Praying Mantis
Introduction, Feeding & Housing
Introduction
Praying mantis are a group of carnivorous insects in the order mantodea.
Like many other insects’ mantises have several life stages between nymph and adult undergoing partial metamorphosiS between each stage. This is often referred to as shedding or molting amongst mantis keepers as they shed or molt their old skin.
Each stage is referred to as an ‘L’ number so ‘L3’ means the mantis is its third life stage and has had two molts. Because of the variety and variability of mantis there is always more to learn and observe from these animals whose life history seems almost alien.
Praying mantis exhibit a variety of survival and hunting behaviours. Some mansits are cryptic ambush hunters waiting sometimes days for food to amble by unaware of the impending threat. Other mantis species will actively hunt and chase down prey overpowering other insects the same size as they are. However, it is important to be cautious as the hunter can become the hunted. At certain points mantises will go off their food, usually approaching a molt, at this point they can be vulnerable to being attacked by their live food. For this reason, many people lean towards flying insects over crickets as they are unable to bite back.
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What you feed your mantis will depend on its life stage. Mantises that are L1 or L2 are best fed of fruit fly. Two species of fruit fly are readily available, Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila Hydei. D. melanogaster is the smallest of the two and a must for L1 stage of the smaller species of mantis progressing to D. hydei at either L2 or L3. Larger species can be started on D. hydei. As the mantis grows you can progress onto appropriately sized crickets, wax moth, curly winged flies, soldier fly and blue bottles amongst others. I aim to offer live food that is no larger than half the size of the mantis I am feeding this reduces the chance of the feeder insect overpowering and damaging the mantis.
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Feeding
Adult Female Ghost mantis
(Phyllocrania paradoxa)
When young it is good to offer a small amount of food every day or every other day. As the mantis reaches L4 I slow the feeding down to every third day. Many mantises do not know when to stop feeding so it is important to watch your mantises’ weight. If you see your mantis’s abdomen hanging awkwardly as it moves around or appearing bloated and sluggish cut back the feeding for a few days and resume when the mantis has slimmed down a bit.
Almost all mantises are aggressive to each other with a few exceptions but even the exceptions can be risky. The best option is to house mantis individually. The enclosure can be as simple as a plastic container with vented top or sides with paper towel as substrate and a few twigs and artificial plants. Alternatively, a more attractive display can be created using glass vivarium’s/ terrariums with a more natural substrate, live plants and decorative leaves and seed pods.
Housing
The important thing is to provide enough height in the enclosure for the mantis to shed its skin, they will require two and a half to three times their body length in height to allow a safe molt. Branches and or vines can make great perches for your mantis. Plants live or artificial will help to provide refuge and help to increase humidity by providing a large surface area for water droplets when misting. I usually find it best to mist the enclosure in the morning, a bottle that creates a fine mist rather than a spray is preferable. It is best not to spray your mantis directly, instead mist one half of the enclosure so that the mantis can get out of the wet if it wants.
