# What's your favorite insect to keep?



## Tarantuloid (Dec 26, 2013)

Even though some of my friends find them either boring or horrifying, I love my D. Lobata praying mantises. xD


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## beetleman (Dec 26, 2013)

what else???????? predatory beetles ofcourse


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## ReignofInvertebrates (Dec 27, 2013)

Assassin bugs are a favorite of mine, but i don't have any right now.  Predatory beetles would come in second.  I usually keep Cicindela Patruela, Cicindela Formosa, Brachinus Sp, Pterostichus Rostratus, and Chlaenius Aestivus.


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## catfishrod69 (Dec 27, 2013)

Platymeris biguttata- white spot assassin.


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## Spepper (Dec 27, 2013)

Hmmm... it's been a while since I've kept one as praying mantises are hard to find where I live, but one of those.  It's amazing to watch them hunting.


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## Tleilaxu (Dec 27, 2013)

Social wasps and mantids are my favorite.

I want to try assassin bugs in the future but with them being illegal that does not seem like a possibility.


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## JeromeTabuzo (Dec 28, 2013)

Crickets and roaches are my favorite!!!
Roaches are cool , they can be trained.
Crickets breed fast.


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## catfishrod69 (Dec 28, 2013)

Assassins arent illegal. Or do you mean in your state?





Tleilaxu said:


> Social wasps and mantids are my favorite.
> 
> I want to try assassin bugs in the future but with them being illegal that does not seem like a possibility.


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## MrCrackerpants (Dec 28, 2013)

Roaches and beetles.


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## Silberrücken (Dec 28, 2013)

One of my faves:


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## LazzeZee (Dec 28, 2013)

Silberrücken said:


> One of my faves:


Is It possible to breed those in captivity?


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## Silberrücken (Dec 28, 2013)

LazzeZee said:


> Is It possible to breed those in captivity?


Indeed it is! 

Be forewarned if you want to try raising them:

They are VERY messy eating machines and will put a dent in your wallet to keep them fed! LOL


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## pannaking22 (Dec 28, 2013)

Beetles as a whole. Tenebrionids are always fun, but I like my scarabs and cicindelids as well


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## Spepper (Dec 28, 2013)

Silberrücken said:


> One of my faves:


Those are one of my favorites as well.

Reactions: Like 1


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## LazzeZee (Dec 28, 2013)

Silberrücken said:


> Indeed it is!
> 
> Be forewarned if you want to try raising them:
> 
> They are VERY messy eating machines and will put a dent in your wallet to keep them fed! LOL


What's the name of them? Any good advices?


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## sinder (Dec 29, 2013)

Grasshopper99 said:


> Assassin bugs are a favorite of mine,


Yeah same, i like mantises because the way theyre assassin theyre preys. even adult mantises can grab small birds wich is like 3-4 times bigger then them self.



Silberrücken said:


> One of my faves:


What insect is that? looks like mantises just much bigger. they looks awesome tho


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## Silberrücken (Dec 29, 2013)

Here is a nicely-done blog on these, by Eric Eaton:

http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2013/02/orthoptera-thursday-greater-angle-wing.html


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## sinder (Dec 29, 2013)

Silberrücken said:


> Here is a nicely-done blog on these, by Eric Eaton:
> 
> http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2013/02/orthoptera-thursday-greater-angle-wing.html


Thanks, you dont know how long they live?


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## BobGrill (Dec 29, 2013)

Pretty sure that's a katydid. 


Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2


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## Silberrücken (Dec 29, 2013)

BobGrill said:


> Pretty sure that's a katydid.


Why, indeed it is!


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## sinder (Dec 30, 2013)

BobGrill said:


> Pretty sure that's a katydid.
> 
> 
> Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2


Ah its a grasshopper, does they make alot of sounds? had crickets and they were about to make me crazy because of all the sounds.

you know if it possible to get these? http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Katydid_india.jpg looks like a green leaf with legs


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## Smokehound714 (Dec 30, 2013)

Actually, katydids are basically crickets.  Both sexes of most species call. In general, it's a raspy almost metallic noise, has a really high treble, and travels quite far.


