Orthodera novaezealandiae diet?

[Penguin]

Hey guys, Im from New Zealand..

I get mantids everywhere, they're always around especially miomantis caffra

I even find them climbing around my house

but I found an nz breed (finally) it's in it's 2nd/3rd instar, she is getting quite big,

her current diet is lacewings(which love our grape vine) and flies(buzzing around our house >:l)

we also have alot of crickets on your land but they are very very hard to catch.. so I'm just wondering... what else could I feed her?

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Wasps, bees, moths, small spiders(non poisonous), grasshoppers(not bigger than your mantis :lol: ),plus many more. but flies and crickets are a good staple for them.

A outdoor light at night should draw in moths and more to be easily caught with a net or container, can't wait till spring gets to where i live so i can get some free feeders(8 inches of snow now).

 

[hibiscusmile]

She is eating good outside it appears, so catch things that are around you for her, they have a big appetite, and send me an ooth of the caff and her :lol: , and I will sneak u something! :blink:

 

[PeterF]

Weta. Should keep her fed for a while.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Glad to see that you're still around, Penguin! The other day I saw that you had not checked in for a while and worried that you had gone the way of our other antipodal members.

Like everyone says, catch whatever is available. The rule about giving a varied diet is fine, but mantids often spend quite a bit of their time starving in the wild, so any food is better than no food!

You might also want to catch the largest weta you can find and send it to Peter J.F. labeled "candy". It would serve him right!

 

[PeterF]

Please!

 

[dgerndt]

Woah, I just looked up what a "weta" is on Google, and it's pretty scary. :blink: