Feeding a honey stick [video]

Adrenna · Dec 10, 2013

I bought a honey stick to try with my WC mantis, Betty.

Last night I tried to give it to her and she was waving her feet and pushing it away and/or crying to climb over it to get to me. Once I got her to calm down, she enjoyed it. My little mantis (LT for Little Tiger) had a bad molt and isn't very quick to move so LT was fine with it immediately.

So this was tonight - Betty stayed completely still and sucked it down. I'm waiting for BB flies to hatch so this is just to tide her over. Crickets are a pain in the butt and like to hide so trying something new.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YFHJCs32dU

sally · Dec 11, 2013

That is so cute

Precarious · Dec 11, 2013

Honey is a great treat for mantids so here are a few tips to keep in mind.

I like to use a tooth pick with the point cut off. I dip in the end and put the drop to the mantid's mouth. If you approach rom below rather than above you can avoid them seeing your hand as something to climb onto and instead focus on the honey. Many times they will grab onto the tooth pick and hold it for themselves. I find this happens even with small species. You can let go and allow them to enjoy their treat at their leisure. Just make sure they don't eat the tooth pick once the honey is gone!

Always buy raw organic honey just to be safe. It's more expensive but it's much healthier for your pets. Plus you only need buy a small jar specifically for them and with the small amounts they eat it will last for years!

Many brands of non-organic honey are not honey at all. Companies have been repeatedly caught selling what amounts to high fructose corn syrup disguised as honey. Plus raw honey, meaning non-pasteurized and unfiltered, still contains all the beneficial living enzymes and pollen that make honey such a healthful addition to any diet.

Additional resources:

Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn’t Honey

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/#.UqjVVieJ4U0

The 6 Creepiest Lies the Food Industry is Feeding You

...

Bootleg Chinese honey frequently has all of the pollen filtered out of it to disguise its origin, and it's then cut like back-alley cocaine with cheap corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. The FDA says that a substance can't legally be called "honey" if it contains no pollen, and yet most of the stuff tested from the main retailers contained not a trace of it.

...
http://www.cracked.com/article_19896_the-6-creepiest-lies-food-industry-feeding-you.html#ixzz2nCfGuxW6

Adrenna · Dec 12, 2013

Good tip. I was watching a ghost mantis eat honey on youtube and it was pretty content eating the honey off of a straw. This was my first time getting honey for them so I'll adjust fire as needed. It'd be neat to see her hold a toothpick. She's my first mantis so we're figuring this out together

I've read about the issue with honey production. I'm careful what I buy myself - like to support the hives at the local botanical gardens and a local beekeeper.

Ever heard about China and their gutter oil? Have a firm stomach if you look it up. At least that's out of our food chain here... yikes.

Sticky · Jan 1, 2014

Some friends who have an organic farm have bees. I will try to get some from them this year. Its good, the bees collect from wildflowers. That gives it a far more complex flavor than the added-to honey from asia.