Picture of my assassin bug's tank

[leiurus]

Hi!
Here is a picture of its tank!
Dom

 

[Fergrim]

tell me about assassin bugs.. you guys are always talkin about'm

 

[eksong]

That is one extravagant setup you have going there.

 

[leiurus]

thanks!
Dom

 

[DarkRAM]

My little beauties! Just arrived today!

This one, already started sticking her butt into the subsrate.

 

[leiurus]

Very nice! How long are they?

 

[DarkRAM]

Very nice! How long are they?

Roughly 1.5"? I think... :?

 

[Alex S.]

Congrats on the new Raduviids! Hemiptera are such an awesome order of insects. Im obsessed with giant water bugs (Belostomatidae) and waterscorpions (Nepidae)!

Alex S.

 

[leiurus]

thanks!
4 years ago, I caught a big giant water bugs in a lake... Now its a preserved specimen in my bedroom. I'll probably post pics of it soon.
Dom

 

[MacCleod]

Hi!
Here is a picture of its tank!
Dom

Hmm...I'd give them some more places to hide. They 'll appriciate it

 

[MacCleod]

My little beauties! Just arrived today!

Why didn't you fill the whole tank with substrate :?

 

[DarkRAM]

I will most likeky change that. I was hoping the females would only use the substrate to deposit their eggs. And that way I can change that out and raise the young sperate.
But they seem to lay them where ever they want... :?

 

[MacCleod]

Indeed. And if you cover the whole bottom, it's more natural too

 

[Fergrim]

any of you ever been bit by one? I don't know the scientific name or else I'd look it up..

I'm curious to see a bite report for one of these little guys after reading a little about them.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

I think people normally exaggerate bites. I have been bitten by giant water bugs, four inch centipedes, bees, hornets, yellow jackets and have found the bites annoying but not especially painful and lasting two seconds to a half hour. Platymeris are not aggressive and I commonly handle them but one time I made a stupid mistake trying to pick up a subadult like I would pick up an adult. I was bitten -by P.biguttata- on the thick skin of my thumbprint. I just stood there in pain. It lasted hours. There was a mark and no swelling but the pain involved was insane. The next morning the would was very slightly sore but barely noticeable. I remember for a few years afterwards, even though I didn't think I was at all worried, my body would involuntarily shake whenever I held the assassins. I'm pretty sure I shook when I was near the cage for the first month. Nothing has ever done that to me. It has been at least six years since the bite. My experience- unrealistically painful but not at all dangerous because of no sign of any allergic reaction.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

Oh yeagh, I keep all three species and handle them still.

 

[Fergrim]

ugh.. I heard that they can give one of the most painful insect bites.. Scary :/ Thanks for sharing that

 

[DarkRAM]

I went ahead and covered the bottom with substrate today. Heres a pic of some of the eggs that survived the crickets i got from the bottom of the tank.

 

[Navaros]

Awesome. That's pretty cool you got some eggs already. Good luck with 'em.

 

[MacCleod]

I keep Assassins for about one year now, and I've never seen agressive signs against me.

I think if you handle them gently, they won't bite....but if you annoye them...they 'll get you