Fat food and fertility?

Kruszakus · Sep 13, 2008

Hi!

I have a small problem - for some time I've been feeding my Idolomorpha on large waxmoths only, and I noticed, that the females stopped laying ooths, and that the laid ooths are infertile or give very poor batches - can this be caused by feeding mantids on waxmoths only?

Mantis_Whisper · Sep 13, 2008

I can see that possibly happening... I fed my adult taiwan flower mantis male a beemoth and he vomited.

Beemoths don't seem to be a good food source.... it's kinda like feeding a kid lard, all fat and barely any protein and it just makes them unhealthly......

Kay that's a bad metophor, but hopefullly you got what I meant.

Rick · Sep 13, 2008

Don't see a way to prove it but that is not a good diet. Try changing the diet and see what happens.

Kruszakus · Sep 13, 2008

Yeah - I think I will switch back to flies, because the same happened with P. wahlbergii - lots of males to mate the females, fed them all with waxmoths - and got the same result - none of the ooths were fertile... Plus, larger waxmoths are all covered in this "dust" that coates the mantids themselves, and I don't think that this is too healthy for them as well - I think it might even affect the breathing.

Christian · Sep 14, 2008

It is not the waxmoth that were unhealthy, but the one-sided diet was. Waxmoths are one of the best food sources, but noone said they should be fed exclusively. If you offer a broader diet you can at least exclude this source as a potential reason for unhatching ooths. The reason my still be found elsewhere.

The scales are harmless. Tracheal stigmae have a filter.