Garden Center Mantids?

[AndrewFromSoCal]

Alright, i'll start by saying i'm no bug guy; I keep reptiles. I have bred mealworms, superworms, and B. Lateralis roaches. I'm also working on Hissers and Dubias. Anywho, to make a short story shorter, I wouldn't mind trying some Praying Mantis.

Now, I figure the best way for me to go, being a newb and all, is to get some egg cases from the local garden store. They sell 2 for 10$ here in Southern California. What I was wondering, is the following:

1. I've read a bit on how to hatch the eggs. I was thinking of placing the stick with egg attached inside an aquarium, and waiting for them to hatch out in there and grab the ones that compete the best to keep. Good/Bad?

2. What do you guys keep them in when they're grown? Would a 10g tank work?

3. Is there anything else you can tell me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[pedro92]

Alright, i'll start by saying i'm no bug guy; I keep reptiles. I have bred mealworms, superworms, and B. Lateralis roaches. I'm also working on Hissers and Dubias. Anywho, to make a short story shorter, I wouldn't mind trying some Praying Mantis. Now, I figure the best way for me to go, being a newb and all, is to get some egg cases from the local garden store. They sell 2 for 10$ here in Southern California. What I was wondering, is the following:

1. I've read a bit on how to hatch the eggs. I was thinking of placing the stick with egg attached inside an aquarium, and waiting for them to hatch out in there and grab the ones that compete the best to keep. Good/Bad?

2. What do you guys keep them in when they're grown? Would a 10g tank work?

3. Is there anything else you can tell me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have dubias and they work great! Keep them in a gal clear container. 10 gal is to big. you need to feed the nymphs fruit flies. Im guessing the garden center is selling Chinese ootheca. Ootheca=egg case which will hatch 50 -400 nymphs. They need a 70 degree temp. Spray every other day. Do a google search. I just bought 5 ooths for 6$ on Ebay. So i would try there first. If interested in some dubias PM me.

 

[Rick]

Welcome! This has been discussed a million times but here goes.

Likely any ooths you purchase there would be chinese mantids. You need to hatch the ooth in a fairly large enclosure. A 10 gal works well and so does a five gallon. You will need to get some thin fabric or netting with very tiny holes to put over the top. I like to use double sided tape to hold it down all around the edge except on one corner. Then I put the screen lid over that.

Put a bunch of sticks or something in there for them to climb on. Use some type of substrate on the bottom to hold some humidity and put the ooth in there. At room temps it will hatch within 6 weeks or so. It will hatch hundreds of nymphs. Do not even try to sort them out into individual containers yet. Most of them will die regardless of what you do and many will be eaten by the others. Your goal is to be left with about 10 or so that you can manage taking care of.

You will need good cultures of fruit flies going long before they hatch to ensure you have enough to feed them once they arrive. A day after they hatch use a small funnel and dump some flies into there through the corner of the netting you didn't tape down. Every other day mist the inside lightly with a water bottle.

After awhile you will have about 10 or so left and you will need to get them out and put them into smaller containers because smaller containers work better for individual mantids so they can find their food easier. I recommend the 32 oz deli cups most people use. Keep them in there until they outgrow them and then put them into something a bit bigger.

 

[joossa]

If you don't mind me asking, where are they available? I haven't seen any here in long time.

 

[darkspeed]

I saw them last year at Home Depot... I thought about getting an ooth, but didnt, and then when I went back the ooth had already hatched and there were chinese nymphs crawling all over the display, the counter and most of the potted plants they had there lol.

 

[AndrewFromSoCal]

They have them at my Armstrong Garden Ctr.

So, do I keep the container with the egg case inside, or let it hang outside in the elements?

 

[darkspeed]

They have them at my Armstrong Garden Ctr.So, do I keep the container with the egg case inside, or let it hang outside in the elements?

If you plan on keeping any, keep them inside. Mother Nature is an unforgiving and unpredictable old witch who will kill your mantids first chance she gets. Keep them inside someplace warm, and mist them regularly to keep the humidity up. Feed them fruitflys till they are about twice the size of a housefly, and then feed them houseflies. Chinese eventually get big enough to eat crickets or bluebottle flies. Try not to overfeed them, and once they have shed once or twice, seperate them immediately or they WILL eat each other.

 

[AndrewFromSoCal]

If you plan on keeping any, keep them inside. Mother Nature is an unforgiving and unpredictable old witch who will kill your mantids first chance she gets. Keep them inside someplace warm, and mist them regularly to keep the humidity up. Feed them fruitflys till they are about twice the size of a housefly, and then feed them houseflies. Chinese eventually get big enough to eat crickets or bluebottle flies. Try not to overfeed them, and once they have shed once or twice, seperate them immediately or they WILL eat each other.