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## BobGrill (Dec 30, 2013)

sinder said:


> Ah its a grasshopper, does they make alot of sounds? had crickets and they were about to make me crazy because of all the sounds.
> 
> you know if it possible to get these? http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Katydid_india.jpg looks like a green leaf with legs


Its a katydid. Not quite the same thing as a grasshopper. 

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2


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## viper69 (Dec 30, 2013)

Any Praying Mantis is my favorite INSECT, hands down!


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## Beary Strange (Dec 30, 2013)

You know I only keep B.dubia and mealworms, but I have to say I love watching my dubia colony so I guess my roaches are my favorite. XD;; ...It's just really interesting to see the dynamics in the way they interact with one another, to watch as something grabs their attention. ^^


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## Smokehound714 (Dec 31, 2013)

Cockroaches are extremely interesting insects.. It's a shame they get such a bad rap..  Some are quite beautiful, IMO.  Especially Blaptica.


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## mindstorm (Dec 31, 2013)

*Gorgeous Redhead...*

Reactions: Like 5


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## PlaidJaguar (Dec 31, 2013)

The only insect I've ever kept are my Turkish roaches, and a mystery beetle larva my friend found in her yard.  I'm quite fond of both.  I like to watch my roaches interact with each other, and it's super cute when the males lift up their wings to bask in the heat.  My mystery grub is pretty cool too, although I don't see it very often.  I love not knowing what species (or even genus!) it is, and I can't wait for it to mature.


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## sinder (Jan 1, 2014)

viper69 said:


> Any Praying Mantis is my favorite INSECT, hands down!


Yeah i would say the same, havent keept so many insects but so far i love Praying Mantises



mindstorm said:


> View attachment 123117
> View attachment 123118


Your Redhead were cute too, is that a grasshopper of some kind or what is it?


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## Tongue Flicker (Jan 30, 2014)

Walking sticks!


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## 1Lord Of Ants1 (Jan 30, 2014)

Ants.

Surprising, I know.


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## nelu (Jan 31, 2014)

Ants, it's nice to see how a  single queen creates a nest, (there are a lot of winged queens in my area, succeeded in the second attempt to establish a nest of up to 20-30 working ants and a queen).
Wasps, at some point I planned a 2 cubic meters enclosure for a Vespa Crabro colony which creates pretty small nests, but my family went berserk when they have seen the sheer size of the beast ( ~3.5cm which stings)
Large roaches

Reactions: Like 1


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## klawfran3 (Jan 31, 2014)

PlaidJaguar said:


> The only insect I've ever kept are my Turkish roaches, and a mystery beetle larva my friend found in her yard.  I'm quite fond of both.  I like to watch my roaches interact with each other, and it's super cute when the males lift up their wings to bask in the heat.  My mystery grub is pretty cool too, although I don't see it very often.  I love not knowing what species (or even genus!) it is, and I can't wait for it to mature.
> 
> View attachment 123139


Maybe some kind of fig eating scarab. We call them June bugs here.


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## Senses-Tingling (Feb 5, 2014)

Insects - Roaches. 
Inverts - Millipedes.


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## hibiscusmile (Feb 5, 2014)

Praying mantis, and second I think are my superworm beetles then roaches, but would love to try the katydid and grasshopper, seeing the one eating off your hand is interesting, how did u get it to sit there?


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## Smokehound714 (Feb 7, 2014)

In my area alone, there are some 30 different species of Eleodes, this is E. acuticaudus, very calm and docile.

  probably my favorite beetles to care for, as they're extremely easy to feed, reach a large size (the specimen pictured is 30mm in body length, these can get as large as 40mm), and they're quite active, always scraping around and digging.  They also get used to you very quickly, this girl has never sprayed me, never gave me a headstand, and casually grabs food offered to her.  Great beetles, everyone should have one. haha


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## MrCrackerpants (Feb 7, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> In my area alone, there are some 30 different species of Eleodes, this is E. acuticaudus, very calm and docile.
> 
> probably my favorite beetles to care for, as they're extremely easy to feed, reach a large size (the specimen pictured is 30mm in body length, these can get as large as 40mm), and they're quite active, always scraping around and digging.  They also get used to you very quickly, this girl has never sprayed me, never gave me a headstand, and casually grabs food offered to her.  Great beetles, everyone should have one. haha


Do they reproduce in captivity? If so, can you provide details?


