (Apr 7, 2011)

You guys don't like these as captives?  To each his own, I guess.  Both BICS & I have some(occidentalis & sackenii) living with Eleodes/Cryptoglossa beetles & they're quite comical & active...sometimes feeding at the "trough" together.  True, if your intent is offspring...well...good luck.  You're going to need it along with a ton 'o research & presumably a very custom enclosure/hosts.  Not sure about the sackenii, but the occidentalis has been going strong since July '10 as a captive.  Nectarine & apple are favorites.

Edit: dry habitat w/ sandy soil & hides.  A weekly meal seems to be fine.  A paintbrush & vial are fine for relocating them while you do maintenance.


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## cacoseraph (Apr 7, 2011)

SandDeku said:


> I have some tongs... But Iam clumsy with tungs. D; so I may kill whatever is on it. happened with a cricket. . As for gloves. would it be possible to fully tape it? so there is no way it can get in? As well as wear clothings that are fully protected and also tape them before I handle the tank? I just wanna be able to move the insect to a safe location whenever I do clean the tank. So I don't end up being bit and accidentally squashing it. I react violently to pain---body reaction.
> As for the bug being able to climb through impurities. Wonder if something like vaseline on the lip of the tank would help? they use it for ants. OR I could build a mote on the corners of the tank. So it doesnt go to the corners. Im not sure how intelligent they are.
> 
> PS: also heard that uhh as silly as it sounds. But I heard that perfumes/colognes repell ants. That they hate the smell of it and that I could dab a bit of it around the innerds of the tank to discourage climbing. Will that work on velvet ants?
> ...




don't use vinegar or perfume in bug cages.  both are toxic to bugs.  perfumes have gods only know what, and are generally held in suspension or solution in a like, alcohol base.  that is all bad news for bugs.   you just need to wipe the glass/plastic off while it is wet. it takes a while to build an accumulation the bugs can climb up and it takes like 5 seconds to wipe it off, just using water



practice with tongs.  it is much better to use tongs than have to don a full hazmat suit to do bug maintenance.   you can also get difference kinds of tongs.

the other thing is, i don't actually pick up many, if any, of my pet bugs with tongs.   if it is not something i can just grab with my naked hand then i usually will herd them into a cup i can shut securely.  there is no reason to expose yourself to any risk that would be controlled by a safety suit.  know what bugs you keep can climb smooth surfaces and which bugs can shinny up tweezers (some of my centipedes can kind of climb tweezers like a person climbs a coconut tree).  always use tweezers when working with anything you don't want to get bit by.


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## SandDeku (Apr 7, 2011)

cacoseraph said:


> don't use vinegar or perfume in bug cages.  both are toxic to bugs.  perfumes have gods only know what, and are generally held in suspension or solution in a like, alcohol base.  that is all bad news for bugs.   you just need to wipe the glass/plastic off while it is wet. it takes a while to build an accumulation the bugs can climb up and it takes like 5 seconds to wipe it off, just using water
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I like centipedes. But I wouldn't get one in all honesty.That would seriously freak  me out. Screw movies---try living in a tropical place called puertorico and see a friggin 12inch centipede every other day! Dx

Ps. anything to prevent them from climbing tongs? Can velvet an ts actually be found in new jersey?


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