Breeding velvet ants

[Matts inverts]

I was wondering if it was possible to breed them. I know the males can fly so I was wondering how dangerous it would be. Sorry if this question is silly, I’m new to keeping insects

 

[ZGuy]

Only the females sting to my knowledge but yes the males fly. I have no experience in breeding them but it should theoretically be able to work.

 

[Matts inverts]

An old post said the larvae are parasites, is that true and can I substitute bees for Beatles or another insect

 

[ZGuy]

you can always test i out and use caterpillars or if you want to go the mile you can try the bee method. I would try with caterpillars or a large species of fly to start with.

 

[pannaking22]

I believe many are parasites of various solitary nesting bee larvae, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are species that utilize caterpillar or fly larvae.

 

[schmiggle]

The larvae are all ectoparasitoids. I just read that some are hyperparasitoids of parasitic grubs, so that seems like a good sign. Also, as @ZGuy said, just because an insect isn't the native host doesn't necessarily rule it out as a captive host.

 

[Matts inverts]

If I try caterpillars, are there any recommendations like hornworms, or any specific type of grub

 

[Matts inverts]

What size tank should I have for breeding and should I make any lid modifications like turantulas

 

[myrmecophile]

The simple answer is no, as far as is known they are all parasitic on ground nesting bees and wasps.

 

[RoachCoach]

An old post said the larvae are parasites, is that true and can I substitute bees for Beatles or another insect

If you are substituting Beatles then may I suggest Yoko. Please feed Yoko to them...
I've been stung by one. She won't even notice.

 

[Matts inverts]

I meant like darkling Beatles

 

[RoachCoach]

I meant like darkling Beatles

The more you type Beatles the harder my brain wants to hate your music. But, I know what you mean now. You have a buttload of info to glean from what is online. There may be someone here who will link everything you want. Do your DD. Darkling are a blessing and a curse to keep.

 

[DytiscussorDaur]

Sorry if this is a necro, was looking through the pages and saw this thread was missing some info.

It's very difficult to determine the species of any Velvet Ant you find, as there could be many in your area that look identical (or almost identical) because of mimicry rings. Males will also often look completely different to their species' females, and be similarly hard to identify, if you manage to catch one.
Each species will also be looking for their own specific hosts to parasitize, and might even be looking for different hosts depending on if the female is fertilized or not (unfertilized eggs will hatch into males, fertilized into females).
You would need to match what species of Velvet Ant you have with what species of host it is searching for, and/or trick it into laying eggs into an artificial underground nest.

I'm not saying it would be impossible to breed/raise Velvet Ants in captivity, due to how common/cheap they are giving you plenty of opportunity for trial and error,
but there's a reason (to my knowledge) it's only been successfully done once, ever, in a lab.

I'm by no means an expert on this, so if you do give it a shot, from one lofty captive-breeding dreamer (aquatic beetles), I wish you luck!

 

[Matts inverts]

Thanks. I know it’s hard to do but once I free up a twenty gallon and get some velvets, then I want to try. No body really can answer if it’s possible because nobody has really tried to do this but thank you so much and I will use this information.

 

[schmiggle]

It's very difficult to determine the species of any Velvet Ant you find, as there could be many in your area that look identical (or almost identical) because of mimicry rings. Males will also often look completely different to their species' females, and be similarly hard to identify, if you manage to catch one.

That's crazy

might even be looking for different hosts depending on if the female is fertilized or not

And so is that!

One day, DNA sequencing will be so cheap, powerful, and readily available that anyone who wants will be able to ID anything they find harmlessly for a couple dollars and an upfront investment of $100-200. Until then, these might be out of reach.

 

[goliathusdavid]

It's very difficult to determine the species of any Velvet Ant you find, as there could be many in your area that look identical (or almost identical) because of mimicry rings. Males will also often look completely different to their species' females, and be similarly hard to identify, if you manage to catch one.

I know a really great company that actually does this complicated identification for you - and sells them at a very reasonable price. Happy to provide the name if you PM me. Still doesn't solve the many issues of breeding them though...

 

[schmiggle]

I know a really great company that actually does this complicated identification for you - and sells them at a very reasonable price. Happy to provide the name if you PM me. Still doesn't solve the many issues of breeding them though...

I thought those kinds of IDs were just about impossible without killing the animal first.

 

[Edan bandoot]

Try it yourself and let us know

 

[goliathusdavid]

I thought those kinds of IDs were just about impossible without killing the animal first.

My apologies, I was skimming. They don't do sequencing (which as you write is quite difficult to do for inverts without killing them) but they collect based on the known geographic ranges of certain species, and sell two that are easily distinguishable based on appearance.