H. coronatus mating

[PhilinYuma]

That's great Becky! Wishing you the best with them! Sometimes the RH here would drop to around 50% and that's when my mantids start to become inactive. I'm still uncertain whether temps and humidity helps in copulation but if they do, your conditions do seem tropical to me and that might help.

Here's some really nice news for folks who want to raise orchids in a net cage, where the RH is low. My houseflies die without adequate humidity, so I have started putting a 24oz plastic pot in each cube, containing peat moss and almost filled with water and covered with a cloth lid. I just checked the result of a cube that I treated last night. The figures in the room are 80.2F/40%RH and in the cube, without misting, 77.1/71RH. This means a consistent gain of 31%RH and a loss of only 3.1F. I shall get temps of 85F before my air comes on, but I shall have to increase the humidity further to compensate for the increase in temp. I have less faith in the duration of increased humidity due to spraying than some experienced breeders, but normally, unlike the employed, I can easily mist t.i.d. In the summer, once I have that licked, orchids here I come!

 

[neps]

Well things are looking hopeful today! I believe two of the three pairs I put together yesterday mated (successfully, I hope). Both of them were copulating within about 10 minutes after putting the males on each female's back. Witnessed drumming for the first time... yay!The male of the other couple refused to stay on her back, and kept either crawling or flying away from her. So I tried a different male... and he too resisted all attempts to ride or stay with her. I ended up leaving these two in her net cage with her overnight. This morning, both were still staying their distance. I might try a different male or two with her instead of these two dunderheads today, hehe. But the other two couples, although not attached anymore, are still together with the male still riding around on the female's back.

I have two more females besides these to try to mate. One just molted to adult, and the other is still sub. I hope she molts soon!

I'm keeping the bug room at about 85 F., misting everyone either once or twice a day. I also have a humidifier running (when it will) in there. There is something wrong with the control panel on it, and you can only adjust it to 65% max humidity; and when it reaches it, it shuts off until you manually turn it on again. I wish I could find a good working humidfier... the ones I've had both have had things wrong with them. But the mistings make up for it.

Congrats, Becky! Well done!

 

[sufistic]

Here's some really nice news for folks who want to raise orchids in a net cage, where the RH is low. My houseflies die without adequate humidity, so I have started putting a 24oz plastic pot in each cube, containing peat moss and almost filled with water and covered with a cloth lid. I just checked the result of a cube that I treated last night. The figures in the room are 80.2F/40%RH and in the cube, without misting, 77.1/71RH. This means a consistent gain of 31%RH and a loss of only 3.1F. I shall get temps of 85F before my air comes on, but I shall have to increase the humidity further to compensate for the increase in temp. I have less faith in the duration of increased humidity due to spraying than some experienced breeders, but normally, unlike the employed, I can easily mist t.i.d. In the summer, once I have that licked, orchids here I come!

Thanks for sharing Phil. I think your technique is definitely better for retaining humidity in a large enclosure with adequate ventilation i.e. net cages. My mantids, which are mostly S.E. Asian, can definitely tolerate low humidity levels (no lesser than 50% RH), but they turn docile and lose interest in eating and mating. This happens more often with Hymenopodids than others.

 

[Katnapper]

Here's some really nice news for folks who want to raise orchids in a net cage, where the RH is low. My houseflies die without adequate humidity, so I have started putting a 24oz plastic pot in each cube, containing peat moss and almost filled with water and covered with a cloth lid. I just checked the result of a cube that I treated last night. The figures in the room are 80.2F/40%RH and in the cube, without misting, 77.1/71RH. This means a consistent gain of 31%RH and a loss of only 3.1F. I shall get temps of 85F before my air comes on, but I shall have to increase the humidity further to compensate for the increase in temp. I have less faith in the duration of increased humidity due to spraying than some experienced breeders, but normally, unlike the employed, I can easily mist t.i.d. In the summer, once I have that licked, orchids here I come!

Interesting idea, info, and tip, Phil! I might try something like this myself... except I'm thinking of all those water crystals I have instead of the peat moss.