Flying beetles at night

[Colorcham427]

Do people around north east get these little guys? They are strong fliers and hard shell. 1/3 inch in length, round almost in shape. They range from tan to dark brown... Just curious if I could feed these to my mantids, does the hard shell feeling make it a poor choice?

I'm located in central/northern NJ. These beetles are flying around my outside house lights all the time during the summer time, they're the moth's neighbors!

 

[Rick]

They will work. You can feed nearly any insect to a mantis. If the mantis shouldn't eat it they will drop it.

 

[Colorcham427]

They will work. You can feed nearly any insect to a mantis. If the mantis shouldn't eat it they will drop it.

My concern is what happens to a sp. that has trouble producing fertile ooths when eating other insects other than flying bugs such as house fly, blue bottle fly, butterfly, moths, bees...?

Here is a good question, who on here has fed their... example: Violins, an insect that isn't one of the above and had it produce fertile ooths that hatched...

Crickets aren't so good I've heard and read... Basically ground dwelling insects...?

Flying insects are better, I'm assuming pollinators... Hmmm.... lol...

Wonder how a cricket would effect generations of Violin if you raise them specifically on crickets, just fed bee pollen and of course a water source... but still.. just bee pollen.. any thoughts???

 

[sbugir]

I feed crickets to my violins all the time, nothing horrible has happened. They have laid normal looking ooths.

 

[PhilinYuma]

I have never seen any suggestion that the protein from flying insects differs in any way from "pedestrian" insects like crix and roaches. However, in nature and in many enclosures, many "flower' mantids and other ambush predators, like gongies, will lay in wait as high up as they can get and ignore -- or not be aware of -- insects lurking, often motionless, on the bottom of the enclosure. Some mantids, like Stagmomantis sp, tend to be stalking predators and will actively go after ambulatory prey.

 

[Rick]

My concern is what happens to a sp. that has trouble producing fertile ooths when eating other insects other than flying bugs such as house fly, blue bottle fly, butterfly, moths, bees...?

Here is a good question, who on here has fed their... example: Violins, an insect that isn't one of the above and had it produce fertile ooths that hatched...

Crickets aren't so good I've heard and read... Basically ground dwelling insects...?

Flying insects are better, I'm assuming pollinators... Hmmm.... lol...

Wonder how a cricket would effect generations of Violin if you raise them specifically on crickets, just fed bee pollen and of course a water source... but still.. just bee pollen.. any thoughts???

If you're feeding a flower mantis species then flying insects are probably best. I don't think the beetles woudl work too well for them. But for many mantids that are large enough to grab them they will work. And some of those mantids will take crawling insects despite what some people say.

 

[Colorcham427]

I feed crickets to my violins all the time, nothing horrible has happened. They have laid normal looking ooths.

What did you feed your crickets?

Have of any of the ooths hatched out nymphs that have made it? thanks for the replies fellow members.

 

[hogosha]

What did you feed your crickets?

Have of any of the ooths hatched out nymphs that have made it? thanks for the replies fellow members.

I usually feed my crickets Fluker's Orange Cubes.

http://www.petco.com/product/11817/Fluker-s-Orange-Cube-Complete-Cricket-Diet.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

These provide both food and moisture for the crickets.

I have also tried the separate approach with the Cricket Quencher & dry Cricket Diet both from Fluker's.

http://www.petco.com/product/6202/Fluker-s-High-Calcium-Cricket-Diet.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-productdetail_2-_-Fluker%27s%20High-Calcium%20Cricket%20Diet-6202

http://www.petco.com/product/9430/Fluker-s-Cricket-Quencher.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-productdetail_1-_-Fluker%27s%20Cricket%20Quencher-9430

I find the Orange Cubes easier to work with and I have far fewer crickets die before being fed to my mantids. (your mileage may vary)

Mikey

 

[sbugir]

What did you feed your crickets?

Have of any of the ooths hatched out nymphs that have made it? thanks for the replies fellow members.

Um, to tell you the truth, I'm not that proficient with gut-loading... They kinda just go right in the cage, btut typically I feed them on leafy greens with honey or bee pollen.

I have an ooth incubating right now, I'll let you know if it hatches.