Pet Harvestmen

[@bugtalk84]

I liked the way the pedipalps on the Eurybunus gave it the resemblance to a coconut crab 😁

[@bugsincyberspace]

Yeah, I wasn't expecting the aggressiveness of that Protolophus!

[@CosmicErrata]

Love the way they tap tap around.

[@bugsincyberspace]

Always interesting to observe!

[@jonerman7148]

Absolutely beautiful and fascinating. I don’t usually go down internet rabbitholes, but when I do it’s always something to do with arthropods and arachnids. There is endless potential of evolutionary coolness in these guys

[@InvertebrateDude]

YES, harvestmen are so underrated as pets! I'm breeding V.ornata now and just got a hopeful pair of V.sayi. Would love to try my hand at Dalquestia this year too. Hoping to breed as many harvestmen as possible and get them established in captive breeding, not enough people breeding these IMO. :)

[@bugsincyberspace]

Agreed! Totally underrated! Communal, non-venomous arachnids. UV light. Would definitely like to see what kind of magic you can work with them. I saw a huge long-legged mite today that had a legspan of maybe 12 mm. Got my camera out and it had disappeared on me. Soon the ground here will be covered with them. Would love to get some in your hands to see if they will CB!

[@InvertebrateDude]

@@bugsincyberspace Exactly, such cool arachnids for sure! I'd never seen the large palped species you found locally before, those things are awesome looking as well! Would definitely love to to breed those, Dalquestia, Eurybunus, patternless sayi, etc., I'll be getting Cynortoides quadrispinosa here soon, a species invasive to FL that looks much like Vonones, and has similar husbandry to them too. :) Wow, that's a big mite! I seem to have a propensity for accidentally breeding all sorts of random mites... So I could probably give those a shot. 😂 I'd love to breed the giant velvet mites down there too, should actually be easy since their immatures are general ecto parasites of soft bodied inverts (like roaches). Would just have to keep them far, far away from the rest of my collection... 😅

[@ProgressiveDiscussions]

You and bugs in cyberspace should definitely breed those very pretty solid Orange harvestmen. You can call them captive bred ornate super Orange. I have an overabundance of dairy cow and powdered orange isopods so these harvestmen should be able to slightly thin out the herd. Maybe also one green fire belly toad, which no one has right now, out of stock.

[@InvertebrateDude]

@@ProgressiveDiscussions I would love to get those patternless V.sayi... hopefully one day I can get some. 😄 Currently working with some a new species, Eumesosoma cf. roeweri, gonna be calling them "Black Velvet Harvestmen", hopefully they breed for me. 😄

[@williamneill5441]

Wow! I’ve been thinking of getting into harvestmen. These are fantastic!

[@kitsune0rei]

Wow they're so neat! I've never seen them available as pets before. I didn't know we had such cool ones in Florida!

[@clognog8049]

that is an interesting one with the 4 thick parts up front.

[@bugsincyberspace]

We had an interesting one when I lived in Oregon called Taracus, a snail-eating harvestman will specialized mouthparts.

[@philipwethington7965]

I glad you said that I am sitting here thinking and I said to myself I wonder if they are related to the Grand Daddy Long Legs (?) I am Like WOW at least I am thinking right, watching this almost makes me want to get some. I might later. Thanks for putting a fruit fly in there, it reminds me of when I would catch a fly and put it in a spider web LOL and I would catch grass hoppers and feed them to Praying Mantis, and I use a lot of Grass Hoppers for fishing.

[@bugsincyberspace]

I went camping last night and this morning once it warmed up there were a lot of flies in that particular area since it was open range land and there were lots of cows around. Plenty of flies for all the things you mentioned!

[@NatashaCreatesThings]

Awwww i like how the reddish non-patterned ones hang out together :) i love bugs and spiders but daddy long legs always creep me out because you see their shells (sheds? Or maybe they’re dead?) in basements and garages and for some reason I can’t handle that, but it’s so cool to see them here and helps me understand them more! Also surprised they eat carrots!! And omg yes the coconut crab is INSANE!!! Love watching videos of them:)

[@bugsincyberspace]

It seems a lot of harvestmen species will cluster together like that. Perhaps some viewers have seen those viral videos out there where somebody touches a ball of thousands of them and they scatter to the winds in what looks like biblical proportions.

[@amgtarantulas]

Omgosh i was not aware there was so many different appearanced harvestmen! Great video! Thank u for sharing!

[@bugsincyberspace]

There are many more than I was able to feature here, too!

[@amgtarantulas]

@@bugsincyberspace thats amazing❤❤❤

[@bradleyhumphrey362]

These guys are great !! We have some really large ones out my way !! One creepy cool creature indeed 😁

[@bugsincyberspace]

I've made the mistake a time or two of the years of collecting a couple of the really larger ones into a single container for transport home, only to find that they are not communal like Vonones, etc.

