Another heating question

tagdot · Mar 22, 2012

I've been reading and hearing many opinions as to the housing, lighting and heating of mantids.

I know that not everyone's situation will be the same based on geography, room location, house temperature, etc. I live in the San Diego area along the coast. Our indoor daytime temp is about 65F at night and around 74 to 78 during the day. Come this summer, temperature won't be that much of an issue but for right now I would like to know if the hardier species of mantids are alright with these temps or should I supplement them with an infrared bulb. Right now I have a male and female Ghost L3's (housed separately in a 32 oz deli cup) and am planning on getting maybe some Budwings or the Wahlberg Flower Mantis that will be housed (I believe) in the same type of enclosure.

I am thinking of getting a porcelain socket/reflector and a 50 to 75 watt bulb. I would place it about a foot or so away to bathe the area with warmth instead of concentrating on a single enclosure. So far my Ghosts seem to be doing fine with just the ambient room temperature, but I would also welcome any thoughts on them as well.

Thanks for your help.

Termite48 · Mar 22, 2012

The species you mentioned can survive with the ambient temps you mentioned. Will they thrive with these? The answer is no. The recommended temps are higher than these,. not to be specific. You can look them up in the care pages for each species. The issue is that at higher temps, the metabolism is working better and the asssimilation of food is more efficient. You will have healthier mantids and better breeding results. Consider a heat mat, and the wattage of your bulb is also good to raise the general temp some degrees. It is best not to use a bulb at a close distance from any one container with some exceptions. If you have a probe type thermometer which can give you the temperature of a specific container, you can adjust the distances accoriding to the desired result. Any care and experimentation that you expend in this matter will be rewarded with a better bunch of mantids.

dlemmings · Mar 22, 2012

yeah...what He said!

Rich is on the west coast like you and I (but closer to me) and Knows his stuff.

I kept my ghosts and Lineola at "room" temp and would use a space heater during "cold spells"

but I blame the "cooler" than Ideal conditions for an unsuccesfull fertilization when I mated my Ghosts, she only laid one ooth and it did not hatch.

I did finally get a 25 wat bulb and made an enclosure where I can maintain a constant temp...took a little experimentation to put the best species in the "hot" (violin mantis) and warm vs "cool" zones 82-78

I had also lost my male I believe to dehydration when I was still doing it the old way with a spaced heater.

Closely watch humidity too as heat goes up humidity can and will easily go down.

I use a dish with a sponge to create a "shady" spot for the Violin and also help keep the main enclosure humid.

Rick · Mar 23, 2012

Those temps are fine for the majority of species in culture. A littler warmer would be great, but it should be fine. A drop at night is good.

Psychobunny · Mar 27, 2012

If U use a UTH (under tank heater), get a Bean Farm Ultratherm.

Trust me, I have tried all the heating mats on the market and this is the only one

worth having.

I have been using them for years.

They have a thermal regulator that senses the room temp and adjusts the mat temp

accordingly, normally, you do not need a thermostat as it will never go over 110F

(if the room is cold!!).