# This is Halloween



## Teamonger (Oct 26, 2016)

Prepping some fruit fly culture cups and nymph containers for when my incoming ooths hatch. Amusingly the finest mesh (that won't let fruit flies through) is this Halloween spider ribbon I got at the dollar store a few years back. Works very well and adds a bit of seasonal fun to my bug room. Still have a bunch more to construct but its a start.


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## Ratmosphere (Oct 26, 2016)

Looks beautiful. Halloween is my favorite. Too bad that October is flying by though.  :wacko:


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## CosbyArt (Oct 26, 2016)

@Teamonger Some small fruit fly cultures and nymph cups for sure, but some members do like smaller ones; however, realize for fruit flies they will not hold as much food, have small populations, and will not last as long as the typical 32 ounce deli cups that most of us use.

Mantises need a home that is a minimum size of 3 times their body length for height (for successful molting) and 2 times their body length for width - which will need to be adjusted to their size as they grow. I say that as it looks like you have some one ounce containers that may not work for a single molt. With the minimum size needed for the average L1 to L2 nymph that will be about 1" long x 1" wide x 1.5" tall (2.5cm x 2.5cm x 3.8cm).

To avoid building lots of habitats for each instar I find using 8 ounce cups works great for L1 to L4 nymphs. Then 32 ounce deli cups for the rest of the stages. Of course depending on the species that will have to be adjusted, such as a Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) will grow longer, so they run through those cups quicker and for the last few instars and adulthood they need a even larger container. For the larger sized mantis I found the 1 quart or 2 quart tall food storage containers are about right.

I am curious to see how the mantis nymphs will do with the Halloween spider web on their lids. The nymphs may ignore it, but I imagine they will think of it as potential danger and avoid it (after all just getting caught just once in a web in the wild is enough to die from).  Let us know how the mantis nymphs do with the lids,  I'm very curious how they react to them.


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## Teamonger (Oct 26, 2016)

@CosbyArt Actually I kept my first Chinese mantis nymph in a few different sized containers with that same spider web material on their lids. He didn't seem to notice at all and would hang out in the center of the "web" most of the time to my amusement. Never really thought about it that way though. Its a good point, I wonder if they are hardwired to fear webs though usually spider webs are rather hard to see (probably why I walk through so many walking the dog every morning). Regardless I have not had any odd behavior around the web material as of yet. I'll be sure to update if that changes.

As for the size, I know they are on the smaller size as I'm only planning on keeping a copious number of the nymphs for the first few instars. I have large containers and terrariums waiting to be done up for the chosen few I keep for myself.


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## CosbyArt (Oct 26, 2016)

Teamonger said:


> @CosbyArt Actually I kept my first Chinese mantis nymph in a few different sized containers with that same spider web material on their lids. He didn't seem to notice at all and would hang out in the center of the "web" most of the time to my amusement. Never really thought about it that way though. Its a good point, I wonder if they are hardwired to fear webs though usually spider webs are rather hard to see (probably why I walk through so many walking the dog every morning). Regardless I have not had any odd behavior around the web material as of yet. I'll be sure to update if that changes.
> 
> As for the size, I know they are on the smaller size as I'm only planning on keeping a copious number of the nymphs for the first few instars. I have large containers and terrariums waiting to be done up for the chosen few I keep for myself.


That is interesting to read, and I'm glad to hear they are unaffected by it; although, if the web is too unrealistic or they are not fearful of webs is unknown by me. That is a good question if they fear such things from birth or not, and one I'm not sure of either.

Alright great, just wanted to be sure you knew the size recommendation to ensure you don't have issues with them molting. Best of luck with your nymphs.


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