Anyone hatched a recently laid S. Limbata Ooth yet?

[kamakiri]

Good idea...I bet that one hatches in the spring or late winter.

 

[cloud jaguar]

My wife and I put 4 ooths outside in the mantis garden - they are sucured under a 1/2 coconut shell from the petshop to keep the rain off of them. I know that at least one of the eggs is fertile and I hope they hatch out like crazy in there. We planted passion fruit/flower vines so the fruits rot and attract fruitflies in the spring for the nymphs.

 

[yeatzee]

Well this confirms i need a macro lens I could not get close enough or still enough to get any in focus shots (tripod is broken)....plus they are never in the same place i put them by the time i have the camra ready Well these are the best i could get:

Here's one i found running around my bathroom......





And causality #1. I was checking on them and i found what looked to be a mantis eating something. After closer inspection one mantis was eating this ones front arms. This one was trying to crawl away and another came and grabbed it. It proceded to eat only a small fraction of its head leaving it alive for some time. Poor little guy.

 

[Katnapper]

Maybe he got full...

 

[yeatzee]

Well I found casualty #2 just now.......

 

[yeatzee]

Hey so i've been able to feed mine some ants.....but only a few get to eat because most of the ants crawl out of the cage so what are you feeding urs? I was thinking of just buying some fruit fly pupae will that work good? Which kind and from where would be best?

 

[kamakiri]

I don't know of anyone who sells FF in pupae only, but I buy cultures.

Petco.com works in a pinch. I also order from Rebecca.

 

[Hypoponera]

Mantiplace is a good source for flightless FF. If you don't mind having flying fruitflies, Spider Pharm is good also. Spider Pharm does sell the pupa if you do not want to try a culture. But you better hurry! Figure a week to get them and a few days for the pupa to hatch. Your nymphs will be eating each other well. You may not have many left!!

 

[yeatzee]

Yeah, well because of that the nymphs have been semi seperated in large containers......

Im alittle intimidated by starting a ff culture TBH, which is why i would prefer pupae. Would i just buy the flightless FF culture from mantis place and use that for so long and than buy a new one when i need a fresh one?

 

[Hypoponera]

You can buy a culture and use it up, then replace it with another. Or, to save a fair amount of cash, you can buy a culture, and buy the culture medium at the same time. Both are available at MantisPlace. The culture medium comes with pretty clear directions. Also, buy at least a couple extra 32oz cups with lids. You will get enough medium to set up several cultures. The medium is dry and does not need to be used immediately. Used wisely, you can keep an active culture going for several months. But you will probably need to have a couple cultures going to provide enough FFs to feed a huge number of nymphs.

 

[yeatzee]

well i think im going to dive into this FF culture thing head first. I just found another 10 dead nymphs, but 18 more just hatched leaving the total at around 88 nymphs currently. For what ever reason none of them will eat the ants, they actually scare them.

Now correct me if im wrong but buying 1 culture of melanogaster FF's from mantis place will cost $20 bucks right with shipping? That seems like alot, so i found another place http://www.stflies.com/buy_melanogaster.html and theirs is alot cheaper. Is there anyother place I could purchase a culture of melanogaster FF's for relatively cheap?

EDIT:Ok im confused, on mantisplace it has the option for like 10 dollar shipping and a more expensive option so i thought u had to pay that price for anything u buy making their $10 FF culture about $20.......but i rang it up on paypal with out clicking the 10 dollar shipping option to check if there was a different shipping charge and now its not charging me shipping. If i buy it will they not send me what I bought because i didnt click the shipping option of 10 dollars or 25 dollars? Someone please help me out because i am thuroughly confused and my nymphs need food.

 

[PhilinYuma]

well i think im going to dive into this FF culture thing head first. I just found another 10 dead nymphs, but 18 more just hatched leaving the total at around 88 nymphs currently. For what ever reason none of them will eat the ants, they actually scare them. Now correct me if im wrong but buying 1 culture of melanogaster FF's from mantis place will cost $20 bucks right with shipping? That seems like alot, so i found another place http://www.stflies.com/buy_melanogaster.html and theirs is alot cheaper. Is there anyother place I could purchase a culture of melanogaster FF's for relatively cheap?

Rebecca's price will depend on whether you buy any equipment, such as extra deli cups and culture medium, or not. She has an Advanced Degree in packing and may (you'd have to check with her) be able to ship everything for one Priority Mail fee. Also, of course, you know that if you order from her, you'll get exactly what you ordered.

However, Ohio is far away from where we live, and is very cold right now. I order from California because I know that I will get Priority Mail in two days. Since you live in CA, you might want to contact Obregon, a forum member, who ships from Long Beach, or The Fruit Fly Shop: http://www.buyfruitflies.com/; I have had good service from them.

