# L2 Nymph feeding, food colony startup



## Bdawg (Nov 7, 2017)

I would like to start a sustainable colony to keep a constant supply of food, rather than relying on them being delivered. What would you guys recommend? Sticking with fruitflies? Is there anything else that could be suitable?


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## Bdawg (Nov 7, 2017)

Also, can my L2/3 nymphs handle a wax worm, or mealworm? I think they would be an ideal easy food to breed for them.


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## Connor (Nov 7, 2017)

Fruitflies would work... as they get older you can get fly pupae. They work pretty well. Downside is you would have to order more like every 3 weeks.

And no your mantis could not handle waxworms it anything like it


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## PrayingMantisPets (Nov 7, 2017)

Fruits are simple. You just need fruit fly media.

heres the one I always get. I’ve made over 50 cultures in the past (made for other people and I). And a culture last about a month. 

https://www.joshsfrogs.com/melanogaster-fruit-fly-media-1-5-lbs-1-35-quarts-makes-10-fruit-fly-cultures.html

i also culture mealworms in bins full of plain oat meal and some carrots. Tiny mealworms the size of fruitflys for smaller mantises and they get about a inch long for bigger mantises.

Then you can buy other feeders to change up their diet. But these work the best for me.


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## Bdawg (Nov 7, 2017)

PrayingMantisPets said:


> Fruits are simple. You just need fruit fly media.
> 
> heres the one I always get. I’ve made over 50 cultures in the past (made for other people and I). And a culture last about a month.
> 
> ...


Are carrots safe to feed the insects we feed to mantids? Do I just need to buy one tub of mealworms, stick them in oatmeal and feed them carrot occasionally?


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## Bdawg (Nov 7, 2017)

Connor said:


> Fruitflies would work... as they get older you can get fly pupae. They work pretty well. Downside is you would have to order more like every 3 weeks.
> 
> And no your mantis could not handle waxworms it anything like it


I meant starting colonies of Fruit flies to prevent ordering continuously since these guys will be eating those for quite some time. What would you recommend to break up the diet a little? Do you wait until their abdomen is as plump as the good you intend to feed it? What if it's the same length, but much wider? They seem really skinny right now


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## Connor (Nov 7, 2017)

They don’t really need a mixed diet... especially at L2/3. For all my females I give them as much as they will eat without their abdomen exploding while making sure my males are just barely plump. If yours are molting though, they are going to be skinny. Just feed them until they stop chasing their food or trying to eat it and you should be fine.


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## Bdawg (Nov 7, 2017)

Connor said:


> They don’t really need a mixed diet... especially at L2/3. For all my females I give them as much as they will eat without their abdomen exploding while making sure my males are just barely plump. If yours are molting though, they are going to be skinny. Just feed them until they stop chasing their food or trying to eat it and you should be fine.


Ok. Am I right in thinking that now they'll start eating maybe about 2 or 3 fruitflies daily until they're ready to molt again? They just gonna have a growth spurt in between?


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## Connor (Nov 7, 2017)

They don’t really grow much after a molt. They just get plumper. But they should probably eat 3+ flies a day. Not really sure though as I haven’t kept this species.


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## PrayingMantisPets (Nov 7, 2017)

I’ll send you a pic of my mealworm culture when I get home. I’ve never had a problem with carrots. Carrots are good at keeping moisture and don’t go bad fast. So the mealworms have water. 

I’ve owned miomantises p. And they got to an inch in length. Right now they should eat fruitflys, actually anything the size of their head. Or maybe something half the length, like a small mealworm. In the next few molts it should be able to take down house flys. Bbflys were a little too big for mine. When they got older they had a main diet of mealworms.

eating a fruit fly or two is fine per day. 

What I would do is culture fruitflys. And maybe start a mealworm culture so in the future you’ll be ready to adults mealworms.


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## Connor (Nov 7, 2017)

@PrayingMantisPetsAre we thinking about the same mealworms? The ones I once had were too big for my adult Carolinas..... mios are like 1/3 of the size of Carolinas.


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## Bdawg (Nov 7, 2017)

PrayingMantisPets said:


> I’ll send you a pic of my mealworm culture when I get home. I’ve never had a problem with carrots. Carrots are good at keeping moisture and don’t go bad fast. So the mealworms have water.
> 
> I’ve owned miomantises p. And they got to an inch in length. Right now they should eat fruitflys, actually anything the size of their head. Or maybe something half the length, like a small mealworm. In the next few molts it should be able to take down house flys. Bbflys were a little too big for mine. When they got older they had a main diet of mealworms.
> 
> ...


Awesome, thank you. My 2 guys are L2 and L3, should I start the mealworm colony now? 



Connor said:


> @PrayingMantisPetsAre we thinking about the same mealworms? The ones I once had were too big for my adult Carolinas..... mios are like 1/3 of the size of Carolinas.


Do you mean morioworms? Those are huge mealworms if I remember correct.


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## Connor (Nov 7, 2017)

Bdawg said:


> Awesome, thank you. My 2 guys are L2 and L3, should I start the mealworm colony now?
> 
> Do you mean morioworms? Those are huge mealworms if I remember correct.


Ah ok that’s probably what I got.


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## Bdawg (Nov 7, 2017)

Connor said:


> Ah ok that’s probably what I got.


Those guys are giants. Regular mealworms are skinny little guys, about 1cm roughly.


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## Connor (Nov 7, 2017)

Oh geez that makes more sense... mine were like 3 inches.


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## PrayingMantisPets (Nov 7, 2017)

@Connor

those are super worms


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## PrayingMantisPets (Nov 7, 2017)

Mealworms got to about a inch

they turn into a beetle after then mate etc


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## Connor (Nov 7, 2017)

PrayingMantisPets said:


> @Connor
> 
> those are super worms


Yep. I remember now.


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## Bdawg (Nov 7, 2017)

Connor said:


> Yep. I remember now.


I read the larger ones are treated with growth hormone that makes sure they continue growing instead of turning into beetles. If a nymph had a standard mealworm that was too big, would they stop eating, or eat so much they would damage themselves?


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## Connor (Nov 7, 2017)

They would stop eating.


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## Bdawg (Nov 10, 2017)

How much should L3 Egyptian pygmy mantis nymphs eat and how often again?


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## Serle (Nov 10, 2017)

I feed the young Mio's every day some times twice / day  , as much as they want .


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## Bdawg (Nov 10, 2017)

Can you feed 3rd instar fruit fly larva to nymphs in a pinch?


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## Serle (Nov 10, 2017)

I haven't tried larva  the Mio's are quite aggressive  , as long as it moves they should go after it .. Give it a go , I will also.. ........ S


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## Bdawg (Nov 10, 2017)

Serle said:


> I haven't tried larva  the Mio's are quite aggressive  , as long as it moves they should go after it .. Give it a go , I will also.. ........ S


How did you get on? I don't think my guys are  keen on being handfed, or hunting slow things yet, they grab the flies when they have the opportunity, but yet to see them actively stalking.


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## Bdawg (Nov 11, 2017)

Serle said:


> I feed the young Mio's every day some times twice / day  , as much as they want .


Do you think hatchling crickets would be too much for these guys already? If I don't leave them alone, would it be ok? I read crickets can gang up and attack mantids.


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## PrayingMantisPets (Nov 11, 2017)

It’s easy to find food for your Egyptian Pygmy Mantis, as it eats almost all prey insects species that have the correct size. Fruitflies are favorite for Egyptian Pygmy Mantises of all sizes and ages. Adult Egyptian Pygmy Mantids can also eat small crickets, moths, green bottle flies and any other insect species that is around half the lenght of the mantis- keepinginsects


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