Jump to content

  • Gallery
  • Members
  • Member Map
  • Chat
  •  
  •  

Welcome to Formiculture.com!

This is a website for anyone interested in Myrmecology and all aspects of finding, keeping, and studying ants. The site and forum are free to use. Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to create topics, post replies to existing threads, give reputation points to your fellow members, get your own private messenger, post status updates, manage your profile and so much more. If you already have an account, login here - otherwise create an account for free today!

Photo

Has anyone kept Velvet ants before?

Started By Chickalo , Jan 13 2021 5:21 AM
wasp velvet ants wasp keeping velvet ant keeping

  • Please log in to reply
23 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Chickalo - Posted January 13 2021 - 5:21 AM

Chickalo

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 809 posts
  • LocationSalem, Massachusetts

I've seen them once in my town (recorded it on iNaturalist :D), has anyone kept them though?  They look really cool, but I don't think they can breed in captivity.


シグナチャーです。예.

 

#2 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 13 2021 - 5:30 AM

ANTdrew

    Advanced Member

  • Moderators
  • PipPipPip
  • 9,948 posts
  • LocationAlexandria, VA

I don't recommend "keeping"  any of these solitary wasps. A better course is to plant native plants in your yard that will feed wasps and their host insects. If you don't have a yard, there are probably many ways you can help volunteer to plant native plants in your area, or to remove invasive plants.


  • Scherme and Ants_Dakota like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#3 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted January 13 2021 - 6:39 AM

RushmoreAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,246 posts
  • LocationSioux Falls, South Dakota
Yes, I agree. Besides, it wouldn’t be very fulfilling to simply keep one wasp that doesn’t raise a colony of any kind.
  • ANTdrew likes this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

#4 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted January 13 2021 - 6:54 AM

Kaelwizard

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 2,852 posts
  • LocationPoway, California

Besides, just think if you got stung.  :/


#5 Offline Spazmops - Posted January 13 2021 - 6:57 AM

Spazmops

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 558 posts
  • LocationDenver, Colorado

I assume you know this, but just in case you don't: Velvet ants aren't ants. They're a kind of solitary wasp with a very painful sting, but they look extremely similar to dealate queen ants. Before I realized this I caught a huge one I found because I thought it was a queen.

 

Edit: I just realized this post was tagged with 'wasps', so feel free to ignore what I said. 


Edited by Spazmops, January 13 2021 - 6:58 AM.

Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server. 

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 

#6 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted January 13 2021 - 7:32 AM

TennesseeAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,925 posts
  • LocationNashville, Tennessee

Besides, just think if you got stung.  :/

Its not fun. I've only been stung a couple times by Velvet Ants, but it is NOT fun...


  • Kaelwizard likes this

My Main Journal | My Neivamyrmex Journal | My Ant Adoption | My YouTube

Join the TennesseeAnts Discord Server! https://discord.gg/JbKwPgs

#7 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted January 13 2021 - 7:37 AM

Kaelwizard

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 2,852 posts
  • LocationPoway, California

 

Besides, just think if you got stung.  :/

Its not fun. I've only been stung a couple times by Velvet Ants, but it is NOT fun...

 

How long does the pain last?


#8 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted January 13 2021 - 7:47 AM

TennesseeAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,925 posts
  • LocationNashville, Tennessee

 

 

Besides, just think if you got stung.  :/

Its not fun. I've only been stung a couple times by Velvet Ants, but it is NOT fun...

 

How long does the pain last?

 

Depends on the species. Most of the times I've been stung it was from some of the smaller species (10-13mm), so it only lasted 4-5 hours.


My Main Journal | My Neivamyrmex Journal | My Ant Adoption | My YouTube

Join the TennesseeAnts Discord Server! https://discord.gg/JbKwPgs

#9 Offline KitsAntVa - Posted January 13 2021 - 8:42 AM

KitsAntVa

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,254 posts
  • LocationRichmond, Virginia
A smaller species in general still hurts, I've been stung by both, but I have seen some people take and hold them. There isn’t much to it though. They just hide and drink honey and that’s all they do their entire captive life.
  • drtrmiller likes this
We don’t talk about that

#10 Offline Dmaculata - Posted January 13 2021 - 9:30 AM

Dmaculata

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 17 posts
  • LocationLong Island, New York

I've kept Mutilids (velvet ants) before, they're pretty easy. I kept one in a large kritter keeper pretty much all the time that I've had it. you can keep them in small fish tanks also, which i would definitely prefer, tanks look a lot nicer. I made sure to give it access to water and honey/honey water pretty much all the time. Do make sure you keep the enclosure as dry as you can. I like to put some hides for them like cork bark, and just some small things like drift wood for them to climb on, they're pretty active. some people prefer a light that produces very small amount of heat to keep them very active, although it doesn't seem to be very needed, at lest from my experience. I used a mix of dry sand and coco fiber as a substrate, although it doesn't seem to matter much, I prefer the sand to replicate their natural environment.

