Spiders?

[preying mantis]

My brother and I were hunting for crickets for our mantis when we came across a nest of black widow spiders. We caught 3 of them, all fairly decent sized ones, and we were curious as to whether or not they are recommended food for mantids. I did a little research and it seems only the more "uninformed" sources (Yahoo! Answers, etc.) advise against it, basically reasoning "spiders are dangerous." I searched mantidforum as well and saw that the general consensus is that it is okay. I'd like to get a few more opinions, however. I do not want to risk hurting my mantis.

Can spiders even break through the exoskeleton of mantids? I have fed her garden and house spiders before and she handled them with no problems. But black widows are no doubt a little more dire.

 

[hierodula]

Well, spiders should usually be avoided, because one bite and your mantis is a goner. You can stun the spider by putting it in the fridge for a while, then crush its head so it dies, then put it to your mantises mouth and feed it that way.

 

[happy1892]

I think it is very rare that a spider like a black widow or a house spider killing a mantis. I guess wasps are a whole lot more dangerous.

 

[preying mantis]

because one bite and your mantis is a goner.

Yeah, that's what's got me concerned. The off chance that the spider gets a cheap bite in and kills my mantis.

 

[Digger]

Why even take the chance?? What happens if you slip up and the little suckers bite YOU?

 

[Ranitomeya]

Even if we ignore the bite, spiders are also capable of producing quite a bit of silk in very little time and some can use it as a defense. If the spider decides to try to tangle your mantis up with some extremely sticky and strong silk, it's not going to end well. There's a group of spiders called the spitting spiders in Scytodidae that are capable of producing streams of venom-laced silk from glands. I've personally witnessed this when I put two spiders together in one container, and almost immediately one was covered and tangled in silk before either of the spiders were within an inch of each other. I'd recommend staying away from feeding spiders to mantids.

 

[happy1892]

Even if we ignore the bite, spiders are also capable of producing quite a bit of silk in very little time and some can use it as a defense. If the spider decides to try to tangle your mantis up with some extremely sticky and strong silk, it's not going to end well. There's a group of spiders called the spitting spiders in Scytodidae that are capable of producing streams of venom-laced silk from glands. I've personally witnessed this when I put two spiders together in one container, and almost immediately one was covered and tangled in silk before either of the spiders were within an inch of each other. I'd recommend staying away from feeding spiders to mantids.

I have not had a spider spin silk when squeezed by a mantis. But I have seen the jaws of the spider trying to bite the mantis and often the spiders mouth is touching the mantis's front legs. But it is not in the right angle to bite the mantis, if it is possible for the spider to penetrate the mantis's front legs (I think the front legs of an adult female Chinese Mantis is too slippery and hard for a big black widow to bite through). Black widows do spin webs on other spiders (they seem to be trying to eat the other spider or trying to just make it leave) but I have not seen them do it when grabbed by something.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

There are members who feed spiders, wasps, and other stinging insects routinely without much trouble. Then again every once in a while someone will have a desperate plea in the health subforum because they fed one of these critters and their mantis was bitten/stung. Mantises can and have died from these prey items.

 

[Rick]

A mantis can and will take them. However, they are pretty neat and wouldn't feed them to a mantis, though I am not saying I've never done it.

 

[Mime454]

When I find a spider in my house, it goes to the mantids. Never had a problem and they seem to really enjoy them.

 

[happy1892]

I think there is a chance that a black widow will kill a mantis and if you are worried then I would not feed them. I do not worry about it but it would be bad if the mantis was killed just because of the spider and you could have avoided it by feeding them something else. Spiders like black widows and garden spiders are very juicy and they seem to be the favorite food for adult female Chinese Mantids and other mantids (I have had adult female Chinese Mantids eat a lot of huge garden spiders and leave the heads, legs and only eat the juicy belly).