I am okay with fruit flies/house flies because I think I can order cultures of both, but are there alternate food choices? I saw Aphids somewhere. What about pinhead crickets?

Also, could the fruit flies be flightless?

 

[darkspeed]

I am okay with fruit flies/house flies because I think I can order cultures of both, but are there alternate food choices? I saw Aphids somewhere. What about pinhead crickets?Also, could the fruit flies be flightless?

In 99% of cases the fruitflies are flightless. There are several vendors of them online. If you need links pm me.

I think aphids are a bit small for the application, as Chinese will quickly outgrow them... A good culture of Hydei flys will do just fine. Pinheads are good too, and if you can successfully raise them they will grow along with your mantids. What you feed your crickets is very important, as what is in their belly goes in your mantid's belly.

 

[AndrewFromSoCal]

In 99% of cases the fruitflies are flightless. There are several vendors of them online. If you need links pm me.I think aphids are a bit small for the application, as Chinese will quickly outgrow them... A good culture of Hydei flys will do just fine. Pinheads are good too, and if you can successfully raise them they will grow along with your mantids. What you feed your crickets is very important, as what is in their belly goes in your mantid's belly.

Wicked, I think i'm set, then. Have you got pictures of any of your set-ups?

 

[Rick]

They have them at my Armstrong Garden Ctr.So, do I keep the container with the egg case inside, or let it hang outside in the elements?

What are your intentions with them? Do you want them to release into your yard/garden or do you want to try your hand at raising them? Do as I described and indoors they will hatch pretty soon. There are a couple good threads in the feeding section about fruit flies which are very easy to rear.

 

[darkspeed]

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?sh...pid=58720

 

[Precious]

You need a bug tent or a mesh clothing hamper. They moult off of the sides, no sticks needed. Out of 279 nymphs (the one time I counted) I had less than a dozen adults. You can get the hampers at discount stores - just make sure there are no openings large enough for a fruit fly. Those online bug stores sell them as butterfly enclosures. They're perfect. I don't even use a substrate, just mist them.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Yea I raise them year round, they are great mantis, my last bundh is at l3 and still eating all the Hydei I throw at them, but soon onto house flies! yum

 

[AndrewFromSoCal]

I'd like to try my hand at raising them. I've always found them to be pretty awesome little critters, so I decided it was time to try them out.

The fruit fly thing shouldn't be an issue. I practiced raising them when I was going to get dart frogs. How many cultures do you think a person would need?

I've no idea what cloth hampers you're talking about, but i'll have a look for them. I do have some spent chameleon cages laying around, but from what i've read, those would be too big for a mantis. Can more than one inhabit the same enclosure?

 

[pedro92]

I'd like to try my hand at raising them. I've always found them to be pretty awesome little critters, so I decided it was time to try them out.The fruit fly thing shouldn't be an issue. I practiced raising them when I was going to get dart frogs. How many cultures do you think a person would need?

I've no idea what cloth hampers you're talking about, but i'll have a look for them. I do have some spent chameleon cages laying around, but from what i've read, those would be too big for a mantis. Can more than one inhabit the same enclosure?

The FF depend on how many mantids you actually want to keep. They are cannibalistic so they will kill each other so if well fed then seperate aroun L2 -L3 which means after there 1st or second molt seperate them. Ijust buy some screen off of mantisplace.com they have everything you need.

 

[AndrewFromSoCal]

Alright, so. Put the egg cases in a 10g tank with a tight mesh over it, and leave on corner at a larger mesh. Put twigs in the container and a substrate that can absorb moisture. Leave the mantis in there with fruit flies, let them canibalize/eat fruit flies until I have about 10 left, and separate them. Scale prey with Mantis.

Am I missing much?

 

[macro junkie]

Alright, so. Put the egg cases in a 10g tank with a tight mesh over it, and leave on corner at a larger mesh. Put twigs in the container and a substrate that can absorb moisture. Leave the mantis in there with fruit flies, let them canibalize/eat fruit flies until I have about 10 left, and separate them. Scale prey with Mantis.Am I missing much?

sounds ok to me.

 

[Rick]

Alright, so. Put the egg cases in a 10g tank with a tight mesh over it, and leave on corner at a larger mesh. Put twigs in the container and a substrate that can absorb moisture. Leave the mantis in there with fruit flies, let them canibalize/eat fruit flies until I have about 10 left, and separate them. Scale prey with Mantis.Am I missing much?

That is one method I use for a large ooth like that. Or you can do a large net cage like precious said. Keep them together until they are about L3 and then seperate what is left. They cannot live together after that or they will eat each other.