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## Hanska (Feb 8, 2014)

Hard to pick a fav. At the moment I'd say my _Eudicella euthalia bertherandi_.
Of all time, my late _Hierodula membrenacea_ "Juuso"


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## Paradoxica (Feb 8, 2014)

Mantises!
Idolomantis diabolica  is by far my favorite species...





I just wish I could find a mate for my sub adult female (not the long gone male in the pic)


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## Spepper (Feb 8, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> In my area alone, there are some 30 different species of Eleodes, this is E. acuticaudus, very calm and docile.
> 
> probably my favorite beetles to care for, as they're extremely easy to feed, reach a large size (the specimen pictured is 30mm in body length, these can get as large as 40mm), and they're quite active, always scraping around and digging.  They also get used to you very quickly, this girl has never sprayed me, never gave me a headstand, and casually grabs food offered to her.  Great beetles, everyone should have one. haha


I have some very similar to that.  They are quite large, but mine hide almost all the time. :/


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## melijoc (Feb 8, 2014)

These makes perfect food for my ts and pedes . Are they cheap?


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## Mike41793 (Feb 9, 2014)

Might sound lame but I really enjoy keeping the B. dubias I have to feed my T's lol. Might try keeping some more species of roaches in the future since the dubias are so neat.  

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk


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## Spepper (Feb 9, 2014)

melijoc said:


> These makes perfect food for my ts and pedes . Are they cheap?


I don't believe that these would make good feeders because they have hard shells.


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## Trailblazr80 (Apr 29, 2014)

Beetles, mantids, and jumping spiders!


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## Smokehound714 (Apr 30, 2014)

melijoc said:


> These makes perfect food for my ts and pedes . Are they cheap?


Aphonopelma eat them in the wild.  They actually know how to kill them- by piercing them between the elytra.

  It seems the inflated shell may actually be an evolutionary defense against aphonopelma.

 Im pretty sure S. polymorpha can tackle them as well..    I dont think anuroctonus are capable of killing them, though..  I know for a fact that eleodes will raid anuroctonus burrows and snatch scorplings and devour them.


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## NanoTek (Apr 30, 2014)

Hymonopus coronatus (orchid mantis mine really is awesome to watch very pretty indeed.
Also the Polyspilota aeruginosa Madagascan Marbled Mantis very active and very vivacious and it also
Bitten me which was as uprise and surprisingly hurt 
Have you ever been bitten by one ? 
One other fave is the Thailand rainbow millipede some are very toxic. wild monkeys pick them up and rub them on there fur to keep away mites, ticks and Mosquitos. Which is very clever but if we were to handle them it can burn the skin.


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## Vinegaroonie (Apr 30, 2014)

I love all my mantises. I have 4 orchids soon to mate, a pair of ghosts, like 7 enclosures for new hatchlings, and many more.


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## khil (Apr 30, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> Aphonopelma eat them in the wild.  They actually know how to kill them- by piercing them between the elytra.
> 
> It seems the inflated shell may actually be an evolutionary defense against aphonopelma.
> 
> Im pretty sure S. polymorpha can tackle them as well..    I dont think anuroctonus are capable of killing them, though..  *I know for a fact that eleodes will raid anuroctonus burrows and snatch scorplings and devour them*.


You gotta be kidding me. Wut?


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## Smokehound714 (Apr 30, 2014)

khil said:


> You gotta be kidding me. Wut?


Nope.  It's actually pretty common.  The breeding season of eleodes and the brooding season for anuroctonus overlaps, i'd actually say aside from scytodes and wolf-spiders, eleodes is one of the major predators of anuro scorplings that havent dispersed yet.  

  When you think of eleodes, you generally think of a slow-moving peaceful scavenger, but when they smell meat, they go nuts and will fight pretty savagely over it in the wild..  

  in captivity its a different story, because they get easy access to a good meal, and everyone gets a fair shot, but in the wild, protein is very hard to obtain, especially for animals that cannot fly, or have no predatory adaptations.  Scorplings are soft and tender, and cannot fight back, and will try to threat posture like an adult, but that just makes them an easy target..

