Hysteresis' Mantis Stream - 2019

[hysteresis]

We will serve them a feast in her honour.

And NO. Not Hope's remains.

 

[Mantis Lady]

I feel awful and selfish and immature for even trying this. 

You loved her and wanted to help her that is not immature.

And NO. Not Hope's remains.

bury her in your garden if you have one.

 

[hysteresis]

bury her in your garden if you have one.

Yeh. She was indeed a loss. And it'd be nice to do that. The boys understood though. 

They are truly smitten withe these new babies though. 

Our L4 spiny is very sweet looking.

And the ghosties. Just So cute!

We'll just focus our hope on raising them up nice. I feel so fortunate to have them.

 

[hysteresis]

*Record turntable screeching sound*

Back to Susannah.

I cannot for the life of me understand what's going on with her.

Still no molt. TOTALLY ambulatory.

Pull off her lid and she scuttles to the edges like any healthy vibrant nymph. I got her Dec 6 and still no molt.

When I feed my spiny and ghost nymphs, I'll sprinkle off some hydei in her cup. I'm certain she'll eat.

I put her back in a 6oz to see if she molts there.

I'm stumped.

 

[hysteresis]

Wow. I've never seen this before. EVER! You were right, @MantisGirl13!

I present my first 'molting to adult' mantis... Noël. Female, Hierodula venosa. 

 

[hysteresis]

Just wow. This is amazing.

I have to get up in five hours so this is as much as I could stay up to see.

But WOW!

And the wings just keep on comin'!

EDITED: HERE SHE IS!

 

[Graceface]

Oh wow! So cool! Nothing like seeing them inflate those wings worth losing sleep 

Congrats on the molt!  

 

[hysteresis]

Oh wow! So cool! Nothing like seeing them inflate those wings worth losing sleep 

Congrats on the molt!  

Thanks! It was super fun to watch!

 

[Mantis Lady]

Oh wow! So cool! Nothing like seeing them inflate those wings worth losing sleep 

Oh yeah, I saw Cochises complete molt to adulthood and inflating her wings, so cool to see  ( 3 am or so) aurene needs to molt soonish too and i  think it is her last molt if I see her wingbuds. I hope she will do it on a time that i can see it.

@hysteresis gratz on the molt. Noel looks beautiful with wings

 

[hysteresis]

Thank you, @Little Mantis. I'm proud to have her.

So you know im new to nymphs (I know, not really new anymore ). Shouldn't she be ravenous? I presented her with a waxworm, and then a dubia, because she didnt strike.

I dissected the worm for her, presented it and she ate half, and then wanted no more. Is that normal after a molt like this?

Anyone? I do know her belly isnt empty. Maybe she's just not hungry?

Before, the goldens would eat anything I presented, and at any time.

 

[Mantis Lady]

Maybe the real hunger comes later.  She will need the energy to produce her eggs (mated or not) The adult females I had before were stomachs on 6 legs.

Soraya, my golden female, eats everthing I giver her too. Yesterday she ate a abdomen of a sub adult grasshopper. Tybalt got the other half

 

[hysteresis]

@Little Mantis how many mantises do you keep, usually? @Graceface? @MantisGirl13? 

I'm finding that keeping all these nymphs is labour intensive.

If its not nymph feedings, it's enclosure maintainance, or even feeder maintenance. Two sizes of crickets, dubias, BSF larvae (which are dead and I dont think will form flies ), waxworms. Worrying over hydei cultures.

When colleagues ask about my kids, they joke about who I'll answer about, boys or mantises!  

@omar morsy must be dead by now!

 

[hysteresis]

She will need the energy to produce her eggs (mated or not)

My mantis dude didnt have a male golden old enough to pair with Noël.

Maybe there's time if one comes around.

I presume I will have many many months with Noël.

 

[Mantis Lady]

I have 9 mantids at the moment and that is enough for now Tomorrow will be their home cleaning day

feeders: i have grasshoppers, flies 2 species, FF and dubias

 

[Graceface]

@hysteresis I'm "down" to about 45 mantids now, lol. It is a lot of work, for sure. Feeding mantids, enclosure cleaning, and all the maintenance, takes me about 2-3 hrs per feeding, which is every 2-3 days. More if I actually let them climb, or spend any time with them. I try to stagger who I care for on what days so it doesn't all have to happen at once, which is daunting. 

Right now, we aren't breeding flies. The curly wings died off due to unstable environmental conditions from winter. I don't think we can breed them except in the warmer seasons. Downside: less flies available. Upside: less things to take care of 

Ultimately, I'd like less specimens so I can spend more time with each one. I have way too many Ghosts right now. I think I have 20, and something like 14 of them are males

Anyone want a male Ghost or 5?

 

[hysteresis]

@Graceface I can't imagine 45 mantises. Nope. LoL. 

The curly wings died off due to unstable environmental conditions from winter. I don't think we can breed them except in the warmer seasons.

Yeah, when the furnace runs high, my ambient humidity can still drop into the 20s even with coolmist humidifiers. Our old steam humidifier moistens the air nice. We have a big house so keeping things humid is always a struggle when it gets cold.

More humid = too cold... Warmer = too dry

As long as you're on it, things are cool.  But, fml if we need to go away for a day.

Whyd I type all that for. LoL. We all have the exact same concerns.

 

[omar morsy]

@omar morsy must be dead by now!

I’m very much alive and doing well lol

its funny I read your post right after I just finished feeding and misting and cleaning every single 112 cups of Spiny and Ghost Nymphs. 

Im getting much faster at it but it still took 2 hours this morning and about an hour every day.

it is soooo much work and a little heartbreaking when you see a few nymphs still not make it  so far I lost 3 spinies and 9 ghosts. 

All in all it’s still so much fun. 

Now my main concern is why my spinies after 16 days are still not moulting. Maybe they did and I don’t know it? I don’t see an empty exoskeleton and they certainly don’t look bigger. They seem healthy and active.

 

[Graceface]

@hysteresis I'm "down" to about 45 mantids now, lol. It is a lot of work, for sure. Feeding mantids, enclosure cleaning, and all the maintenance, takes me about 2-3 hrs per feeding, which is every 2-3 days. More if I actually let them climb, or spend any time with them. I try to stagger who I care for on what days so it doesn't all have to happen at once, which is daunting. 

Right now, we aren't breeding flies. The curly wings died off due to unstable environmental conditions from winter. I don't think we can breed them except in the warmer seasons. Downside: less flies available. Upside: less things to take care of 

Ultimately, I'd like less specimens so I can spend more time with each one. I have way too many Ghosts right now. I think I have 20, and something like 14 of them are males

Anyone want a male Ghost or 5?

Hahaha, I can't do math! It could be because I have a cold, but upon recount, I have 36 mantids now. Numbers are hard

But seriously, anyone want a male Ghost or 14?

 

[Mantis Lady]

36 mantids   wow still a lot.

But seriously, anyone want a male Ghost or 14?

Sorry, I live to far away to take a male ghost in hopefully you can find them new homes.

 

[hysteresis]

@omar morsy I wouldnt know from experience yet. 

I have six spinys and six ghosts. Less than a week now, so....

By guidelines, Id expect a molt two weeks after hatch.

Glad you're coping. Man, youre senior in your industry (I've looked you up ).

Where are you finding the time?