Jump to content

Pest on my Roridula


Recommended Posts

My Roridula is only 4" tall at the moment,but it is growing steadily.The time will come when I'll want to infest it with the bugs. Can anyone suggest as to how to best go about this?

find someone with bugs and put your plants next to it! i am still hoping to do this in the summer

If you succeed in doing this then I can come and see you as you're not too far away,I'll no doubt buy some plants from you -agreed?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I'm not sure where the idea that Pameridea spp. are 'Assassin bugs' orginated - but since Peter D'Amato published it in 'The Savage Garden' it has become a common misconception.

'Assassin bugs' are members of the family - Reduviidae

Pameridea spp. are members of a different family - Miridae. The common name for members of this family is Capsid bugs. They don't look like Assassin bugs and they are not closely related to them either.

Some may think I'm nit-picking, but as an entomologist that has worked quite a lot with True Bugs (Order - Heteroptera), this error is a bit like calling a pitcher plant an orchid! :)

Vic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Roridula probably defines a paracarnivorous plant.

Not sure how to get a hold of one nowadays, but it looks like they are extremely slow growers.

Awesome bugs! Good to know you can harvest a colony of Assassin bugs on a plant and not worry about a invasion of the house. It'd be rather funny to show my parents a hundred little bugs crawling on one of my plant, that'd be hilarious.

Awesome Roridula, I've never seen the bugs or plant up close! Good growing!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some may think I'm nit-picking, but as an entomologist that has worked quite a lot with True Bugs (Order - Heteroptera), this error is a bit like calling a pitcher plant an orchid! :)

Vic

I totally agree with you, Vic. Please, stop that headbangging on the wall :(:(

Besides, among other differences, most (true) assassin bugs are much bigger than mere Pameridae.

Necifix: Pameridae are not assassin bugs!

Friendly,

François.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

As they suck the fluid contents out of prey, I doubt that they would be able to use dried food.

I find small crickets, which I buy from a local reptile store, work really well. The bugs love them and being a highly nutritious insect (they are fed on a diet high in protein and vitamins) they grow really well too. They will feed on insects which have been frozen too, so I keep wasps and flies etc from the summer in the freezer, to vary their diet a bit.

A box of crickets only costs me £1-99 and lasts about 5-6 weeks. You have to feed the crickets though or they don't last long. Any crickets that die go in my Nepenthes! :)

Vic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...