Not sure what this is.

[Wade Harrell]

I don't know if harvetmen eat much in the way of flying insects at least in the adult form. Fly larvae are likely prey however!

If you want them to hang out in your yard, the main thing harvestmen need is some type of cover where they can hide during the day. Pieces of plywood work fine, especially if the corners are proped on stones so there's like an inch between the wood and the ground. Large flat stones (like slate or other pavers) arranged the same way is a more attractive version.

Wade

[Mike "troll" Dame]

were the flanges on its rear legs hard ive been wondering if maybe they are defensive in nature, some Opiliones produce benzoquinone secretions to deter ants and prolly other things from preying on them but ive never heard of other defensive mechanisms with them

[Ollie]

Hi Mike,

I don't think the projections are hard like an exoskeleton but more like stiff fleshy protroberances. They may have some kind of chemical defense against ants as they were always in close proximity. I didn't notice any kind of smell or irritation from them though.
Here's a couple of more pictures.





Ollie

[Celeste]

It is certainly an interesting critter.

If I get time to spend in my yard this summer, I'll be landscaping with invertebrates in mind!

I'll will certainly be spending more time watching the Harvestmen!

[Celeste]

Originally Posted by Wade Harrell

I've since moved them right into one of my milliped tanks and they seem to do fine there.

Wade

So then, you have millipedes and Harvestmen and springtails in leaf mulch?

A "forest floor" ecosystem? practically self sustaining, the millipedes eat the leaf mulch, right, and the harvestmen eat the springtails and the spiringtails live on_______(fill in the blank for me)?

Now I am suddenly interested in the whole setup. I think, though, I just took it out of context for this thread/forum

pm me, Wade, when you have time, or direct me to a thread where you have discussed this in more detail, please?

I have a few empty ten gallon tanks taking up space, and when my eldest goes off to college some serious rearranging is going to occur, including a closet for rasing feeder insects, there would probably be a shelf spare for something else that likes the dark......

[GRB]

I just came across this thread: awesome harvestmen.

I began studying them for my dissertation - alas, the UK species are rather more drab, and i'm sure many of you will have seen the more common ones in the US aswell.

I'd like to try that forest ecosystem type setup - its similar to my whip scorp enclosure. I have a couple of asian whip scorps with numerous springtails and tropical woodlice. I hardly have to do anything to the tank, and i've never had issues with mould or whatnot. The only downside is that I have no idea how often the whips eat....