# Feeding bees and wasps



## Extrememantid (Aug 21, 2012)

Can my Female European mantis eat bees and/or wasps without getting hurt? And what are the chances of her getting hurt by one?

Thanks,

Cole


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## minomantis (Aug 21, 2012)

I know honey bees they can take down no prob. wasps are a little more agile but can be taken down. Carpenter bees are a bit risky. They're a lot bigger and might give problem. Eventhough they would be more food since they're bigger, I would stay away from them. In general, they all can be eaten but the risks get higher. I would stick to honey bees if you want to catch bees. Usually if my mantis is eating left and right she's in the swing of catching and eating so I'll throw in a wasp but I would still stick to honey bees. I know from personal experience that if you catch a wasp and put it in and the mantis strikes and misses over and over, the wasp will only get aggitated flying more violently and then you risk problems. Also, a carpenter bee bit my mantids forleg yesterday and she couldn't get it off and I had to step in. So you risk with wasps and carpenter bees but honey bees are good. Once caught the wasp or bee stands little chance of harming your mantis. The mantids exoskeleton is so tough that the stingers don't penetrate. Key rule it's better to be safe then sorry. I would only feed these insects if your mantis is a sub-adult or adult. Nothing younger. I think I over answered your question, lol but yea. Good luck!


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## sueb4653 (Aug 21, 2012)

I would be scared of getting stung myself in the whole catching process :blush:


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## Paradoxica (Aug 21, 2012)

I once tried to feed a wild caught European adult a wasp and she grabbed it several times but each time she would let it go. After 20 minutes of this the mantis started shying away from the wasp and I had to remove it. That made me think a wasp was a bit too tough


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## sueb4653 (Aug 21, 2012)

we have lots of wasps in our garden I think they have a nest under our deck but hubby says they dont bother use so we dont bother them


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## gs304 (Aug 21, 2012)

I often feed my budwing adult female with wasps. She grabs them very precisely and eats without any problem. So far she has eaten about 20-30 and there was no accident, so I suppose it's not as dangerous as it seems.


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## Extrememantid (Aug 21, 2012)

Thanks guys!


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## Crazy4mantis (Aug 22, 2012)

larger flower mantis species can catch bees easily. I heard orchids have a diet of mostly bees and wasps in the wild.


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## aNisip (Aug 22, 2012)

That's the main diet for my Idolo, 'cept I use africanized honey bees so I get rid of an invasive species whilst making room for a native one, honey bees in general are declining


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## Ntsees (Aug 22, 2012)

Every time I use a bee or wasp to feed my mantids, I always remove the stinger.


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## Extrememantid (Aug 22, 2012)

Ntsees said:


> Every time I use a bee or wasp to feed my mantids, I always remove the stinger.


But doesn't that kill the bee?


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## aNisip (Aug 22, 2012)

In the wildno one is going to remove the stinger from th bee or wasp, and yes it kills the bee: but it slowly kills the bee slowly...


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## gs304 (Aug 22, 2012)

Generally it is pointless to remove the stinger. Surface of mantid's exoskeleton on it's arms is very thick and hard and in most cases wasp is eaten starting from its back. There is a very little chance that mantid would suffer from that kind of prey.


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## Ntsees (Aug 22, 2012)

Extrememantid said:


> But doesn't that kill the bee?


Yes, it does but eventually. A bee does not sting and instantly die. It'll still move around afterwards.


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## Ntsees (Aug 22, 2012)

Greg said:


> Generally it is pointless to remove the stinger. Surface of mantid's exoskeleton on it's arms is very thick and hard and in most cases wasp is eaten starting from its back. There is a very little chance that mantid would suffer from that kind of prey.


Maybe most of the time, the mantid won't get stung, but I've had a few cases where the bee/wasp did sting the mantid. When that happened, the mantid will probably not touch another bee/wasp again and I don't want that to happen.


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## Danny. (Aug 23, 2012)

I've tried bees with no problems, but won't try wasps.


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## Rick (Aug 23, 2012)

DO NOT use honeybees. I'm going to start suspending people that suggest it.

Wasps are a poor choice overall.


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## minomantis (Aug 23, 2012)

Rick said:


> DO NOT use honeybees. I'm going to start suspending people that suggest it.
> 
> Wasps are a poor choice overall.


why not honey bees??


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## aNisip (Aug 23, 2012)

WHY NOT USE HONEYBEES?!?! DO YOU WANT THE WORLD TO END? Honeybees are in decline all over the world. Basically, if the honeybee goes, (them being the number one pollinator of produce trees and vegetables) then no more fruits or veggies and we will all starve...stop feeding honeybees!

This is why I use bees from an africanized colony of bees...

” If honey bees become extinct, human society will follow in four years.” -Albert Einstein...

http://blog.targethealth.com/?p=58 read the first couple paragraphs...


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## Rick (Aug 24, 2012)

minomantis said:


> why not honey bees??


It amazes me people with an insect hobby don't know about the plight of the honey bee. Do a search on colony collapse disorder. Will a guy taking a few bees for his mantids really impact the bee population? Probably not in most cases, but why add to the problem. Not to mention you could be killing bees from your local honey producer. I wouldn't want someone killing my bees intentionally.


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## gs304 (Aug 24, 2012)

I found a nice photo that suits this topic perfectly.

http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/


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## massaman (Aug 26, 2012)

I use bumble bees and dont think that is a problem being I see so many of them and other species of smaller wasps or such and have not had one problem other then being stung just once and of course the big bluish paper wasps are ok but their sting does cause swelling and is kind of painful!I use whatever insects are available near me as feeders that I can catch without much effort but the big grasshoppers are a pain in the rear to catch!


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## Mime454 (Aug 26, 2012)

Greg said:


> I found a nice photo that suits this topic perfectly.
> 
> http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/


Yummy!


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## Extrememantid (Aug 26, 2012)

Greg said:


> I found a nice photo that suits this topic perfectly.
> 
> http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/


Nice pic!


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 14, 2013)

Rick said:


> It amazes me people with an insect hobby don't know about the plight of the honey bee. Do a search on colony collapse disorder. Will a guy taking a few bees for his mantids really impact the bee population? Probably not in most cases, but why add to the problem. Not to mention you could be killing bees from your local honey producer. I wouldn't want someone killing my bees intentionally.





AndrewNisip said:


> WHY NOT USE HONEYBEES?!?! DO YOU WANT THE WORLD TO END? Honeybees are in decline all over the world. Basically, if the honeybee goes, (them being the number one pollinator of produce trees and vegetables) then no more fruits or veggies and we will all starve...stop feeding honeybees!
> 
> This is why I use bees from an africanized colony of bees...
> 
> ...


Fully support and agree with these opinions.

(Another thing to think about: food prices are rocketing. Wouldn't you rather feed or spend a couple cents on feeders for your mantids, instead of paying dollar upon dollar for your food?)


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