[@bradleyhumphrey362]

@@bugsincyberspace lol I can see that happening for sure ! I have never kept them before. I normally just grab them up,say hi and send them on there way . I’m glad you mentioned that because I probably would have made that mistake myself 100% 😜I’m not sure if these ones are communal or not . Some of them are as big as my hand next time I get ahold of one I’ll email you a photo of it !!

[@davidparra1915]

Very nice collection of harvestmen spiders🤩. Much more interesting than my the local species.

[@bugsincyberspace]

I'll bet you have a few around. I remember seeing some very large ones on the support beams of bridges a few hours away from you, once. Definitely the kinds of things you have to be out at night, searching for, to see.

[@Aquarimax]

Fantastic video! I have been fanscinated by Vonones and other Opiliones for a while now, and this video has served to sharpen that already keen interest! That Texan species was out of this world…and Arizona has some pretty amazing, colorful ones too…have you seen pics of the the Eurybunus species in Arizona yet? The only species I have really seen so far is Phalangium opilio…probably the first species most people think of. It seems to produce a characteristic odor when disturbed…do any of the Vonones species do that, that you have noticed?

[@bugsincyberspace]

I believe the last clip in the video is the Eurybunus you are talking about but the one I encountered was not all black and white like individuals of the species occasionally are. I have not noticed any odors among the species in this video, although the garden variety "daddy longlegs" (as we call them in the US) have graced me with their ability in that regard many times! It's actually something I forgot about since my childhood because, probably, I interacted with them a little more roughly than I do nowadays. Thanks Rus and let's go find some black and white desert ones soon!

[@Aquarimax]

@@bugsincyberspace Ah, I didn’t realize that specimen you found was Eurybunus! Can’t wait to get down there again with you guys and look for them…and everything else under the sun…and moon…and stars…

[@lancebradshaw4829]

Would be cool if you could get a hold of some colorful, spiny Sadocus harvestmen.

[@bugsincyberspace]

As you probably know they've made it into the US a couple times but I've never had the chance to see them. Would love to, of course!

[@carabid_4770]

cool

[@Shaden0040]

You should get up to New Hampshire and get some of the orange boddies harvestmen. Found around otter lake near Peterborough, NH.

[@bugsincyberspace]

I have found Sclerobunus a few times in the Pacific NW. Is that what you have up there?

[@sarueira]

Such amazing creatures! Do you happen to have any video on their young? I think my harvestmen had babies but maybe it’s just some ticks, they are soooo tiny. Hugs from another creepy crawlies lover from Brazil

[@hanamali7298]

Hello! I was wondering when you guys will restock the rhino beetles on your website :) love the video!

[@bugsincyberspace]

Later this month, I believe! Thanks HM!

[@michaelhair7828]

Will you be listing the dalquestia on your website? I'm very interested in these little beasties haha

[@bugsincyberspace]

Not at this time, unfortunately. I am hoping to source them again in the future though. Thanks for your interest, Michael!

[@davidstaggs2325]

Are you able to get any of them to breed in captivity?

[@bugsincyberspace]

The Vonones sayi and V. ornata do. The others have yet to be bred, at least, in the hobby that I know of.

[@teleking58]

More fun stuff! Harvestmen are too close to spiders and therefore raise my hackles a bit but I'm getting better. I think.

[@bugsincyberspace]

It's definitely been a point of curiosity for me all these years why tarantulas are the largest sector of the pet bugs hobbies. It seems there is a fine line between hackles and hankerings, and certainly these are halfway to spider!

[@kevinpoe8137]

When will you have more common hissers and warty glow spots back in stock

[@ArchvicGames]

I love harvestmen, as a gardner/landscaper I've had to correct the stupid venom myth with tons of clients. Would you cohabitate with other insect species? I have a 75gal sonoran geared desert tank with darklings and desert millipedes, and would love to diversify. My plants require my constant attention or id have a scorpion and some velvet ants!

[@theoryg]

Do some of the many harvestman do well in captivity? It seems like they would be hard to find and it also seems like little is known about the many species. I would want to breed them.

[@nesatnoonboss9421]

When will the last ones be for sale

[@lizardjoe4224]

Just to correct you. Coconut crabs are not the largest arthropod that belongs to the japanese giant spider crab. However coco crabs are the largest land arthropods

[@bugsincyberspace]

Does that include by weight?

[@lizardjoe4224]

Yes​@@bugsincyberspace

[@Jinx-z2g]

I hate those things

[@bugsincyberspace]

But the algorithm loves you! Thanks PP!

[@Jinx-z2g]

@@bugsincyberspace algorithm hates me lol. I didnt exoect to randomly find my most hated spider on earth.

[@bugsincyberspace]

@@Jinx-z2g Fun fact, these are not actually spiders and are entirely harmless to humans.

[@Jinx-z2g]

@@bugsincyberspace I know. I still hate them lol

[@ProgressiveDiscussions]

#santatank