 

[Katnapper]

well i think im going to dive into this FF culture thing head first. I just found another 10 dead nymphs, but 18 more just hatched leaving the total at around 88 nymphs currently. For what ever reason none of them will eat the ants, they actually scare them. Now correct me if im wrong but buying 1 culture of melanogaster FF's from mantis place will cost $20 bucks right with shipping? That seems like alot, so i found another place http://www.stflies.com/buy_melanogaster.html and theirs is alot cheaper. Is there anyother place I could purchase a culture of melanogaster FF's for relatively cheap?

EDIT:Ok im confused, on mantisplace it has the option for like 10 dollar shipping and a more expensive option so i thought u had to pay that price for anything u buy making their $10 FF culture about $20.......but i rang it up on paypal with out clicking the 10 dollar shipping option to check if there was a different shipping charge and now its not charging me shipping. If i buy it will they not send me what I bought because i didnt click the shipping option of 10 dollars or 25 dollars? Someone please help me out because i am thuroughly confused and my nymphs need food.

Yeatzee, contact Rebecca directly about your order, as it won't be completed if you didn't select a shipping option (even if it appears to be, but they wont ship if you don't pay shipping). You needed to select the $10.00 option as you're just ordering supplies/feeders, not mantids. Don't delay... I'm afraid you might have a lot of deaths by the time you receive a ff culture (from anywhere).

Edit: Call or visit your local PetCo now if you have one... they usually carry fruit fly cultures, and if so it can get you by until you get your online order.

Another Edit, lol: You're going to have to suck up shipping unfortunately if you order online, and that's about your only option to get exactly what you need usually. Try the local PetCo though... no shipping there! And it could save your babies if you get them some food asap. Timing and planning are so critical when hatching the ooths... gotta be prepared.

I know you're trying to go the least expensive route, which I do too. But I agree with Hypoponera's advice above and recommend you buy some media and extra cups with lids at the same time as a culture. You may spend a little more up front, but will be saving money in shipping in the long run. If you're buying melanogasters, you might also consider that once your mantids grow a little, you'll then be needing the D. hydei for them. So there you go again with needing to order online (and shipping). To save on shipping, you could order some D.hydei's at the same time as your melanogasters, media, and cups. Then you'll have them when you're ready. But they won't be as fresh or last as long as if you ordered them right before needing them. So many things to consider.... Good luck with whatever you do!

 

[yeatzee]

Ha, man I know I should have been ready but as read in a few topics i made months ago I mated my limbata females but after doing some research and whatnot it seemed i mated them with the wrong males, but i couldnt tell for sure because all my males died when i found this out so I really wasnt expecting anything. The ooths were just there in the cages to show people.

Alright well right now they are all feasting on eachother at the moment, but i've got so many I think i'll be fine and i always have the other 7 ooths that were laid which should hatch as a fall back. Now I was planning on buying 6 32 oz cups from mantisplace, some mesh to hold the FF's in, 1 culture, and some supplies for more but I didnt really think about what might happen to all the fruit flys because I am sure it is cold right now in Ohio. So I am probably going to still buy the 6 32oz cups, but now i need a new place to buy the FF cultures with fruit fly's from. A key note here is that they must be flightless! So guys here is where i need some seriouse help!

Edit: alright I bought the $16 pack from fruit flies inc. (12 cultures, 1 active)Now I just need some mesh to cover the large holes in my critter keeper cages. Where can i get some CHEAP

 

[Katnapper]

Ha, man I know I should have been ready but as read in a few topics i made months ago I mated my limbata females but after doing some research and whatnot it seemed i mated them with the wrong males, but i couldnt tell for sure because all my males died when i found this out so I really wasnt expecting anything. The ooths were just there in the cages to show people. Alright well right now they are all feasting on eachother at the moment, but i've got so many I think i'll be fine and i always have the other 7 ooths that were laid which should hatch as a fall back. Now I was planning on buying 6 32 oz cups from mantisplace, some mesh to hold the FF's in, 1 culture, and some supplies for more but I didnt really think about what might happen to all the fruit flys because I am sure it is cold right now in Ohio. So I am probably going to still buy the 6 32oz cups, but now i need a new place to buy the FF cultures with fruit fly's from. A key note here is that they must be flightless! So guys here is where i need some seriouse help!

Edit: alright I bought the $16 pack from fruit flies inc. (12 cultures, 1 active)Now I just need some mesh to cover the large holes in my critter keeper cages. Where can i get some CHEAP

Ok... here's some more info...

I use melanogasters for the very small nymphs, most of them do take melanogasters at first. Not sure how little S. limbata are at birth. But some, like my Chinese and Texas Unicorns, were big enough to eat D. hydei right off the bat.

I first ordered both melano and D. hydei cultures... along with some media mix, extra cups and lids, and some excelsior to make my own to use after the ones I ordered got old and expired. But you have to make new ones up as soon as, or shortly after, you get your pre-made cultures. Do this as soon as you see that the pre-made cultures have lots of adult flies, and you have enough you can feed your babies with and can spare some extras to start the new cultures with.

