What's on the menu?

[minomantis]

Hey everyone!

I'm just curious what everyone feeds their mantids currently.  I love raising mantids during the summer because food is plentiful and I'm a big believer in catching bugs outside bugs because it makes them grow big, but I'm noticing that the busier I get, the harder it is for me to catch flies and other insects for them to eat so I end up ordering insects for them.  I just started feeding my mantids (Hierodula majascula) Dubia roaches and they take them out with ease.  I was just wondering what everyone else feeds their mantids.  I'm interested to know!

 

[Sticky]

I catch moths for mine during spring summer and fall until I am forced to buy them food. I like giving them moths as they are easy to catch at a light trap I set up every few nights.

I also catch flies and let the mantids hang out in the garden so they can catch thier own food from my hanging pots.

 

[River Dane]

As @Sticky said, moths are great and easy wild food source. I’ve found that light traps also work to catch lacewings, and even once saw a katydid. 

Another thing you can do is use a good old blow fly trap. I’ve never used this before, because supposedly it gets incredibly stinky and I live in an apartment. 

If you’re looking more to cultivate your own food, which is definitely more reliable, you could try cultivating black soldier flies, which is what I plan on doing when summer ends and wild bugs become more scarce. 

Good luck with your Hierodulas!

 

[Synapze]

My mantids staples are blue bottle flies, decapitated mealworms, and any safe insects I catch while gardening... mostly grasshoppers.

If you’re looking more to cultivate your own food, which is definitely more reliable, you could try cultivating black soldier flies, which is what I plan on doing when summer ends and wild bugs become more scarce. 

@River Dane I'm definitely going to follow your progress if you choose to share! Right now, between the BBF I get from my dealer and things I catch, I have a surplus of feeders. I'm sure that will change soon. I've had a few problems with my mealworm farm, so I'm relying on flies and grasshoppers mainly for the moment. 

 

[Mantis Lady]

My mantids eat, mostly grasshoppers, crickets and sometimes a roach. My health is too crappy to hunt my feeders myself. I have to buy my feeders.

Think with camping the moths will come to light while we are sitting outside and read or play a card game, think then will be easy to catch some wild food. and what i will find in my caravan will end in mantis stomach too.

 

[Nicolas]

Anything I find outside really. Lately I've been feeding them crickets, roaches, and when all hope is lost, Skipper butterflies, but during earlier Instars, I'd catch various flies.

I believe I fed one of my mantids a small scorpion once - that was quite awesome. But I feel kind of guilty feeding them butterflies.... just that there's nothing else to get here. 

Does anyone here know if petstore meal worms are good or bad for mantids?  Or bees?

 

[Sticky]

Black soldier flies are better composters than red worms are!

 

[Synapze]

I believe I fed one of my mantids a small scorpion once - that was quite awesome. But I feel kind of guilty feeding them butterflies.... just that there's nothing else to get here. 

In my opinion, you shouldn't feed poisonous insects to your mantis. Many people who feed feeders that can be dangerous, either by way of venom or consumption of poisonous compounds, end up asking, "Why is my mantis sick and dying?" The same applies to any feeder that is overly large or has strong defenses. I feel the same way about butterflies... moths get less sympathy from me. 

Does anyone here know if petstore meal worms are good or bad for mantids?  Or bees?

Unless the meal worms are very small, I pull their heads off prior to feeding,but they will still wiggle long enough to get your pet's attention.  Meal worms are easy to grow in small containers (also called meal worm farms). It takes a while to get one producing well, but it's a money saver. There are some suggestions on the forum which discuss moth/flying insect capturing techniques for flying insects around outdoor lights  

I wouldn't suggest anything that can sting. 

Hope this helps a little. 

 

[MantisGirl13]

Mine eat moths, skippers, flies, and grasshoppers over the summer and Dubias and flies in the winter.

- MantisGirl13

 

[TrenMT]

Mine feeds on a staple of grass fed locusts with a mealworm treat.

Before and after her L5 molt she loved white butterfly caterpillars that hitched a ride oj my mint plant so she stank of mint sauce for a few weeks.

 

[MantisGirl13]

Why is there an inchworm on the stick?

- MantisGirl13

 

[TrenMT]

Why is there an inchworm on the stick?

- MantisGirl13

That was one of the Small White Butterfly caterpillars

 

[Prayingmantisqueen]

Wow, so many variaties out there!

I have been feeding mine mostly crickets, grasshoppers, a few moths (but plan to catch more now that I see lots of people favorite them!), I buy my crickets from a bait shop who takes very good care of them and they look very big and healthy. I keep them in a 'breeding box' so the females will lay eggs and so the cycle continues. But that is mostly all my mantids get right now.