It's moth time!

[Sticky]

Yay! I found a nice fat 1 inch long moth this morning outside my building. This is my favorite time of year when I can start hunting for free food for my mantids. All of them have not eaten wild food so it is extra fun.

My H. multispina Jade got it. She threatened it at first! She thought it was teasing her I guess. She is making a oothecae ready inside her to lay so she got the nutrition boost.

 

[Mime454]

I've been doing this for a few weeks. Mainly bees and other pollinators. I love not having to buy food every week.

 

[sally]

I can't wait! I never have offered moths yet. We might get a little dusting of snow but then it will warm up finally. My mantids will love the new cuisine.

 

[frogparty]

I've been collecting BIG sphinx moths for a month now at least! Best feeder ever

 

[Krissim Klaw]

I enjoy free freeders year round here. :tt2:

 

[Digger]

I enjoy free freeders year round here. :tt2:

Whether intentional or not Kris: I love the term "free-ders." Wish these cold snaps would leave the Philadelphia area so more freeders would flit around (flitting freeders -- 3x fast).

Mime and others: don't bees pose a small risk to our pets?

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Whether intentional or not Kris: I love the term "free-ders." Wish these cold snaps would leave the Philadelphia area so more freeders would flit around (flitting freeders -- 3x fast).

Mime and others: don't bees pose a small risk to our pets?

Freeders are indeed lovely. ^.~

I don't mess with stinging insects. The mantises can generally handle them just fine but I rather not take the risk because feedings like that always go great until they don't...

 

[glock34girl]

I gave my orchid two moths found outside. In retrospect based on size I suppose one was female and the other male. Probably shoud have kept them to try to breed??? Looked the same but I am not a pro a distinguishing species. lol Anyway, they both lasted about three seconds in her house. She slaughtered them!!!!!

 

[Malakyoma]

Still too cold here to get a decent variety of feeders. I've found a couple earwigs, but not much else. no bees/wasps/moths yet.

 

[Danny.]

I've been collecting BIG sphinx moths for a month now at least! Best feeder ever

I hear ya! It's moth galore here in SoCal.

 

[Mime454]

Mime and others: don't bees pose a small risk to our pets?

I've never had an issue with them. I've probably fed off more than 100 bees this month s far with no issue. All my mantids seem more active and healthy than when they were being fed flies.

 

[ScienceGirl]

Don't use honey bees as feeders, please.

 

[Mime454]

I know it's controversial, but I actually don't see what could have a smaller impact on nature than feeding off an already sterile worker. The problem with the bees is queens abandoning the nest and certain pesticides that confuse the bees. If there's any data that says that predation on workers contributes to the honey bee problem, I'd stop immediately.

 

[frogparty]

And, in all honesty, native bees like mason and carpenter bees are actually better pollinators, they just have a smaller home range

 

[mantid_mike]

I've never had an issue with them. I've probably fed off more than 100 bees this month s far with no issue. All my mantids seem more active and healthy than when they were being fed flies.

I agree. All my mantids have always seemed a bit lethargic and unhealthy until I used bees as FREEders. My mantids are way more alert, active and healthier now.

 

[ScienceGirl]

I know it's controversial, but I actually don't see what could have a smaller impact on nature than feeding off an already sterile worker. The problem with the bees is queens abandoning the nest and certain pesticides that confuse the bees. If there's any data that says that predation on workers contributes to the honey bee problem, I'd stop immediately.

Queens abandoning the nest? That's not what happens. When queens "abandon" the nest, as you call it, which is actually called swarming, they take 1/2 the colony with them, leaving behind the other 1/2 along with swarm cells containing the larva of virgin queens. This is a natural occurance that happens 1) when their living space becomes too crowded 2) when living conditions and area conditions highly unpreferable 3) to create a new colony.

CCD, or colony collapse disorder, which I think you may be trying to refer to, is when a whole colony of honeybees disappears for an unknown reason. Some thought to be causes are: mites, viruses such as EFB, AFB, and Nosema, and pesticides. (No, cell phone towers are not the cause. An experiment was done in Germany and they said that the cell phone towers beyond a doubt do not cause CCD.)

