Keeping Zelus sp.

ZephAmp

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
530
Anyone ever kept the sticky-armed assassins? I have a female who just laid 2 egg clusters (one of which hatched!) and I want to know if anyone has done a communal setup with a bunch of babies and given them one big food item to feed on or let them catch their own smaller ones.
 

Bugs In Cyberspace

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 10, 2006
Messages
721
Hi Zeph,

I'm thinking D. melongaster is the way to go here, or are they too small?

Springtails?

I'm curious to know whether they'll group-scavenge, so let us know!
 

ZephAmp

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
530
So far looks like a few nymphs have gotten the idea and have done the communal feeding... Mom keeps popping out more egg clusters so I've got quite a few to work with. I'm also finding the occasional dead nymph so they might be cannibalizing. I've got one egg cluster isolated and I'm going to isolate another and try feeding one set of them communally and the other set on small prey items (probably flying D. melanogaster.)
 

Acro

Aziz! Light!
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 1, 2006
Messages
234
For several years I was breeding all 3 african assassin species and the native Wheel bugs. Often the nymphs would feed together in either method that you discribed. However, they will always cannibalize if you dont seperate them. Make sure everyone has fed or you can end up with one fat nymph real quickly.
 
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