Welcome to the assassin bugs area.
Introduction to Assassin Bugs
Assassin bugs are classified as Arthropoda, their class is Insecta, and they belong to the order Hemiptera. All insects are often referred to as bugs but in reality only those which posses certain criteria can actually be classed as such. The main criteria for bugs are that they have mouth parts formed in to a needle like structure which is designed to suck the juices out of plants or other insects rather than chewing, their wings are exposed rather than being protected by wing cases but the top part can be toughened and that they all go through an incomplete stage of metamorphosis. The latter part means that the bugs don't have a pupae stage but are like miniature adults.
There are literally thousands of species of Assassin Bug to be found in all tropical, sub tropical and temperate countries around the world. The most often bugs kept by insect hobbyists are the twin spotted assassin bug Platymeris biguttata and the Red Spotted Assassin bug Platymeris rhadamanthus, both are from Africa.
Both of these species can be accommodate and fed in the same way. This is the commonest type of Assassin Bug and it is the twin white spotted Platymeris biguttata variety from Africa.
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Housing Assassin Bugs
Assassin bugs are one of the simplest insects to keep in captivity. They should be kept in a smallish tank from 10 x 10 x 8 (up to 6 adults) or 18 x 12 x 12 inches (up to 12 adults) and can be kept in small colonies providing there are plenty of hiding places and food available.
The tank base can be covered with a variety of materials but I prefer to use completely dry vermiculite, this can be left in place for several months as these creatures don't make very much mess. The vermiculite should be around 2 inches deep and should have several chunks of natural cork bark placed on to it, you should place one piece crossing the other to give some interest in your tank design and more underneath surface area.
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Most of the time the assassin bugs will be under this cork hiding place and will only venture out in search of food.
The tank should have a well fitting but well ventilated lid to prevent any escapes as Assassin Bugs can climb smooth surfaces - including glass!
Left: Newly hatched Assassin Bugs are tiny! |
Temperature & Humidity for Assassin Bugs
Assassin bugs come from Africa and so will need to be kept warm at all times, the best temperature range is between 20 - 24C and this can easily be achieved using an inexpensive heat mat covering 1/3 of the base of the tank, this will allow a cooler area in the tank if they want it. They require a fairly dry atmosphere except when small nymphs and no spraying is required.
Feeding Assassin Bugs
Both the species mentioned here are carnivorous and will readily accept all the commercially available food like crickets, mealworm and waxworm, the size of the intended food should be no larger than the bug itself. A single medium to large size cricket is enough for an adult to survive on once a week but there should always be live food available if keeping a colony, this is to prevent possible cannibalism.
Small nymphs will require feeding on fruit flies for their first few weeks.
Any dead crickets etc should be removed frequently to prevent them from going mouldy or from smelling bad.
Breeding Assassin Bugs
Assassin bugs are thought to be parthenogenic (mating not required) but I have observed mating taking place. The female has a slightly wider thorax than the male but other than this they are virtually impossible to tell apart. If possible (to cover all the bases) you should buy them in small groups rather than individuals, this should give you the best change of breeding assassin bugs.
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Assassin bugs tend to just drop eggs whenever they feel like it and don't produce an egg mass or nest, you can encourage the female to deposit eggs in one area though by providing a shallow container filled with slightly damp vermiculite, this will take preference over the dry floor covering.
Left: A clutch of Assassin Bug eggs
The adult female will eventually deposit small round dark coloured eggs approximately 1 - 1.5mm in diameter, these will turn paler over the following 3 weeks and eventually take on a reddish colour a few days before hatching. |
The nymph that emerges is a miniature copy of the adult but will have a red body and black and orange legs and head, they should be fed on fruit flies during their first few weeks.
Right: 1 day old nymph
As soon as they nymphs are seen in the tank they should be decanted in to small polystyrene drinking cups, one to a cup with a tight fitting ventilated lid and an 1/2 inch strip of kitchen roll paper running from the bottom right over the rim, this tissue should be sprayed with clean water every day to raise the humidity. Fruit flies should be placed in the cup once a day so there are always live ones available for the growing nymphs. |
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After their first moult (approx. 2 weeks) they will have an all black body with the characteristic yellow and black legs but the spots don't appear until after their final adult moult.
This is a newly moulted nymph and as you can see they red body has gone. |
Feeding small insects like fruit flies and pin head crickets should continue and as the bugs grow so you can increase the size of food given, always keep the food item slightly smaller than the bug until adult.
This is the same hatchling after just 6 weeks |
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