Anyone hatched a recently laid S. Limbata Ooth yet?

[Katnapper]

Yeah I got it. Thanks btw

You're welcome.

 

[kamakiri]

Another update.....just thought I should let you guys know that I have what seems to be a pink L2 nymph. She/He is a very light colored nymph with deffinent pink hues, and is the only one of his/her kind currently.

Cool. I hope that one is separated!

Thanks for the update, that's good to hear. So far I have a few that look like they have some pink/red pigmentation on the sides and top of the abdomen and at the base of the walking legs. The best one so far also looks like the eyes and head might have some too. That one in particular has a tendency to hang out on the hot flourescent pink colored part of the lid. The others with the spot on near the wing buds seem to also favor the pink/purple areas, if available.

I have 24 or so and all are L3 now.

 

[yeatzee]

Got a second L2 like the one I just described. He/She seems pretty week though :/

I abandoned their (the nymphs) hatching cage and transported the survivors to 32 oz containers a long time ago. Well I decided to check the cage and found two barely living nymphs. I havent checked that cage in 2 weeks! I fed them a couple fruit flies and they seem to be right back to their regular energetic L1 self's

Edit: Here's a picture of my 2 new cultures and my 1 old one.



The layer of brown towards the bottom are pupae and/or maggots

 

[kamakiri]

My update...

Got a several L4s now. My pinkest ones seem a little less so now The 'best' one just molted to L4 this morning before I left for work so I hope she looks more pink when I get home. And it seems they are much easier to *** at L4. At L3, there were still too many underside segments for me to tell either way. It seems that the 6th segment plate forms differently and the 7th and 8th must get pulled up and inside.

Grant

 

[cloud jaguar]

We have about 24 S. Limbatas from 2 different ooths (L2-L4). Most are green - we have a super cool looking yellow/gold camo L4 kept with Gold Pear Crack paper on its cage. Also 1 pink L4 (also with Pearl Crack - pink). Some of the green ones have a bright pink abdomen segment immediately adjacent to the thorax - wonder what will happen to the color of these. Also a green L4 with camo dark green. I guess at this point it is a wait and see game. I sure do love Limbatas though - i think they have a really cool mannerisms and personality

 

[kamakiri]

Cool.

I'm trying to jump a generation and have nymphs ready to release by mid to late spring. Then keep more of just the partial pink morphs for continued/future breeding...maybe get 2.5 to 3 generations per year.

Is your second batch still mostly brown? I only have a couple so far.

 

[cloud jaguar]

Is your second batch still mostly brown? I only have a couple so far.

The second batch which was all camo brown has changed to all green - i forgot to mention that one of the second batch is pink/orange with green underbelly - and one solid brown. Weird how they all became green. None of these are housed with Pearl Crack.

 

[yeatzee]

Glad ur guys's nymphs are doing good!

I checked the other night on my mantids and found one that just molted into an L3. Pretty cool, to see em getting bigger and bigger

I currently have 99% L2's (a few more just hatched from my second ooth) with now 5+ L3's and let me tell you guys.......I've got a crazy assortment of colors currently. I've got a couple possible pink nymphs, a bunch of light to dark brown, regular green...... a goldish camo one and a couple green camo ones.

They are all good eaters with great personalities which makes them that much more fun. Too bad I wasnt able to save more though.....my mom really wanted them in our backyard

One more question for you guys, at what instar will they need hydei FF's? I'd like to be prepared this time

 

[Katnapper]

Glad ur guys's nymphs are doing good!I checked the other night on my mantids and found one that just molted into an L3. Pretty cool, to see em getting bigger and bigger

I currently have 99% L2's (a few more just hatched from my second ooth) with now 5+ L3's and let me tell you guys.......I've got a crazy assortment of colors currently. I've got a couple possible pink nymphs, a bunch of light to dark brown, regular green...... a goldish camo one and a couple green camo ones.

They are all good eaters with great personalities which makes them that much more fun. Too bad I wasnt able to save more though.....my mom really wanted them in our backyard

One more question for you guys, at what instar will they need hydei FF's? I'd like to be prepared this time

I've never had or seen S. limbata nymphs so I couldn't tell you exactly. But if they are anything like the S. carolina nymphs I hatched, they will be ready at L2-L3. So I'd get going on it now if I were you.

 

[kamakiri]

I started my L1s on hydei flies...replied in your other thread from the place that you bought yours.

A little disapointed... the pink/green female turned golden-brown 'camo' :angry: Oh, well. I had no idea what you guys were talking about 'camo'...a little obvious now...and she's the only one.

 

[yeatzee]

Well if thats the case.....I think im jsut going to skip the hydei stage and go straight to.....well wht fly would be next?

My L3's are doing fine on melanogaster (sp?) fruit flies.

 

[Katnapper]

Well if thats the case.....I think im jsut going to skip the hydei stage and go straight to.....well wht fly would be next?My L3's are doing fine on melanogaster (sp?) fruit flies.

House flies would be next... but they might not be big enough yet. I wouldn't skip the D. hydei stage. It will serve you better and longer than the D. melanogaster stage.

 

[yeatzee]

How much bigger are the Hydei? Could someone post a pic with preferably an L3 or L2 Limbata nymph so I am familiar with the size, eating a Hydei FF?

 

[kamakiri]

I'm not currently feeding hydei right now...too small for the L4 limbatas, using crix for the remaining L3s, and they're too big for the L1 P. virescen nymphs which I also have right now...

Here's a couple of pics I got from google images searching 'melanogaster vs. hydei'

 

[cloud jaguar]

Our L4 limbatas are happily eating houseflies. Our L2/L3 limbatas still prefer Hydei.

 

[Katnapper]

How much bigger are the Hydei? Could someone post a pic with preferably an L3 or L2 Limbata nymph so I am familiar with the size, eating a Hydei FF?

I took some photos today of my D. hydei and D. melanogaster fruit flies and made up some reference pics for comparing the sizes with them. There's also a size comparison between D. hydei and the common house fly. Check them out in my blog under today's submission date. Hope this helps you.

 

[yeatzee]

My problem is....why buy Hydei FF's if they are only good to L4 and than they neeed bigger, when I have L3's doing great on melanogasters...

 

[Katnapper]

My problem is....why buy Hydei FF's if they are only good to L4 and than they neeed bigger, when I have L3's doing great on melanogasters...

Well then go by your own judgement and try houseflies. If all goes well, great. If they are too big and the mantids won't eat them, you can either stay with the D. melanogaster until they do or buy some D. hydei.

 

[yeatzee]

Do you guys breed the houseflies?

 

[kamakiri]

Not very pink, but the pinkest one I have since the other one turned camo brown-black: