Mini mealworms?

[mkayum]

Can you feed them to any L1/L2 nymphs? Are superworm & mealworm safe for as mantids' main food source?

 

[Rick]

Safe, yes. Ideal? No.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Worms are to fatty to feed all the time, take out food u know!

 

[gripen]

Worms are to fatty to feed all the time, take out food u know!

It goes right to the thorax. Then you get questions like "do these wings make me look fat?".

 

[Chivalry]

It goes right to the thorax. Then you get questions like "do these wings make me look fat?".

LOL!!

Wouldn't it be nice to have your waistline determined by what you just ate? On the other hand, it'd suck to try to keep a wardrobe.

 

[Termite48]

I do not think in general, a mantis takes to eating non-flying things. If one is really hungry it might go for a very active and wriggling meal worm, but the way mine have taken them as suggested by Tammy W, is to behead the meal worm and let the mantid taste of the gooey stuff from the body end of the worm. Usually after a few moments of tasting and thinking about it, it will take the rest of it in its raptorials and finish the job. It is an acquired thing with them.

Tammy says she actually has mantids that seem to take them with regularity. I believe it is the same with Superworms, and with crickets.

 

[sinensispsyched]

Um, Gripen, I think you mean the abdomen.

 

[gripen]

Um, Gripen, I think you mean the abdomen.

Hey i never said that popa was smart...

 

[Mantiskid]

Um, Gripen, I think you mean the abdomen.

Yeah otherwise that would be one he-ll of a big thorax! LOL!

 

[Mantiskid]

And hey I feed my Mantids mealworms and mealworm pupae a lot and have not seen any ill side effects.

 

[gripen]

I find mine love wax worms as well..

 

[Mantiskid]

I do not think in general, a mantis takes to eating non-flying things. If one is really hungry it might go for a very active and wriggling meal worm, but the way mine have taken them as suggested by Tammy W, is to behead the meal worm and let the mantid taste of the gooey stuff from the body end of the worm. Usually after a few moments of tasting and thinking about it, it will take the rest of it in its raptorials and finish the job. It is an acquired thing with them.

Tammy says she actually has mantids that seem to take them with regularity. I believe it is the same with Superworms, and with crickets.

the way mine have taken them as suggested by Tammy W, is to behead the meal worm and let the mantid taste of the gooey stuff from the body end of the worm. Usually after a few moments of tasting and thinking about it, it will take the rest of it in its raptorials and finish the job. I believe it is the same with Superworms, and with crickets.

[/quote

I do it that way too. Oterwise the mantis will (in my case) ignore it or get really mad and do a threat display.

And no, you do not need to do the same with crickets. The mantids will grab the cricket as soon as it sees it.

 

[Mantiskid]

I find mine love wax worms as well..

Waxworms are way more fatty than mealworms...shouldn't they be given as an occasional "treat", just like honey?

 

[gripen]

Well I have been feeding my larger species a wax worm or two a week along with flies. No ill effects thus far.

 

[Mantiskid]

Well I have been feeding my larger species a wax worm or two a week along with flies. No ill effects thus far.

OK I feed my mantids at least 5 mealworms a week...