A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Tenodera sinensis sinensis
One day old! All of the hatchlings are doing well. I saw only one dead, and that was bc it was squashed by a stick in the cage. Released most of them today (though some had already escaped through the slats in the top!). They were very energetic and started to spread out and hunt as soon as I opened the top. Photos show them (1) early this morning, on cheesecloth at top of cage, (2 and 3) enjoying an apple. I didn't think mantids ate fruit, but they went for it. Maybe they just like the juice as a water source? (4) A lot of them started putting their legs to their mouths as soon as they landed on the apple. Cleaning them, I guess. (5) On some clover, camouflaging effortlessly.
My patio and yard
Baby mantids - one day old!
Spotted on Mar 29, 2012
Submitted on Mar 29, 2012
6 Comments
PaoloCo: I just discovered that they CAN eat small termites. Mine gobbled it up! If you know where to find termites (probably under a rock or log in a shady area with moist ground), they you're all set! Termites are so much easier than flies! The termites I've been finding around here are small (eastern subterranean termites, 5-7 mm); I don't know about the ones in your region. Good luck with your mantis hatchlings!
Yeah, that worked. It's fun hand-feeding them, but martinl says they really need live prey. The first feeding, I used cat food to feed the ones that couldn't seem to take down their gnats (I put them in individual small jars to feed them), but last time all of them hunted successfully. I usually find a suitably small fly on the wall near the porch light, put the little jar over it with the mouth against the wall, and wait for the fly to fly off the wall and into the jar. Then I quickly put the lid on the jar and make sure the fly is in it. Next, I add one of the mantids to the jar and let it catch its dinner, give it plenty of time to finish eating, and carefully return it to its cage. I've found it much easier to do it this way than by first putting the mantis in and then trying to add a fly. The gnats are not too smart and don't usually escape when I'm putting the mantis in (holding the jar sideways or slightly tilted with the bottom toward the light, not upright. The flies tend to go up and toward the light, even if that's the opposite direction from the open mouth of the jar.). Might be a strange way of doing things, but it's been working for me. My mantids are all full and energetic. Also, for those in the mesh cages with the opening on the side, I sometimes just hold the jar up to the opening and get the fly to go into the cage. Some flies even make their way in on their own, since I leave the cages outside. I mist them usually twice a day to make sure they have water and the humidity stays up. They're in individual cages (Walgreens has bug-catching kits for kids for $2, and they're not half bad!).
how about cat food?
I'm feeding them flies too. I let most of them go, so I only have to feed half a dozen of them. I've left out some rotting fruit in a container with the lid ajar in hopes of catching fruit flies, but no luck so far. What's worked best for me is to turn on the porch light in the evening then let the flies come to me! I also fed them some wet cat food, using a paper clip, and they seemed to like it, but flies are better. Plus, it's so cool watching them hunt and gobble up those gnats! martinl breeds and raises mantids, so he's the expert.
I would like to ask what u are feeding them because i have to look for fruit flies to feed my mantis nymphs
Mandy, it's nice to see your brood. In pis #4 they are always cleaning themselves, as a cat would lick itself because they are fastidious about hygiene.