Need your opinion please

[yen_saw]

Dang Rob.... you are a psychic!! :wink: ok maybe down to 8 species unless they all die mysteriously one night :twisted: just kidding!!

 

[hibiscusmile]

Well I see you took my advice and are keeping my favorite, way to go Yen. ps, I would like to try my hand at them if you have an Ooth to sell!!! :lol: :wink:

 

[yen_saw]

Yes HIbiscusmile your advice was considered among with many others, thanks.

Actually I prefer to trade orchid mantis ootheca for other species of mantis instead of selling them. I only sold few orchid ootheca locally. The one I sent to DeShawn and Jenn hatched out handsomely, i believed close to hundred, but i can start to see a decline in hatching rate as the number of ootheca from each female approaching 6-7th ooth. One of the ootheca from the female orchid - which has the best hatching record - couldn't break 100 nymphs for the first time, but that was her 6th ooth, i took the pic yesterday while it was still hatching.

I will have more nymphs to offer though.......

 

[OGIGA]

Just wondering, about how many orchids in an ooth can you expect to make it to adulthood?

 

[yen_saw]

They are not very difficult to raise to adulthood Ogiga. If the food and conditions are right, mortality rate is about 10-20% around L1, around 5% from L2-L4, and <5% after that. Large nymph seldom have any problem growing and molting. So all in all, i would say around 60-70% should make it to adulthood. This is based on my own experience.

 

[OGIGA]

That's amazingly a lot! Makes me excited.

 

[asdsdf]

How will you "drop" the species? Freezer? (I hope not) Or giving them all away?(I prefer the second ) Although you may not want orchids anymore, it is still a very poplular "exoctic" mantis, and newcomers would be willing to purchase them (me). Even the common ones, people would want to buy since they are easier to take care of, and possibly more hardy. I think you should drop species by the number of sales. The customer is always right!

 

[yen_saw]

The way i drop a species is to sell them all (adults or nymphs) and do not breed them again. I also give them away for free to anyone with orders. The last thing i do is to feed them to another mantis (yes i can be cruel sometimes! :twisted: )

Regarding Orchid mantis, i didn't drop them from my list. I was about to drop it but decided to continue (with "peer presures" from fellow forum members :wink: ) but by then i have sold out all the larger orchid so i have to start from little hatchling and thus a "gap" between generations. But they are many other breeding orchids right now i am sure you can find them without problem in the USA. Currenly i only have L1 orchid which is new bloodline hatched out recently so i don't have any extra until more are available hopefully in September. Hopefully this explains it.

 

[Ben.M]

The way i drop a species is to sell them all (adults or nymphs) and do not breed them again. I also give them away for free to anyone with orders. The last thing i do is to feed them to another mantis (yes i can be cruel sometimes! :twisted: ).

Wouldnt that backfire every now and again :?

 

[asdsdf]

Th eating part at least. Has it ever backfired? Unless you act really cruel and handicap the other one.(removal of claws?)

 

[OGIGA]

Maybe just giving it to a budwing or an African will do the job with no worries.

 

[yen_saw]

Th eating part at least. Has it ever backfired? Unless you act really cruel and handicap the other one.(removal of claws?)

Nah no problem, obviously i am not throwing in excess "feeder" mantis the same size as the mantis i am feeding.

 

[Asa]

yeah seems weird...

 

[yen_saw]

Trust me it is not weird when you have too many and you cannot release any.