I've never seen any proof that solitary bees are better pollinators... Is there recognizable data for a study on that? No matter which way the numbers fall, there are more honey bees in one colony (40,000+ average in summer) than solitary bees in most areas. (Probably a LOT more. )

These workers are necessary to the hive. The total time from egg to hatching takes 24-25 days for a worker bee. Their total lifespan in summer (they stay in the hive keeping warm in winter, so these bees are raised for a different kind of work and with fat bodies to live longer) months is 8 weeks. The average honey bee produces 1/12 teaspoon (5 drops of honey!) in her lifetime. 2,000,000 flowers have to be visited to make one pound of honey, requiring a LOT of bees. Bees eat eight pounds of honey to produce one pound of beeswax. A resting worker burns .7 mg/hour, a flying worker burns 11.5 mg an hour. The colony needs this nectar to produce honey. An average of 60-70 lbs of honey, more or less depending on where they are wintering, is needed to keep the colony alive during winter. If they eat nectar that hasn't been fully turned to honey, they will get diarrhea and the colony may collapse. Every bee is needed, and every load of nectar counts in their survival.

Please don't use honey bees as feeders.

Source: "The Beekeeper's Handbook" the 3rd edition, by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile

 

[Malakyoma]

Queens abandoning the nest? That's not what happens. When queens "abandon" the nest, as you call it, which is actually called swarming, they take 1/2 the colony with them, leaving behind the other 1/2 along with swarm cells containing the larva of virgin queens. This is a natural occurance that happens 1) when their living space becomes too crowded 2) when living conditions and area conditions highly unpreferable 3) to create a new colony.

CCD, or colony collapse disorder, which I think you may be trying to refer to, is when a whole colony of honeybees disappears for an unknown reason. Some thought to be causes are: mites, viruses such as EFB, AFB, and Nosema, and pesticides. (No, cell phone towers are not the cause. An experiment was done in Germany and they said that the cell phone towers beyond a doubt do not cause CCD.)

These workers are necessary to the hive. The total time from egg to hatching takes 24-25 days for a worker bee. Their total lifespan in summer (they stay in the hive keeping warm in winter, so these bees are raised for a different kind of work and with fat bodies to live longer) months is 8 weeks. The average honey bee produces 1/12 teaspoon (5 drops of honey!) in her lifetime. 2,000,000 flowers have to be visited to make one pound of honey, requiring a LOT of bees. Bees eat eight pounds of honey to produce one pound of beeswax. A resting worker burns .7 mg/hour, a flying worker burns 11.5 mg an hour. The colony needs this nectar to produce honey. If they eat nectar that hasn't been fully turned to honey, they will get diarrhea and the colony may collapse. Every bee is needed, and every load of nectar counts in their survival.

I see lots of stats. I like stats. would it be possible to get a source paper on all that? Sounds like an interesting read.

 

[ScienceGirl]

I see lots of stats. I like stats. would it be possible to get a source paper on all that? Sounds like an interesting read.

Haha, yes! I can get you more if you like.

They're on the inside cover of "The Beekeeper's Handbook" the 3rd edition, by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile

 

[gripen]

Queens abandoning the nest? That's not what happens. When queens "abandon" the nest, as you call it, which is actually called swarming, they take 1/2 the colony with them, leaving behind the other 1/2 along with swarm cells containing the larva of virgin queens. This is a natural occurance that happens 1) when their living space becomes too crowded 2) when living conditions and area conditions highly unpreferable 3) to create a new colony.

CCD, or colony collapse disorder, which I think you may be trying to refer to, is when a whole colony of honeybees disappears for an unknown reason. Some thought to be causes are: mites, viruses such as EFB, AFB, and Nosema, and pesticides. (No, cell phone towers are not the cause. An experiment was done in Germany and they said that the cell phone towers beyond a doubt do not cause CCD.)

These workers are necessary to the hive. The total time from egg to hatching takes 24-25 days for a worker bee. Their total lifespan in summer (they stay in the hive keeping warm in winter, so these bees are raised for a different kind of work and with fat bodies to live longer) months is 8 weeks. The average honey bee produces 1/12 teaspoon (5 drops of honey!) in her lifetime. 2,000,000 flowers have to be visited to make one pound of honey, requiring a LOT of bees. Bees eat eight pounds of honey to produce one pound of beeswax. A resting worker burns .7 mg/hour, a flying worker burns 11.5 mg an hour. The colony needs this nectar to produce honey. If they eat nectar that hasn't been fully turned to honey, they will get diarrhea and the colony may collapse. Every bee is needed, and every load of nectar counts in their survival.

Source: "The Beekeeper's Handbook" the 3rd edition, by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile

Very well put! Thanks for clarifying the facts for me. I had no idea how much honey a lone be could produce.