Having trouble getting D. lobata to mate

[PlayingMantis]

I know lobatas will be hard to breed. I've tried everything from the traditional method of putting the female in front of the male. I even went as far as to leave the male with the female in a 12 x 12 x 24 inch net cage for an entire week, of course, ensuring the female is well fed to the extent that her abdomen is stretched out. But the male just ignored the female. My oldest female is 6 weeks adult, the other female female is 4 weeks. I have four males ranging from 4-6 weeks old, and today, the oldest male seems to be dying for no apparent reason other than old age, perhaps? How long do lobata males live for anyways? My main question is...what else to try? :helpsmilie: Do you suppose heating them up will work? They are currently at room temperature but I did place a light on top of the enclosure to heat it up by a few degrees, but it may not have been enough. Not sure what else I can do. I feel like I'm running out of time with the males.

 

[sally]

I would try warming them a bit and give a little more humidity. I feel the males of lobata are really timid.

 

[yen_saw]

This species needs some patience and luck when it comes to mating. Most of the time, male doesn't approach the female immediately but rather taking their own sweet time or flee as soon as the larger female is on his sight. The male appears to be very wary about the pairing for a good reason because female seems to find male irresistible food source. Place plenty of leaves and stick in the cage so the male is able to approach the female cautiously but feeling 'safe'. Mist the cage heavily too but do not place feeders in the cage (well fed the female ahead). All the best.

 

[PlayingMantis]

Thanks Sally and Yen - I'm going to try again this week. The females have eaten their fill and they look extremely fat. The males seem to be afraid of even dead flies.