Culturing Lacewings?

[Mime454]

From my other threads you can probably see that I'm trying to culture food for my mantises. Lacewings show up at my light and I catch them for my mantids. If they're not eaten, a few days later there are little worms in the cage. There are a lot of them too!

I did some research on these guys, and their life cycle seems to last for under a month and they reproduce with great fecundity.

Hs anyone tried raising these guys? They seem like they could be great. They eat other insects, I can't think of *anything* that could be small enough for their larvae to eat. They hatch so tiny, they're difficult to see.

Here's some info about them: http://www.insectary.com/lw/lacewing.htm if anyone has any ideas to set up a culture, let me know.

 

[Norlin]

Not sure, but I know they were an option of pest control I explored (I ended up going with ladybugs and preying mantis instead) and their eggs are readily available to gardeners, just Google lacewing eggs.

 

[Mime454]

Not sure, but I know they were an option of pest control I explored (I ended up going with ladybugs and preying mantis instead) and their eggs are readily available to gardeners, just Google lacewing eggs.

trust me, I have no problem getting them to lay eggs. I feed them to my mantids and in a few weeks there hundreds of little worms in te cage. I just don't know hat is small enough to feed them.

 

[Norlin]

Hmmm, on the plants I believe they feed on aphids. Would aphids be small enough for them? Perhaps springtails?

 

[Mime454]

Hmmm, on the plants I believe they feed on aphids. Would aphids be small enough for them? Perhaps springtails?

I got some eggs yesterday from a wild caught lacewing. Any tips for collecting aphids?

 

[Norlin]

Find a plant covered in them and use a pooter is probably the best way.

 

[brancsikia339]

The newly hatches would probably be good for L1's

 

[brancsikia339]

Are we talking about Chrysoperla carnea?

 

[Mime454]

The newly hatches would probably be good for L1's

I don't think that you understand how small they are. They're barely visible.

 

[Mime454]

Are we talking about Chrysoperla carnea?

Looks like it.

 

[brancsikia339]

I don't think that you understand how small they are. They're barely visible.

Bolbena food

 

[Mime454]

Bolbena food

I just looked those up. They're cute.

 

[brancsikia339]

I just looked those up. They're cute.

They really are. L1's of sinomantis, ephestiatula, or yersiniops should be able to eat lacewing larva