Too much sugar?

[planetq]

Hey guys!

So I was just wondering:

I usually sugar coat (with a water-coloring brush) my house flies with honey, then drizzle some pollen,

and give them to my mantises. This method works well with me, maintaining the flies-wise,

because they are easy to manage since they can't fly and the mantises are getting the pollen-honey inclusion in their diet too.

I do this quite often, and was just concerned with how much honey the mantises should be actually having?

Have their ever been any mantis deaths that people suspect to be caused of a honey/sugar overdose?

Since there might not be a clear answer to this, and probably just variations,

maybe a better question would be : how often do you guys offer honey to your mantises?

Thanks!

Minkyu

 

[bassist]

I use honey to feed my house flies as well as that I coat them with honey and spread pollen on them as you do I do not believe a mantis could have a 'sugar overdose' but who knows.

 

[Katnapper]

I don't think there have been any studies measuring the amounts of honey (like the USRDA - U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance, hehe ) considered safe and optionally nutritious for praying mantids. You're right it's more a matter of personal preference and common sense I would think. If I had less mantids, I might do as you do... but less often, maybe once a week.... But that's just me. Also, since I have far too many to mess around with doing that, I just feed my house and blue bottle flies honey before giving them to the mantids. I also mix a little into the water and vinegar when I make fruit fly cultures.

 

[Rick]

I feed flies honey. A mantids body and ours is nothing alike really so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[hibiscusmile]

My flies are comsumes in one day, so I cant help u! :lol:

 

[a1_collection]

If you give lots of sugar the sugar will ferment somehow and I think would poison the mantis. Just off the top of my head. I have no experience with mantis deaths concerning sugar.

I just give some of my mantids a couple slurps of sugar when I think they need something different than flies.