# What about feeding lady bugs?



## Laemia (Jul 20, 2007)

I live in Las Vegas, Nevada it's about 110 daily right now and until yesterday I would go outside in the morning or at around 7.30 pm before it gets dark and catch all the flys I could find. I also have two rabbits, two desert tortoises a pot belly pig and an english manstiff and I would put him out at 7.30 for bait. I thought everything would be good for a while and when it gets cooler I could order more fly pupae. I ordered some about a month or so ago and the heat did something to them. Only about ten hatched out of 500 and there was a cool pack with them. I have a few mabtids that need things that fly or at least not crickets and you don't find much other then ants outside. So I was thinking about trying lady bugs I'm pretty sure I can buy them at Home Depot. Thank you whomever helps!


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## Asa (Jul 20, 2007)

You mean ten hatched out on the way? If only ten did on the way, then there is still nothing to worry about. They will probably still hatch.


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## Laemia (Jul 20, 2007)

No this was a while ago, over a month. I tried to hatch all but only ten did. So they were put in the garbage. None hatch on the way they just wouldn't hatch and I tried for weeks. After I knew I had them for over a month I threw them out but I tried them all.


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## Asa (Jul 20, 2007)

I guess you could try lady bugs...

A better thing would just be to order again or catch moths.

you can get them here at www.mantisplace.com


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## Laemia (Jul 20, 2007)

Another question: just thought I'd ask here rather starting another topic...What about feeding the beetles that mealworms turn into? I have no idea what they are called. I know mantids shouldn't eat beetles too often due to much chitin, I think that's what it's called, but what about once in a while for something different? I'm always looking for different food for them because I can only buy fruit flys and crickets at stores around here.


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## Asa (Jul 20, 2007)

They would find it difficult to eat them. The Chitin is not so much of the problem. That applies more to lizards.


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## pizzuti (Jul 20, 2007)

Ladybugs are beneficial insects and it's such a shame to kill them off like that.

I fed a mantis a ladybug once when I was desperate, and it wasn't eaten for several days. One special defense ladybugs have is that they play dead when threatened, which is exactly the defense that will stop a mantis from eating it. I think a ladybug's round shape also makes it particularly difficult for the mantis to get a grip on. There might be some easier ways to raise and collect feeder insects.

I don't know if you see many earwigs in Las Vegas, but they are common here, and you might try catching some of them. They're about the same size as ladybugs; in case you are most interested in feeders of that size. Earwigs live inside unopened flowers, crevasses in trees, and places like that, so you may try looking there. I also know they're attracted to vegetable oil so you may want to try leaving a newspaper soaked in some oil and water in the garden overnight and see if it collects earwigs; they'd be hiding inside.

You can also catch a few houseflies and throw them into a jar with old fruit or meat, and in a few weeks you'll have dozens of houseflies. If you don't want to wait for the new flies to mature, you could probably just feed them the maggots.


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## Rick (Jul 20, 2007)

Whenever I have tried my mantids won't eat them.


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## OGIGA (Jul 20, 2007)

I heard that lady bugs have some kind of toxin to keep things from eating them. Maybe the mantis can sense the toxin and therefore won't attack.

By the way, be very careful if you're going to use meat to attract flies. You can introduce a lot of bacteria to your mantis.


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## Asa (Jul 20, 2007)

Sometimes I've seen brown stuff come out of a ladybug's behind. I'll look that up sometime.


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## pizzuti (Jul 20, 2007)

Many insects defecate when they are threatened, to scare of predators. Grasshopers and locusts will vomit if you catch them.


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## Asa (Jul 20, 2007)

I knew locusts would vomit, but grasshoppers? Wow.


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## Sparky (Jul 20, 2007)

ladybugs are naturally made for things *NOT* to catch them..


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## pizzuti (Jul 20, 2007)

Locusts and grashoppers are the same thing. Grashoppers are the solitary form. When some species of grashoppers become overpopulated, they go through a metamorphosis and become "gregarious," meaning they start to swarm and will migrate together, probably so that they don't starve to death when they defoliate every plant or tree around them. The gregarious phase is what is called a swarm of "locusts." When a grashopper becomes gregarious, it changes color and has a higher metabolic rate, so it looks like a different species, but it is actually the same species. When locusts eventually disperse themselves or die off in significant numbers, they return to their solitary form, and will remain latent as ordinary grashoppers for any number of years, decades or even centuries, until conditions allow them to become overpopulated again. All the biblical swarms of locusts are just the gregarious form of grashopers, which have flown into a community and eaten everything.

Locust swarms are rarer now because human agriculture has taken over the praries grashoppers live on so they can't reach the critical mass that causes them to change. Because locust swarms are so uncommon, the words have lost their meaning, and people use "grashopper" and "locust" interchangeably or think they are two different species.

But that has nothing to do with ladybugs.


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## OGIGA (Jul 21, 2007)

> Many insects defecate when they are threatened, to scare of predators. Grasshopers and locusts will vomit if you catch them.


