15/10/2026
Its often when i have a conversation with a friend i realise just how obscure i am even within a hobby which keeps exotic invertebrates.
It will be of no surprise to some to know i have kept many odd species and what makes it even fun is my obsession with nutrition and utilising different livefood species.
In fact I have cultured some cool and downright nasty bugs as feeders when certain species have required specialist food.
Ampulex compressa(Emerald jewel wasp/Cockroach wasp.) was one of said species, a cool little gem of a parasitoid wasp from french guyana that required Periplaneta americana (American cockroaches.) The wasps utilized this cockroach species as hosts for their carnivorous larva which would consume the cockroach alive from the inside out. Whilst jewels would use other roach species american roach females were almost always utilised by the female wasp as hosts for future females. The smaller the roach used the more likely it was to be male.
In fact I bred these for 2 to 3 years and sent many away to butterfly houses as a form a non harmful way to control pest Periplaneta americana.
Id often balk when the females decided to go for a fly, fearing them being squashed whilst trying to catch them with a fish net.
As back then i kept mainly mantids and bluebottles often were splatted without mercy(being the cause of marital discord in many a mantis keepers life.)
Whilst this species is not aggressive like our native wasp species, i am also allergic to native wasps. Living life at the edge of an epi pen 😂
The adults fed on butterfly food and necton. The males often sat on my fingers. Infact i brought several back to life when they decided to swim in said necton.
The wasps were awesome, however i did find out that im not a massive fan of American roaches, both in smell and dropping them thankfully whilst i was based in the bug shed i had a it falls out the feeder cup 🥾 policy!
Ill not forget when one ran up my boot 😅
I have some stories, i really should right down!
