cre0broter Posted November 21, 2010 Report Share Posted November 21, 2010 hey, long time no post, but I caught 2 zelus nymphs this past summer, and they are now adult, one day after the other. one adult is bigger, lighter, and wider than the other, so I believe I have a pair. I want to know when to breed, how to breed, how to care for young, etc... I would like to keep them going, thye are beautiful, maybe even make them more common in culture. first pic, suspect it's the male: next pics, suspect it's the female: last pic, the shed skin, where'd the abdomen go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynastes Posted November 21, 2010 Report Share Posted November 21, 2010 Great job! I like the assassins. The female should start laying small egg clusters in a month or two. At room temperature they hatch in a month, maybe less. You may have tons of the them by mid winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted November 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2010 Great job! I like the assassins. The female should start laying small egg clusters in a month or two. At room temperature they hatch in a month, maybe less. You may have tons of the them by mid winter. so I have a male and a female? also, when and how do I breed them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynastes Posted November 25, 2010 Report Share Posted November 25, 2010 It looks like you have both from the photos assuming the green one is bigger and didn't just molt. They mate without prompting a few weeks after the final molt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted November 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2010 It looks like you have both from the photos assuming the green one is bigger and didn't just molt. They mate without prompting a few weeks after the final molt. the green one did just molt but is still way lighter and bigger. it's funny how dead insects and stuff stick to the legs if they fall, also, can they be kept togehter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted November 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2010 they bred over the weekend, mated for at least 12 hours. pics to come later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynastes Posted November 29, 2010 Report Share Posted November 29, 2010 Congratulations. Let us know when the female lays eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted November 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 tried rebreeding, male mounted and tried to connect, felt around then left, as if he knew she already mated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted December 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 here are the mating pics: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted December 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 eggs! here is a side veiw. why are a few yellow and others red? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynastes Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 Usually the egg clusters are symmetric, she may lay the other part in a day or two. You can remate the adults but I don't think there's any information on how many clusters can be fertilized by one mating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted December 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 well they mated for an hour yesterday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Clausen Posted December 14, 2010 Report Share Posted December 14, 2010 Excellent photo series! I have some wheel bug eggs that I'm hoping will hatch one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted December 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2010 the male died yesterday female still hasn't laid new eggs. should I remove the other egg cluster? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted December 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 female laid 3 more eggs, then dropped dead? what the heck happened? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted December 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 eggs hatched, most got stuck, hatchlings tiny. I think I like Acrosternum hilare better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynastes Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Congrats! Next time you'll have to keep the eggs more humid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted December 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2010 yeah, I did mist a few times yesterday but a few of those got stuck as well. I didn't expect them to hatch this soon. any ideas why the female died like she did? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 yeah, I did mist a few times yesterday but a few of those got stuck as well. I didn't expect them to hatch this soon. any ideas why the female died like she did? No idea. I had a WC female who laid at least 12 egg clusters that hatched after roughly 2.5 weeks. I would mist them every 2-4 days. I kept the young in modified 8 oz cups with fabric screening for ventilation. They grew so fast and took over so many containers I got tired of them and released them in my yard (where I found the female.) I used fruit flies to effectively feed large groups of 30+ nymphs but if I didn't feed regularly they'd cannibalize. I also managed to rear them in groups of 3-10 using crushed mealworms /pupae. I wish I would have kept a few; they're very neat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted January 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 I only have 1 left, this is becoming a farce! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre0broter Posted March 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 the surviving nymph is i believe 4th instar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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