# Honey?



## ishuku (Jul 8, 2007)

What are the benefits of giving honey to your mantids?


----------



## buddhistsoldier88 (Jul 8, 2007)

if i remember reading what these guys have said, i dont think there are any...or at least none to the poit where it becomes a main staple...best stick to bugs mate! :lol:


----------



## Rick (Jul 8, 2007)

Who said there were benefits? I don't give honey to them. I feed honey to my flies though.


----------



## ishuku (Jul 8, 2007)

Sorry, should have clarified--I saw a forum post where someone had smeared his crickets with honey and bee pollen, and was wondering if there was any benefit to this.


----------



## Rick (Jul 8, 2007)

> Sorry, should have clarified--I saw a forum post where someone had smeared his crickets with honey and bee pollen, and was wondering if there was any benefit to this.


I sometimes smear crickets with the pollen ground into a dust but don't see any difference in anything.


----------



## Asa (Jul 8, 2007)

Don't know. It probably only feeds them more.


----------



## Rob Byatt (Jul 8, 2007)

I have always fed flies on honey - there is no point feeding a 'nutritionally dead' fly to a mantis.

Most commonly kept mantids can be reared satifactorily on prey items that are fed on traditional things eg. fruit, peelings fish pellets, but some species do appear to benefit from a diet supplemented by honey.

_H. coronatus_ produces larger ootheca when fed honey and pollen, to a lesser extent, _D. lobata_ also.

Rob.


----------



## Asa (Jul 8, 2007)

So some species lay larger ooths with it? That's interesting.


----------



## colddigger (Jul 9, 2007)

> Sorry, should have clarified--I saw a forum post where someone had smeared his crickets with honey and bee pollen, and was wondering if there was any benefit to this.


it's because they're sick


----------



## colddigger (Jul 9, 2007)

in the head


----------



## Rob Byatt (Jul 9, 2007)

> it's because they're sick in the head


The people or the mantis ?


----------



## colddigger (Jul 9, 2007)

the people


----------



## Rob Byatt (Jul 9, 2007)

> the people


I hope that doesn't include me ! :wink:


----------



## Asa (Jul 9, 2007)

I think I get what he's getting at...


----------



## OGIGA (Jul 10, 2007)

I've always given honey directly to my mantises. They seem to like it up to a certain point in one sitting.


----------



## Asa (Jul 10, 2007)

> I've always given honey directly to my mantises. They seem to like it up to a certain point in one sitting.


How much? I've been considering it...


----------



## OGIGA (Jul 12, 2007)

> > I've always given honey directly to my mantises. They seem to like it up to a certain point in one sitting.
> 
> 
> How much? I've been considering it...


I swipe it on their arm. If it's ever too much, they'll get it off without eating it. They're amazing like that.


----------



## Asa (Jul 12, 2007)

Cool.


----------



## Birdfly (Jul 12, 2007)

I use honey to nutritionally boost flies before they are fed but it takes a few days at least to boost the flies to the point were they are not as groggy as they were when they first hatch, this also gives them time to develop good strong flight muscles, another plus.

I believe honey/pollen mixs also smeared on certain prey items adds to the mantids overall vigor during hard times, regeneration, mating etc

I have no proof of it but i always seemed to do better or have better succes rates/results when using it[just pollen]. Honey also has antibacterial qualitys and im sure it might have an application were sick mantids are concerned, although i've never fed it directly to mantids?


----------



## sufistic (Jul 14, 2007)

Currently I'm rearing 2 H.Coronatus nymphs purchased from DeShawn.

They're doing very well and they sure seem to like honey (even after misting them lots and giving them water to drink). My brother would take a drop or two of honey onto his fingers and the nymphs would go straight to it and take a long drink.


----------



## yen_saw (Jul 15, 2007)

I fed my orchid mantis honey directly using droplet. Recently one of my shield mantis was sick and puked, i fed her honey directly for couple of days, and she is back to her feet now and back to her regular diet again.


----------



## sufistic (Jul 15, 2007)

Cool and useful info Yen, as always.


----------



## Ben.M (Jul 15, 2007)

Very useful


----------

