Orchid mantis question

[lorriekay56]

For anyone who has kept orchids, how do you create the humidity needed for them?

 

[DMJ]

I mist mine and keep a heat lamp on them and they seem to do fine.

 

[PseudoDave]

The biggest mistake most people make with hymenopus is by trying too hard. Keep them well ventilated, warm, with a slight misting, maybe once every morning and evening depending on the container etc, and do everything else as you would your other species, such as pw's. The main time to make sure you keep up the main humidity is during a moult, particularly the one into adulthood. Flying insects are the prefered food and it does seem to keep them nice and healthy. Once the nymphs are large enough to take the normal house fly species, you can feed maggots with set honey, then once they have changed into a fly, feed them on sugar water. They make an excellent food source this way.

Good luck

Dave

 

[lorriekay56]

Thanks again for your ansewrs. We are thinking of buying some Orchid nymps that are L3-L4. But we want to gather all the information we can before we make a purchase.

Also if you have breeding tips regarding orchids please e mail me or send to my inbox on the forum.

By the way our PW nymps from Yen Saw are doing great!

 

[Peekaboo]

Check out http://www.mantiskingdom.com/ and look up the care sheets.

The information on them tends to be a little general at times, but it will give you a good starting point.

I think the key to keeping appropriate humidity levels is the substrate and to some extent the plants you are using in an enclosure. Plants aren't a necessity, but do help with moisture. The real killer for retaining moisture is the substrate you're using. The substrate you use should be absorbent and release moisture slowly. Mist your substrate 1-2 times a day, and you should be fine. Water should dry up after a few hours, but you don't want so much that it is always wet.

I use compressed coconut fiber, which has been working out great, as it retains moisture well and releases it slowly. I think Rick is a big fan of spagnum moss, which is also a great substrate.