food options for mantids

[Mantids USA]

I seem to have an issue keeping blue/green bottle nose flies.
For whatever reason they either do not hatch and the ones that do, do not live long, I have food and water crystals for them so not sure what the issue is.
I can however raise both kinds of fruit flies like crazy lol but they are to small for my mantids.
Please note : My mantids are not starving and I am just looking for more food options.
I feed occasional wax worms and I am waiting for my silk works to grow up for a food source but I would like more food sources if my flies do not hatch.
I tried roaches and none of my mantids even attempted to eat them.
Are lacewings or ladybugs a good food source for mantids? I also read on here to collect some insects using black light.
Any other insect should be a good source for my mantids or should there be some I should stay away from?

 

[Introvertebrate]

Are they taking the waxworms? What happens when you offer roaches? What kind of roaches are you giving them?

 

[happy1892]

I breed lesser wax moths that I got from my bee hives. They breed slowly though. Greater wax moths breed faster. I mix oats and honey to breed them.

 

[Mantids USA]

Are they taking the waxworms? What happens when you offer roaches? What kind of roaches are you giving them?

Some like the worms, not sure what kind of roaches they are, they had them at the pet store, they look but that is it, totally against roaches so it works out good for me lol

 

[ANTdrew]

While it’s still hot out, get a blacklight bulb from Amazon and shine it on a white sheet at night. You’ll get tons of flying food for your mantises.

 

[Mantids USA]

I'll try that

 

[Mystymantis]

Moths attracted to the black light are a great feeding source. Provided you are sure there are no pesticides nearby to infect the moths! I would stay away from Ladybugs and lacewings as both of those insects are beneficial for gardens. Also mantises don't typically eat beetles so Ladybugs shouldn't be fed.
The roaches you got are probably Dubia, that seems to be the most common roach sold at pet stores. What kind of mantises you have will determine the type of prey, that is flying moths and flies vs ground dwelling prey like crickets and roaches. Some mantises just don't like the more still prey or ones that don't fly. Especially if the roaches stay on the bottom of the enclosure and the mantis lives at the top.
Do you put your bottle fly pupa and flies into the refrigerator? That helps a lot in keeping them longer. Also what kind of food are you feeding the flies? That could be causing an issue inadvertently. Most bottle flies should last a few weeks in the fridge.

 

[Mantids USA]

So far no luck with catching bigger moths, only small ones, need a bigger light, There is tons on the tall streetlight in front of my house but my backyard is pretty empty. Still waiting on my silkworms to grow.............
They all love crickets but want to stay away from them as much as possible. Just had one of my mantises die and it may have been due to the crickets. They are from a pet store and you never know if they have some funky stuff going on. I will try to catch some in my yard.
All other mantids are fine so maybe it was just a fluke.
They also love flies. I have fly food that I put in as well as water crystals, my issue is that most will not hatch at all and the ones that do I feed to my mantids right away. I will keep them in the fridge to see if have more success.
Thank you for your help

 

[agent A]

Raising specific flies can be tricky, but it's awesome you've got the fruit flies mastered! Have you tried adjusting temperatures or humidity for the blue/green bottle nose flies? Sometimes those factors can impact their hatching and lifespan. As for additional food sources, lacewings and ladybugs could be worth a shot! They're nutritious and might entice your mantids. Collecting insects with a black light can indeed yield interesting options too.

I have reared bottleflies and I have a few things to make you aware of
1: adults require a LOT of protein in the diet before they're willing to mate and lay eggs. Milk mixed with some fruit is a really good option for this. they'll feed on the milk proteins for a week or so before they'll mate and lay eggs
2: wet dog food is really good for getting them to lay eggs and for feeding the larvae
3: I rear the larvae in bowls, wherein I toss in small amounts of food at once. if you toss in huge globs, they don't eat it in the next few hours and that's what makes the place stink to high-heaven
4: LIGHT! i use a daylight LED bulb over my colonies and this is what induces the diurnal flies to breed