The roaches I catch for my mantises always get diarrhea right when my mantis grabs a hold of it. It's so annoying and makes a big mess. :x


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## Nick Barta (Jul 21, 2007)

Ladybugs are not a good food source for two reasons. The ladybugs' structure makes it hard to for the mantid to grab, and they are a member of the stinkbug family, so their defence is releasing pungent odors when threatened. Cute they are, but not as a food source.

CHEERS!!!

Nick Barta

www.mantisplace.com


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## colddigger (Jul 21, 2007)

erm...ladybugs are beetles....

but they produce a bad tasting liquid from their knees and i would imagine they are hard to hold on to so no, i wouldn't feed them to a mantis...or anything else....


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## Asa (Jul 21, 2007)

> Locusts and grashoppers are the same thing. Grashoppers are the solitary form. When some species of grashoppers become overpopulated, they go through a metamorphosis and become "gregarious," meaning they start to swarm and will migrate together, probably so that they don't starve to death when they defoliate every plant or tree around them. The gregarious phase is what is called a swarm of "locusts." When a grashopper becomes gregarious, it changes color and has a higher metabolic rate, so it looks like a different species, but it is actually the same species. When locusts eventually disperse themselves or die off in significant numbers, they return to their solitary form, and will remain latent as ordinary grashoppers for any number of years, decades or even centuries, until conditions allow them to become overpopulated again. All the biblical swarms of locusts are just the gregarious form of grashopers, which have flown into a community and eaten everything. Locust swarms are rarer now because human agriculture has taken over the praries grashoppers live on so they can't reach the critical mass that causes them to change. Because locust swarms are so uncommon, the words have lost their meaning, and people use "grashopper" and "locust" interchangeably or think they are two different species.
> 
> But that has nothing to do with ladybugs.


I know they are the same thing. But I thought only one 'form' did it.


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## AFK (Jul 21, 2007)

> Ladybugs are not a good food source for two reasons. The ladybugs' structure makes it hard to for the mantid to grab, and they are a member of the stinkbug family, so their defence is releasing pungent odors when threatened. Cute they are, but not as a food source.CHEERS!!!
> 
> Nick Barta
> 
> www.mantisplace.com


ladybugs are not a member of the stinkbug family. they aren't even bugs to begin with.


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## Nick Barta (Jul 22, 2007)

Sorry i stated ladybugs were in the Stinkbug family, my information came from the largest collector and seller of ladybugs in the U.S. so I didn't question the validity of the statement!

CHEERS!!!

Nick Barta


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## hibiscusmile (Jul 22, 2007)

Thanks that was very informative about the grasshoppers. I remember them swarming when I was a kid, many moons ago :lol: . Some of mine eat the grasshoppers, which I think are more here in my yard than grass. But most back up like I am trying to poison them. Funny, Whenever one eats something other than a fly I thank God that it took it. The Devil flower mantis are the worse to feed. I pray every time I give them something. :roll:


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## Sparky (Jul 22, 2007)

Nick is a little bit right, I think he's reffering to the family of insects that secrete a smelly odor or liquid because ladybugs DO this


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## buddhistsoldier88 (Jul 24, 2007)

> I heard that lady bugs have some kind of toxin to keep things from eating them. Maybe the mantis can sense the toxin and therefore won't attack.By the way, be very careful if you're going to use meat to attract flies. You can introduce a lot of bacteria to your mantis.


Its not so much a toxin as a foul tasting liquid. Pick one (dont let it crawl) up sometime and smell your finger. If your daring taste it. Do it all the time with fireflies. By accident.  But like the others said these particular little beetles are too small or the mantids know not to eat them(?) cuz of the color.(possiblity?)


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## buddhistsoldier88 (Jul 24, 2007)

> > Ladybugs are not a good food source for two reasons. The ladybugs' structure makes it hard to for the mantid to grab, and they are a member of the stinkbug family, so their defence is releasing pungent odors when threatened. Cute they are, but not as a food source.CHEERS!!!
> >
> > Nick Barta
> >
> ...


WEll "true bugs" are the kind of bugs that literally suck out the juices of their prey such as water scorpions, assassins, etc. Other bugs that EAT literly, are not "true bugs". Dont believe me? Google it! :lol:


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## Asa (Jul 24, 2007)

Cook ladybugs and eat them for yourself. They are used as decoration on food in Thailand


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## OGIGA (Jul 24, 2007)

Yum. Now I'm tempted. People eat bitter stuff like mustard so I'm sure ladybugs can be useful as a taste somehow too.


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## Asa (Jul 25, 2007)

> Yum. Now I'm tempted. People eat bitter stuff like mustard so I'm sure ladybugs can be useful as a taste somehow too.


They taste horrible.


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## colddigger (Jul 25, 2007)

> Yum. Now I'm tempted. People eat bitter stuff like mustard so I'm sure ladybugs can be useful as a taste somehow too.


when i was younger i would play with them and get that stuff all over my hands

i would then eat sandwiches

they were delicious

with the exception of the sudden stains of ladybug juice in the bread when i would grab them i enjoyed that meal

it tastes nothing like mustard


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