To make the new cultures just follow the directions they will probably include. If they don't include directions, lots of ff culture selling sites have directions online. Basically, mix up the media ingredients how they tell you, put in some excelsior, then put about 50-100 of the flies that you got from the original culture in each culture to start a new breeding cycle. It will take about 2 weeks for the melanogasters to start producing more flies. And it will take 3-4 weeks for the D. hydei to reproduce to ready-to-feed adults. That's why you can't wait until you need more flies to make up new cultures. Don't forget or put it off... you can't breed new ones overnight. And there's no way to significantly speed up their reproductive cycle, although keeping them at around 80 degrees will optimize the cycle time.

It's really not as hard or complicated as it seems at first. I was all confused and worried what to do at first too. But just jump in, like you said... and you'll learn just fine.

For the screening cheap... If you are going to use melanogasters especially, go to a fabric store or Walmart and get some white organza or tulle fabric. You don't need a whole bunch... 1/2 yard would probably be plenty. It will only cost a couple of bucks. You can get actual aluminum or fiberglass replacement screening at a hardware store. A roll that will last you forever and then some costs about 7-8 bucks. But the ff's (especially melanogasters) can escape through it. What I do is use both (1 layer of each), one on top of the other... the mesh screen for stability and strength, and the fabric to keep the little ones in.

But you'll need glue and a glue gun too... which they are fairly cheap at Walmart too. Low temp. kind has been recommended. Any more questions.... ask away! And don't forget to let us know how you make out.

 

[yeatzee]

Thanks for the help, everything is set now....

here's an extremely crappy pictures of some more nymphs hatching.

and a nymph being eaten...also a crappy picture in which i blame my dog/no tripod/no macro lens/and the list goes on and on for both

EDIT: well amongst the chaos of trying to get these nymphs fed I was able to convince my mom to let me use a small closet in our "play room" (aka tv room, etc). This way I can have my own little tidied spot for my bugs. Well heres some pictures i took real quick, and no its not set up yet and i dont have half the cages i will soon. all the random items seen in these pictures will be removed

^ there are shelfs above the highest cage

My little sister is homeschooled which is why there are a bunch of papers and other ######......

 

[yeatzee]

Well I just had an extremely rude awakening. I've been putting a couple regular small black ants you find in your house eating your food in my nymphs cages. Well i figured some were eating them which some probably are because there were parts of ants on the container floor, so i dropped in a couple more and noticed one nymph go after an ant. Well it began to eat the ant when somehow it got free of the nymphs grip and bit it (didnt even notice they had jaws) under the head and on the back of the head paralyzing the mantid. It continued to bite it eventually leaving the paralyzed mantid alone. I then noticed that many of the bodies of the what i thought were dead nymphs moved a little....not a dead twitch type but like the paralyzed mantid moved. They also had no visible wounds from being attacked by other mantids with a magnifying glass. Keep in mind these are regular ants you find everyday in your house searching for your food....ya know the annoying little black ants

Im not putting anymore ants in their cages without physically injuring them leaving them as what i hope to be easy prey.

 

[Katnapper]

Well I just had an extremely rude awakening. I've been putting a couple regular small black ants you find in your house eating your food in my nymphs cages. Well i figured some were eating them which some probably are because there were parts of ants on the container floor, so i dropped in a couple more and noticed one nymph go after an ant. Well it began to eat the ant when somehow it got free of the nymphs grip and bit it (didnt even notice they had jaws) under the head and on the back of the head paralyzing the mantid. It continued to bite it eventually leaving the paralyzed mantid alone. I then noticed that many of the bodies of the what i thought were dead nymphs moved a little....not a dead twitch type but like the paralyzed mantid moved. They also had no visible wounds from being attacked by other mantids with a magnifying glass. Keep in mind these are regular ants you find everyday in your house searching for your food....ya know the annoying little black ants Im not putting anymore ants in their cages without physically injuring them leaving them as what i hope to be easy prey.

Good spotting that, Yeatzee. I was wondering about the ants earlier. I've read several times before that ants are one of the few insects not recommended to feed to mantids, or that they wouldn't eat for some reason.

Congrats on getting your new space!

 

[Hypoponera]

Sorry to provide this so late. DON'T FEED ANTS TO YOUR MANTIDS!!!!!!!

Most ants have a sting or are able to spray/release a nasty chemical mix from the tip of the abdomen. And ALL ants have very powerful mandibles. Depending on species, a single "harmless" ant can take down a Stegmo nymph with no trouble!

There is another, even worse, problem with ants. If you use ants from near your home, you risk an all out invasion. If one ant escapes and returns home, you can be certain others will return following the scent trail left by the escapee. Then your nymphs will become dinner for the ants. I have seen ants wipe out a whole room full of tarantulas. Locked in cages, the spiders had no chance to escape! Your mantids would be in the same boat.

Also, you can use cheese cloth as a tank cover. It is a woven fabric that will keep FFs in. Stegmomantis nymphs love to climb around on it as well. Available from walmart for a couple bucks in the craft/fabric section in packs.

By the way, your "crappy" photos are a heck of a lot better then any of mine!

 

[yeatzee]

wow first involuntary double post <_< Mods please remove