 

 

Edit: Ah yes, also forgot to mention they are communal, and can be housed with different Mutilid sp. As long as they are in similar size range. They can also be housed with some desert beetle sp. if you're going for a communal setup, just go for a bit of a larger enclosure, although it doesn't have to be much bigger. Aquarimax pets on YouTube has some good videos on keeping them.


Edited by Dmaculata, January 13 2021 - 9:52 AM.

  • Manitobant and DDD101DDD like this

#11 Offline Swirlysnowflake - Posted January 13 2021 - 9:54 AM

Swirlysnowflake

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,155 posts
  • LocationBay Area, CA

Where can I buy a velvet ant? lol


 My YouTube channel :)

 

 

#12 Offline Guest_StrickyAnts_* - Posted January 13 2021 - 9:57 AM

Guest_StrickyAnts_*
  • Guests

Where can I buy a velvet ant? lol

uh..................., I've never seen anyone sell them before lol


#13 Offline Swirlysnowflake - Posted January 13 2021 - 9:59 AM

Swirlysnowflake

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,155 posts
  • LocationBay Area, CA

 

Where can I buy a velvet ant? lol

uh..................., I've never seen anyone sell them before lol

 

Oh, sad. I do know that bugsincyberspace sells them but I haven't seen them in stock for a while 


 My YouTube channel :)

 

 

#14 Offline antsandmore - Posted January 13 2021 - 10:21 AM

antsandmore

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 705 posts
  • LocationSan Diego California

 

 

Where can I buy a velvet ant? lol

uh..................., I've never seen anyone sell them before lol

 

Oh, sad. I do know that bugsincyberspace sells them but I haven't seen them in stock for a while 

 

I feel like i've seen somebody selling them on this forum before...


Ants I am keeping:

 none for now, planning on being more active this year

#15 Offline Swirlysnowflake - Posted January 13 2021 - 11:53 AM

Swirlysnowflake

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,155 posts
  • LocationBay Area, CA

 

 

 

Where can I buy a velvet ant? lol

uh..................., I've never seen anyone sell them before lol

 

Oh, sad. I do know that bugsincyberspace sells them but I haven't seen them in stock for a while 

 

I feel like i've seen somebody selling them on this forum before...

 

zantezaint had them, I remember now :)


 My YouTube channel :)

 

 

#16 Offline ponerinecat - Posted January 13 2021 - 2:41 PM

ponerinecat

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 2,650 posts
  • LocationCalifornia

They're fun, and you probably could breed them if you had the appropriate host wasp/bee. Just would be rather difficult to manage.


#17 Offline antsandmore - Posted January 13 2021 - 2:48 PM

antsandmore

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 705 posts
  • LocationSan Diego California

yep. wouldn't they be illegal to ship across state lines tho? or no...


Ants I am keeping:

 none for now, planning on being more active this year

#18 Offline Chickalo - Posted January 14 2021 - 5:00 AM

Chickalo

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 809 posts
  • LocationSalem, Massachusetts

I assume you know this, but just in case you don't: Velvet ants aren't ants. They're a kind of solitary wasp with a very painful sting, but they look extremely similar to dealate queen ants. Before I realized this I caught a huge one I found because I thought it was a queen.

 

Edit: I just realized this post was tagged with 'wasps', so feel free to ignore what I said. 

 

Where can I buy a velvet ant? lol

its hard to sell because since it's hard to breed them, the seller would half to catch them


シグナチャーです。예.

 

#19 Offline Swirlysnowflake - Posted January 14 2021 - 8:26 AM

Swirlysnowflake

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,155 posts
  • LocationBay Area, CA

yep. wouldn't they be illegal to ship across state lines tho? or no...

No, you can ship them across state lines. They aren't ants, they're wasps, so it's fine.


  • antsandmore likes this

 My YouTube channel :)

 

 

#20 Offline Chickalo - Posted January 14 2021 - 8:32 AM

Chickalo

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 809 posts
  • LocationSalem, Massachusetts

 

yep. wouldn't they be illegal to ship across state lines tho? or no...

No, you can ship them across state lines. They aren't ants, they're wasps, so it's fine.

 

ants got it harder :c


  • Swirlysnowflake likes this

シグナチャーです。예.

 

Back to General Off-Topic · Next Unread Topic →



Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: wasp, velvet ants, wasp keeping, velvet ant keeping

1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users