I was just curious... do mantids emit pheromones like some other insects to attract potential mates? And if not how do they know when it's time to mate and how do we exactly know for that matter. Is it all instinct or like a coming o age thing as my nephew puts it?! Do they tend to have different times of day or environmental settings which work more so than others. Like lights dimmed, late night, early morning or what? I'm just trying to get a well rounded understanding of what specifics play a roll in successful breeding outside of Rick's very thougough sticky!!
On breeding...
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jameslongo
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Rick, can the male be desensitised to the females pheromones, thereby losing desire to mate with that particular female?
jacksun
Well-known member
Not Rick, but they can become desensitized to the pheromones. Removing the male from the area/room for a day or two (fresh, pheromone free air), then reintroducing him has been said to work here on the board.
Some say that. I have never had any mating issues with mantids living in close proximity.
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Yeah. I have two male which are adults have been for a few weeks now (one older than the other) they start off interested with antennae pointing forward and such. Creeping up slowly then just sit there doing nothing then just turn and walk away. she on the other hand doesn't seem to be bothered one way or the other. Even when she caught one creeping she looked and then just ignored him. i think it's the males with the lack of ability to stay focused which seems to be the problem. Also one which is more diligent than the other, has the fuzzy wing thing going on and a few time when he went to jump on her flipped upside down and backward totally missing her all together. I am not sure how to alleviate this issue. I don't see a way to really clip those wings either. So, just getting them to stay focused is the problem.
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That's pretty common. Give them some more time. Older males initiate mating much faster.
Update on "on breeding" today the younger of the three males did the creep up thing took some time and then as she began to walk away he ran up to her from behind and grabbed her butt and began to nibble. She turned around and glared at him but did not attack hem. Then she turned away and again walked away and once again he sprang into action grabbing her the same exact way as if he were trying to eat her. this time the fight ensued and I had to rescue the two from themselves. So. Was i watching a mating turned into a feeding frenzy on the male's part or was this a normal thing. Even after i separated them he just kept going after her and so i took him away and fed him. i did not want to risk losing her or him mostly him She is huge and I feel like he would have been the meal. While he was creeping I fed her three half inch crix so she was full and was not really interested in eating him as he was lucky!!!!
So. what do I do now and how do I know if he is attacking her I clearly think she thought we was. Is this normal for it to appear to be a confrontation and do they just settle down soon after?
So. what do I do now and how do I know if he is attacking her I clearly think she thought we was. Is this normal for it to appear to be a confrontation and do they just settle down soon after?
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Try again in a few days. Sometimes it can be very frustrating. Don't rely on her being "full" as your guage as to whether or not she will eat him as feeding her won't make much difference.
PhilinYuma
Well-known member
Sad but true, Rick, and the same advice I gave to my boys when they were growing up in Chicago: "Either she will or she won't, son, and buying her dinner beforehand isn't going to make much difference."
Sad but true, Rick, and the same advice I gave to my boys when they were growing up in Chicago: "Either she will or she won't, son, and buying her dinner beforehand isn't going to make much difference."
!!!I agree that feeding the female "until full" does not guarantee she won't eat him before/during/after mating. But I do believe it significantly reduces the risk. I definitely wouldn't put a male in with a sparsely fed, and presumably hungry female. To repeat the mantis/human comparison... I know when I'm really hungry, I could give a rats a*ss about sex. Give me food... NOW!!
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OGIGA
Dead Leaf Mantis
Haha, are we going beyond mantises here?Sad but true, Rick, and the same advice I gave to my boys when they were growing up in Chicago: "Either she will or she won't, son, and buying her dinner beforehand isn't going to make much difference."
