8 Nymphs die during first Molt

[omar morsy]

Hey guys,

So my spiny flower mantises have gone through their first Molt. Out of 58 Nymphs, 10 have successfully molted, 40 have yet to molt but 8 have died during their first molt. 

I keep my humidity between 40 and 60%

the temperature is 75 Fahrenheit and they eat melanogasters.

is it normal to lose so many in the first molt? What am I doing wrong? I’m understandably devastated.

your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[hysteresis]

@omar morsy describe how they died. Did they mismolt, or just fall over?

 

[omar morsy]

I found each one of them on the bottom of the cup. But I can’t understand how they would fall over. The top of the cup is a paper coffee filter. They hang up there all the time. 

 

[hysteresis]

I've read that often theres a problem since they were in the ooth. Sometimes it manifests as poor hatchings and sometimes its hidden, as in the development of the nymph.

Also, spinys are said to be susceptible to infections under too much humidity and not enough ventilation. 

Or maybe a bad batch of ff, although I cant imagine what that would be.

 

[omar morsy]

ive been misting everyday, i think i will switch to every second day at this point. I hope its just limited to the first Molt, if at every molt i lose 50% of my nymphs Ill be left with only a few by adulthood. 

lets hope my ghosts fair better.

 

[hysteresis]

Do you have ventilation holes in the lids? For babies I keep 2+ sq in. bare filter paper, where I've cut out the lids.

I'd imagine youd at least want some pinholes for ventilation. 

Orin's book indicates mistings should evaporate within an hour. For moister sp. I let that stretch a bit because we're in a cold climate. Ambient humidity is low, and cold window condensation can pull even more humidity out of the air.

Bottom line is they shouldnt be soaking like salamanders.

 

[omar morsy]

Man, I woke up at 5 am and spent an hour and a half transferring every nymph from my 6 ounce cups that was covered with coffee filters to a 16 ounce cup and cloth lids. I misted once on a small paper towel. 

Mat this point I’m trying everything. Today should be a second massive day of molt. Let’s see how they fair now. If the death rate is lower than I think the coffee filters prevent a lot of air circulation and I was probably over misting.

 

[MantisGirl13]

Mat this point I’m trying everything. Today should be a second massive day of molt. Let’s see how they fair now. If the death rate is lower than I think the coffee filters prevent a lot of air circulation and I was probably over misting.

You are probably right, you probably had too little ventilation (try tulle fabric) and too much misting. Also, with a larger hatch, it is normal to lose a few nymphs before L3. There are just some that are weaker than others. Have you made sure that every mantis gets to eat when you feed them? I had that problem with ghosts, where one mantis was getting all of the flies before the others could. 

- MantisGirl13

 

[hysteresis]

Wow. Tulle looks great. Might dry out too fast though. At least in my dry house. 

As is, with coffee filter paper, my mistings evaporate from the sides within an hour or two, which I think is good. The cotton pad holds some moisture for hours, keeping humidity in range without soaking the nymphs.

 

[Connor]

It might sound a little weird but pantyhose material works perfect! Keeps the smallest ffs in along with the humidity while still giving good ventilation 

 

[omar morsy]

The pantyhose is a great idea.

Well I’ll keep you all posted on tonight’s Molt. I hope it will be far more successful.

 

[hysteresis]

Good luck, @omar morsy