Little help here, please!!

[Onyxfire911]

A couple/few weeks ago I was outside walking with my son and we happened across what we thought was a cocoon. He asked if he could keep it with his other nature "treasures", and I agreed, said he could keep it but it had to kept in a baggie "in case of bugs." Well, yesterday as I was cleaning around his room I happened to glance over in the bags direction and saw that the cocoon was apparently a praying mantis egg sac! Now I have what seems to be a million little guys crawling around in the bag. I'm afraid of putting them outside because the temperatures are still very cool here in VA. Any advice on what to do with them to up their chances of survival? I hate to think of just letting them go and having a whole batch of them just dying because of our carelessness.

 

[agent A]

Ok first gather them all up and get a large container, like an old pretzel jar that is clean and put a moist paper towel on the bottom (spring water preferably)

Get raffia straw and put it in there so they can climb around (as if it's grass)

Add a ventilated lid (piece of mesh and rubber band works fine)

Put them in it and keep at room temp

Mist twice a week or so

Buy a fruitfly culture (they can go about 5 days without eating)

And when u get the culture feed them daily

First molt will be in abt 2 weeks

Hope this helps

 

[CoolMantid]

Ok first gather them all up and get a large container, like an old pretzel jar that is clean and put a moist paper towel on the bottom (spring water preferably)

Get raffia straw and put it in there so they can climb around (as if it's grass)

Add a ventilated lid (piece of mesh and rubber band works fine)

Put them in it and keep at room temp

Mist twice a week or so

Buy a fruitfly culture (they can go about 5 days without eating)

And when u get the culture feed them daily

First molt will be in abt 2 weeks

Hope this helps

+1

But instead of a pretzel jar I recommend a net cube. You can buy thme offline. Or go on your browser and search Praying Mantis kits. Then scroll and find a store (Actual store that is near you that sells them.) Walmart, target etc.

Buy a fruit fly culture from petco/petsmart. They are about ten dollars. If you get a net cube/ pop up net open the fruit fly lid and then put all the mantids in. Mist from the outside into the mesh (If you get a net cube) so you dont open it up and have 20-300 mantises crawling up your sleaves. Been there, done that

 

[dlemmings]

That is more or less the long and short of it, they will occasionnally eat one another and you will end up with only a handfull left,

in a month you will need to let some go outside or expect to end up with just a few, or two or even one fat mantis by the time they mature.

 

[Onyxfire911]

I am on a veeeeery limited budget and don't plan to keep them. I just want to keep them alive until the weather warms enough to let them go. What an awesome experience for my 5 year old though.

 

[CoolMantid]

Um if you dont want to keep them. You might as well release them. or you can give them to a friend, send them to a person who would care for them, or sell them Where are you located?

 

[Mvalenz]

Here is a vid on how to make a praying mantis home.

http://youtu.be/0iooa4EDf0Q

 

[hibiscusmile]

They actually need water in am and again in pm, even a box with a window screen will work, you can tape it to box or hot glue it, leave a hole in box for putting in some fruit flies, they need to eat 2 days after hatching. you can leave out a rotting banana or smash up some apple or something to draw fruit flies over, put the food in a mayo jar or something and make some holes, small enough for the flies to get in, and u will end up with some for feeding. this may take to long, so u r gonna need some from a store somewhere. ps, get a skinny stick or bamboo skewer to catch them with, it is easy, just set stick in front of them and they will grab on.

 

[CoolMantid]

If she doesnt want to spend any money she is in a bad postion with 100 nymphs and no where for them to go. If you are in CA I can take em, but Idk

 

[angelofdeathzz]

If you can't spend money on them for food then they are doomed, unless you live where it is warm, then you can put some old fruit outside to gather some fruit flies to feed them. You could let some members here take them and give the babies a good home? Whatever you decide I wish you luck.

 

[Chivalry]

Big plastic jar is free with the pretzels or cheesy poofs. The only thing you really have to spend money on is food, or they'll eat each other till theres one. If you can find a local pet store with fruit fly cultures they are not expensive, or you can buy online but shipping can be pricey.