Bug safe disinfectant?

Mantidforum

Help Support Mantidforum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

The Wolven

bug-cats or cat-bugs? That is the real question.
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2021
Messages
562
Reaction score
261
Location
Midwest US
So I've been wonder if it's possible to disinfect mantis wounds. Like if you have to amputate a limb, is there anything that can be applied to prevent infection?
 
methyl paraben is an additive to a lot of artificial insect diets as an anti-microbial
at a low enough concentration, it is harmful to microbes but not the insect
you may try that, particularly if it's dissolved in an alcohol-based gel
 
methyl paraben is an additive to a lot of artificial insect diets as an anti-microbial
at a low enough concentration, it is harmful to microbes but not the insect
you may try that, particularly if it's dissolved in an alcohol-based gel
Doesn't alcohol kill insects though?
 
Doesn't alcohol kill insects though?
that depends
if you coat the spiracles in it, yes. however, as a solvent for a largely water-insoluble compound applied in very small doses to the animal, it shouldn't cause issues, particularly if it's unadulterated ethanol (so buy some everclear or something. the denatured crap has toxic compounds in it)
DMSO is also a possible solvent but that stuff is sulfur-based so be careful
some insects can metabolize ethanol, like fruitflies and other detritivores
 
He’s literally our chairman in the Biology Department. He specializes in wasps.
Have you ever seen a wound get infected? I'd be inclined to just let the mantis rely on it's own natural immunity, and not stress it out with handling. If the infection gets out of control, I would write that mantis off as one of your losses. We do our best to keep critters healthy, but like the rectal prolapse in another thread, some circumstances are beyond our control.
 
Have you ever seen a wound get infected? I'd be inclined to just let the mantis rely on it's own natural immunity, and not stress it out with handling. If the infection gets out of control, I would write that mantis off as one of your losses. We do our best to keep critters healthy, but like the rectal prolapse in another thread, some circumstances are beyond our control.
No, I have not personally had a mantis with an infected wound. The few that have lost limbs have done just fine.
It's question I asked mostly out of curiosity, but isn't it our responsibility as keepers to search for these kinds of answers? I just want to be able to actually do something if anything like that happens you know. Despite mantises being delicate, the world feels way too big for there to not be an answer.

However, it does seem at the current moment most of what we can do is prevention. Maybe discussing cleaning regiments more, how to properly do them, reducing possible cross contamination between mantises with food items/enclosures, emphasizing enclosure sizes to prevent injuries, etc. all might help.
 
No, I have not personally had a mantis with an infected wound. The few that have lost limbs have done just fine.
It's question I asked mostly out of curiosity, but isn't it our responsibility as keepers to search for these kinds of answers? I just want to be able to actually do something if anything like that happens you know. Despite mantises being delicate, the world feels way too big for there to not be an answer.

However, it does seem at the current moment most of what we can do is prevention. Maybe discussing cleaning regiments more, how to properly do them, reducing possible cross contamination between mantises with food items/enclosures, emphasizing enclosure sizes to prevent injuries, etc. all might help.
sadly, insects don't have the body plan to support advanced measures of medical care like many other pets.
what I will tell you though is I clean EVERYTHING with 10% bleach (10 minute soak) between uses. this reduces disease incidence and such but some things are out of our control
I don't have the energy right now to go into the complexities of insect-microbe interactions but there's emerging data to suggest that transient gut microbes from prey are important in proper functioning of many predatory critters, mantises included
 
...............................what I will tell you though is I clean EVERYTHING with 10% bleach (10 minute soak) between uses..............................
I've been meaning to ask you about that, because you talk about it in one of your videos. Let's say that I've just soaked my mantis enclosure in 10% bleach for 10 minutes. Do I then just set it on a drying rack and let it air-dry? Should I rinse the bleach off first with RO or distilled water? I suppose rinsing it with tap water would defeat the purpose of the bleach.
 
i rinse with hot water, tap water is fine
the bleach will naturally dissipate over several hours
if you're really worried about it, spray some hydrogen peroxide over the container after to react off excess bleach, but i've never found that necessary
I've been meaning to ask you about that, because you talk about it in one of your videos. Let's say that I've just soaked my mantis enclosure in 10% bleach for 10 minutes. Do I then just set it on a drying rack and let it air-dry? Should I rinse the bleach off first with RO or distilled water? I suppose rinsing it with tap water would defeat the purpose of the bleach.
 
Top