# Something killed all my mantises



## izbiggs (Sep 2, 2017)

The title is pretty self-explanatory. Something killed most of my mantises. 

I was feeding them wax worms and flies with the very occasional (gut loaded) mealworm. No crickets. Then, they all started dropping. The little nymphs first. They would refuse food, have a large abdomen, vomit foul smelling vomit, and end up dead the next day. It was so fast-moving. The nymphs died almost all at once. Of course, I immediately switched my feeder supply, but by then, it was too late. My bigger mantises started getting it. One of my b. mendica has it and is currently still alive, but there is a pulsing black liquid in-between the segments, vomit everywhere, refusal to eat, and really weird sticky, black poop. The lighter mantises I have turned black and died. I lost one of my wahlbergii, two of my orchids, five of my ghosts, one of my cat mantises, the b. mendica, so many little r. megaera nymphs... there was nothing I could do to stop it. When I looked in the enclosure, there would be the dead mantis at the bottom, black, lightish vomit smeared on the walls and this horrible vinegar-like smell. I would see the mantis alive one moment, and the next moment it would be dead. 

For some reason my violins and p. medioconstructa don't seem to be affected so far. I'm hoping they won't be. It hasn't affected my tarantulas. 

Obviously, I'm quite shaken up over this. I really do care for my mantises and I felt so helpless and frustrated as I saw them all die. My favorite mantis died. RIP Molly.  

I noticed that some of the wax worms had black dots on them, but I thought that they were just wounds that had healed. I don't know about the flies, maybe it could have been them carrying harmful bacteria. I did try everything... feeding honey, spraying, putting under heat, even just doing nothing. Nothing helped. 

I guess this is just a warning to all you mantis keepers out there. Always gut load your feeders and check them thoroughly for any abnormalities. And make sure to take lots of pictures and have good times with your mantids.


----------



## KevinsWither (Sep 2, 2017)

I would recommend honey. And roaches. Good food for mantids.


----------



## Connor (Sep 2, 2017)

I would say this is the "Black Death". I'm so sorry for your losses...


----------



## Ocelotbren (Sep 3, 2017)

That is awful, I'm sorry that happened and I really hope whatever it is stops spreading.  Not knowing for sure what the cause was makes it even harder...


----------



## mantisfan101 (Sep 5, 2017)

The red flag is the diet. Roaches are the healthy foods, whilst mealworms and waxworms are junky and are in high fat content. It might seem pricey, bit try roaches or flies.


----------



## Orin (Sep 5, 2017)

Waxworms supposedly have almost no nutritional value and if they had black spots it very well may have been bacteria.


----------



## Krissim Klaw (Sep 5, 2017)

Yah wax worms are junk food but the bigger problem is they tend to come in terrible condition and because they are generally stored in the fridge this tends to hide the dying ones along with the healthy. If you want to feed wax worms from a store I suggest getting a honey/bran mixture for their food and pulling them out of the fridge. Give them a week or two at room temperature after purchase for the sickly ones to die off before feeding them.


----------



## Teamonger (Sep 6, 2017)

I am so sorry for your loss, I had a similar outbreak in my ranks this year. I still have no idea what caused it as it only took out my Chinese mantises one by one and left my Mios and Thistles completely fine. I lost 10 or so Chinese one by one no matter what I did to some manner of what I can only guess was bacterial infection. Its heartbreaking and I feel your pain, some time your best efforts just are not enough  

I was feeding all my mantises BSFs (indoor farmed) and Green-bottle flies (wild caught), attempted honey, serialization of habitats, changes in heat, etc etc to no avail.


----------



## SpaceWolf (Sep 6, 2017)

Reading this, it feels like an absolute horror story tbh, jeez I would be horrified to even watch this happening :/


----------



## Kermit (Sep 11, 2017)

IZBiggs... So sorry to hear this. 

Bad bacteria from the worms...

Stick with flies.

Were the B. Mendicas the ones I sent you? I'm breeding more so we'll get you fixed back up?


----------



## cwebster (Sep 23, 2017)

Am sorry for your losses. I am down to only five of eighty chinese mantises. Almost all died at the same age, just stopped eating, would not respond to honey, fruit flies, or cricket guts. So I empathize. Have two left, adults with wings; two with no wings yet; and one much smaller. How humid and warm do you keep your mantids? Am wondering if it was the waxworms or climate conditions.


----------



## Serle (Sep 23, 2017)

izbiggs those Tenoderas have a flippin' high mortality rate thru all instars . I ended with 3 adults out of 60 - L1's .  Also my tan coloured Blepharopsis m. have black between abdominal segments but not the greenies . They are all quite healthy .  Not sure about thge black vomit I haven't it before ............  S


----------



## twolfe (Sep 26, 2017)

So sorry this happened. I think you've already gotten a lot of advice. I raise my own mealworms and use them as emergency food and an occasional treat for mantids that like them. I haven't had any issues with them. I did, however, lose a couple of mantids that I fed wax worms. They were ones I purchased.  Thanks for sharing your experience.


----------

