# New orchid and C.Modesta from Yen!



## chris_photo (Sep 15, 2006)

Just wanted to share some pics, ask for some advice and give big props to Yen Saw for coming through with a smooth transaction! He even gave me a bonus mantis.  

I received a few C Modestas from Yen and don't want to eat. They're tiny and the msallest thing I have to offer them are some small house moths. They're about 4mm long but they wont eat. What should I do.

The orchid nymphs are doign fine. They're eating the moths.

Here's a pic of the C Modesta. They are tiny! Yen, what stage are they?







Here is the orchid. What stage?


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## robo mantis (Sep 15, 2006)

man i don't get how you take those high detail pic


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## sablechapter (Sep 15, 2006)

nice pics

i believe they're new-born hatchlings

so L1?


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## Veggie (Sep 16, 2006)

unfortunately they are L1....good luck!


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## Veggie (Sep 16, 2006)

PS next time I'm sure you'll know to have the right food ready before bringing home a new mantis

....just start breeding fruit flies


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## yen_saw (Sep 16, 2006)

Chris, those are great pics!

They are L1, your C. Modesta may be molting soon and so stop accepting food. My L1 have no problem taking down D. Melanogaster. They are small species, my adult female ranging between 3cm - 4cm, adult male are about the same size but thinner.

Glad to see they do well.


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## Rick (Sep 16, 2006)

Great pics. Thanks for sharing them.


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## infinity (Sep 17, 2006)

Go outside and get some aphids, small WORKER ants (not those big ones with nasty jaws), whitefly, leaf hoppers (cuckoo spit)... things like that should work fine. If you can't, you could try hand feeding by cutting something bigger and putting it near its mouth

p.s. cool pics


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## francisco (Sep 17, 2006)

HEllo Chris,

Most likely the reason they aare not taking the food is because of a near molt,like Yen sugested.

You can also try Springtail,or D melanogaster.

Most african flower mantis are not afraid of chasing and eating bigger prey, so you should have no problem.


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## chris_photo (Sep 17, 2006)

So far only one of the orchids ate samll moth when it first arrived. It molted last night. The other orchid won't eat at all.

One of the C. Modestas ate a moth larva. The other two are ignoring everything I put in there.

I'm gonna look for some aphids.


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## wuwu (Sep 18, 2006)

you should go buy some flightless fruitflies from petco or petsmart. it's only $5 for a vial and it'll last you a month or so.


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## chris_photo (Sep 18, 2006)

> you should go buy some flightless fruitflies from petco or petsmart. it's only $5 for a vial and it'll last you a month or so.


I did but the flies haven't hatched yet.


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## ddvw123abc (Sep 18, 2006)

beautiful picture


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## clemsonfight (Sep 19, 2006)

> > you should go buy some flightless fruitflies from petco or petsmart. it's only $5 for a vial and it'll last you a month or so.
> 
> 
> I did but the flies haven't hatched yet.


hmmm....what do the contents look like?

Once I bought some at petsmart, thought i was set. Turned out the entire thing had been dead for weeks and still sitting on the shelf. i thought they needed to hatch or something.

Is the medium at the bottom blue? (it is in mine) and are any maggoty worm things crawling around (Dont know the technical term )

If so, you might be alright. And if any larvae are in there you can feed one to a mantis in a pinch and i think its fine.


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## chris_photo (Sep 19, 2006)

> > > you should go buy some flightless fruitflies from petco or petsmart. it's only $5 for a vial and it'll last you a month or so.
> >
> >
> > I did but the flies haven't hatched yet.
> ...


I think the culture is dead. Nothing moving around. It is the one with the blue culture at the bottom. I found another pet store that had a living culture today. I brought it straight home and fed my mantids. Now they're happy!

The 2 orchids are now L2. So far only one of the C.Modestas molted. One hasn't eaten yet.

This is my first time raising mantids from nymph stages. I hope I get at least two to adult hood.

My main goal was to buy adult mantids to take pictures but I am realizing that it's difficult to find readily available adults. I guess it will be fun photographing their stages of life.


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## Kristin (Sep 19, 2006)

Chris,

What kind of camera and lens are you using? Fantastic detail!


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## chris_photo (Sep 20, 2006)

> Chris,What kind of camera and lens are you using? Fantastic detail!


Thanks Kristin!

I'm using a Canon 20D and a 100mm 2.8 Macro.


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## yen_saw (Sep 21, 2006)

> The 2 orchids are now L2.


Glad there molted alright. You will see drastic change in color between L1 and L2 orchid nymphs.


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## chris_photo (Sep 30, 2006)

My Orchids are now L3. I think they're both males. Six segments on their abdomen.

Here's a closeup of their face.






One of the C.Modestas never made it to L2. I'm waiting for the other two to mature to L3. They don't eat as much as the orchids and they're tiny!

Here's a new pic of one of my C.Modestas as L2.


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## worldofmantis (Oct 1, 2006)

very nice pics


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## Ian (Oct 1, 2006)

Wonderful photos Chris!


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