Just found L3 Iris oratoria on my dead treestump OUTSIDE!!!

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I live in AZ and have at least 9 iris oratoria ooths in my back-yard. I was sad to see that they were hatching in late November and early December. I only was able to catch 6 to take inside.  I did not know how to stop the hatching without hurting them. Does anyone know how to stop outdoor hatchings safely? (Until danger of frost is over).

I was so grateful to see this little guy alive after 100's of his siblings and cousins all died from the cold mid 30 degree weather at night here the last few weeks.  My guess is that he hid inside the cracks of the dead wood of my tree stump.

I took him inside. I'm wondering. . . will he have problems acclimating from the cold to warm indoor temps?

 

[agent A]

i doubt he will have an issue

 

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Thanks. Never seen this before.  just need him to eat now!!!

 

[River Dane]

You could take the egg cases inside and put them in th refrigerator, if, for some reason, they’re still hatching now.

 

[cwebster]

Nice to hear you were able to rescue them.

 

[Jessie]

@[email protected] would you sell me one? And id buy it or send it when its a bit warmer?

 

[[email protected]]

He finally ate an ant!!! Yay! They are so small, but at least now I know he will eat in his enclosure.

Hi Jessie. Thank you for your offer but I had a very hard time the one time I did sell some.  They were lost at the post office and they were in a package for 5 days in the hot summer. Many did not make it.  That was very hard for me.  Let me think about it.  Once my nymphs molt, maybe I could sell you 1 or 2. I will probably have a lot more hatching in February with the same issues as it being warm in days and cold at night.

Happy holidays!

 

[cwebster]

If they are really tiny, do you think they might eat springtails or pinhead crickets?

 

[agent A]

i have a bunch of springtails-i could send some to you for nothing more than shipping cost

 

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He is still only eating tiny ants, and this species doesn't seem to be the hunting kind.  The pinhead crickets stay at the bottom of the enclosure, and the mantids I have now do not try to catch the crickets. I even have baby inch worms in the enclosures, but they are growing much faster than the mantids. The mantids stay on their sticks and hang out at the top.

What is a springtail?  I am interested.  Thank you for the offer.

 

[River Dane]

@[email protected]

If they are large enough, you could cut up feeder bugs and shove the gooey side in the mantis’ faces. Worked for me when my Mantids didn’t eat their mealworms. Of course, they were larger, so you’ll probably have to be a lot more careful.

 

[agent A]

He is still only eating tiny ants, and this species doesn't seem to be the hunting kind.  The pinhead crickets stay at the bottom of the enclosure, and the mantids I have now do not try to catch the crickets. I even have baby inch worms in the enclosures, but they are growing much faster than the mantids. The mantids stay on their sticks and hang out at the top.

What is a springtail?  I am interested.  Thank you for the offer.

a springtail is a tiny insect found in wet soil

they like rotting fruit

they are often used for tiny species

 

[mantiseater]

I doubt it hid in cracks in the stump. Mantids can take surprisingly cold temps and will slow down like a reptile.