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## benf12 (May 1, 2014)

Staying on topic to the thread, I enjoy keeping stag beetles, especially large tropical species. They are gentle, do not require a lot of room, and are easy to feed. They also look impressive and make great pinned specimens.


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## khil (May 1, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> Nope.  It's actually pretty common.  The breeding season of eleodes and the brooding season for anuroctonus overlaps, i'd actually say aside from scytodes and wolf-spiders, eleodes is one of the major predators of anuro scorplings that havent dispersed yet.
> 
> When you think of eleodes, you generally think of a slow-moving peaceful scavenger, but when they smell meat, they go nuts and will fight pretty savagely over it in the wild..
> 
> in captivity its a different story, because they get easy access to a good meal, and everyone gets a fair shot, but in the wild, protein is very hard to obtain, especially for animals that cannot fly, or have no predatory adaptations.  Scorplings are soft and tender, and cannot fight back, and will try to threat posture like an adult, but that just makes them an easy target..


Fascinating. Forgive me for my skepticism, I didn't even realize those bastards had mouths! I wish we anuroctonus ranged into north california, they look pretty cool. One thing though, scorpions generally stay with their parents for the first couple instars, don't the mothers protect them earlier on?


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## Smokehound714 (May 1, 2014)

khil said:


> Fascinating. Forgive me for my skepticism, I didn't even realize those bastards had mouths! I wish we anuroctonus ranged into north california, they look pretty cool. One thing though, scorpions generally stay with their parents for the first couple instars, don't the mothers protect them earlier on?


 In this species, the mother will stay out as long as possible to allow the scorplings to dive for cover, then she will block the entrance to prevent a predator from getting in.   Not all the scorplings will make it in, and consequently get blocked by her, and that's when they're typically predated on.  But there are also burrowing animals that succeed in breaking in, as well, like jerusalem crickets and geophilomorpha centipedes, both of which also raid them.  


  The reason they[eleodes] get away with snatching scorplings is due to their elytra being very round, and hard to grasp, kinda like how pillbugs can repel attacks.  The female can try to grab them, but will fail to do more than pinch, as her chelicerae are ineffectual at processing hard shells. Few animals can kill these beetles, mostly mammals and large mygalomorphae like tarantulas and bothriocyrtum.  

  Eventually the mother will attempt to avoid the beetles, rather than behave defensively, and may even abandon her own young to escape.


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## khil (May 1, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> In this species, the mother will stay out as long as possible to allow the scorplings to dive for cover, then she will block the entrance to prevent a predator from getting in.   Not all the scorplings will make it in, and consequently get blocked by her, and that's when they're typically predated on.  But there are also burrowing animals that succeed in breaking in, as well, like jerusalem crickets and geophilomorpha centipedes, both of which also raid them.
> 
> 
> The reason they[eleodes] get away with snatching scorplings is due to their elytra being very round, and hard to grasp, kinda like how pillbugs can repel attacks.  The female can try to grab them, but will fail to do more than pinch, as her chelicerae are ineffectual at processing hard shells. Few animals can kill these beetles, mostly mammals and large mygalomorphae like tarantulas and bothriocyrtum.
> ...


Interesting. Have you had the opportunity to witness any of these yourself?

Also here is also a pretty good article I found that describes some predators of anuroctonus: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=R0FZ_HGavBuVxzy1_qvTHg&bvm=bv.65636070,d.cGU


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## Smokehound714 (May 1, 2014)

khil said:


> Interesting. Have you had the opportunity to witness any of these yourself?
> 
> Also here is also a pretty good article I found that describes some predators of anuroctonus: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=R0FZ_HGavBuVxzy1_qvTHg&bvm=bv.65636070,d.cGU


Yep.  that's a great read, helped me back up many of my claims, like sponge bathing behavior.  I have yet to witness a jerusalem cricket killing one, though, but I have seen eleodes and scytodes kill scorplings in person.  

  I have a spot with literally thousands of anuroctonus in a huge colony, alongside aphonopelma, and bothriocyrtum, and recently, aptostichus and S. polymorpha that i visit often, so I'm able to see alot of cool behavior.

  I often visit this spot at night, so i get to see alot of stuff most people would miss.

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