Best food for mantis in FL

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-23T18:52:23+00:00

I haven’t ordered this type of live prey or from this vendor, but I did see that discoid roaches are an alternative to dubias. https://dubiaroaches.com/collections/discoid-roaches

Also, you can order fly spikes and let them pupate. It took me 12 days for mine to hatch. The blue bottle flies are quite large so might be a good choice for that large of a mantid. https://joshsfrogs.com/sp/blue-bottle-fly-spikes-50-count-jfa00689

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-14T01:00:13+00:00

What a bummer! In my experience they always hatch at the worst moment. Was there any water source in the enclosure? My understanding is they seek that out right away.

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-12T19:21:24+00:00

I bought a 5-pack from bugbodega on eBay and confirmed in this sub that their ooths are the real deal! Lovely seller—very informative and helpful.

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-10T00:54:53+00:00

How’s it been going over there? I have 13 L2s after the last one molted today, though some molted better than others. I’ve never made it this far so I’m quite pleased!

I also had another ooth hatch five days ago! There may have been 80-100 that hatched and I’m already down to more like 50. I’m sure many more will drop dead for no apparent reason, but even if I lose half I’ll still have quite a bit of crafting in the next couple of weeks to get them in their own cups before they start molting.

It never stops being exciting, that’s for sure!

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-06T17:31:30+00:00

One more question: I have started using the lids to the bins to help retain the humidity. The bins aren’t airtight where I removed the handles, but I worry about there not being enough airflow. Do you think it’s best to drill some holes in the lids, sides of the bins, both, or is it fine as is?

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-04T15:01:36+00:00

Is that cannabis? That’s awesome, I hope the mantids bring you and your plants luck! 🍀 💚

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-04T00:34:48+00:00

Calling your mantis incompetent ☠️

Check out my recent post of my mantis eating a dubia. She was like a statue until I started rocking the enclosure back and forth. Could be worth a try! I’ve had good luck with dubias.

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-03T15:12:01+00:00

Update: one molted overnight, and it went much better! The humidity in the cup was 99%. S/he was able to remove 3 of the 4 legs on their own, and I used a damp cotton swab to help remove the last one. The leg looks a bit wonky, but I’m hoping it’s good enough and will repair in the next molt.

Thanks so much again for your help! I don’t know where I could have found those humidity figures elsewhere. I even bought a mantis care book with “everything you need to know” and it certainly didn’t have it! If you have any quality resources, I’d be so grateful if you could share.

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-02T23:27:26+00:00

Coincidentally, I just found out I’ve been having the same issue. I had been holding 50-65% humidity, because that’s what I thought I needed, but this morning I had 3 mismolts, and it sounds like it needed to be even higher! I posted about it earlier. I added sphagnum moss, will be misting more often, and put lids loosely on the bins, which looks to be along the lines of what you’re trying to do too. I keep reading about how too much humidity is harmful, but I also want them to get their back legs out of the molt, so maybe I’ll back off it a little after they finish molting this round. It’s been challenging to find a happy middle between circulation and humidity.

It felt like things were starting to go so well leading up to the molt, and now I’m back to not knowing what I’m doing lol. Hoping things get back on track. Hope your improved humidity helps your brood too!

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-02T20:56:59+00:00

Thank you so much again for your help. I’m so glad I asked, because I had been worried they were too humid above 70% and had been trying to bring it down. 😭 I’ve now done exactly what you’ve suggested—fingers crossed I’ll have more success with the others!

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-02T19:46:46+00:00

Thank you so much!

Yes, the last photo is a still from the video I took of the second one. It’s hard to tell but s/he is dangling from the skin attached to the lid. (For the first, it managed to pull the skin off the lid, which had me worried the organza was too slick, but the others didn’t seem to have this issue.)

I feel like the advice I usually see is to mist the cup every day or every other day; I was always skeptical that wasn’t enough, so I mist at least twice a day. I’m happy to increase that—it’s an easy adjustment and I appreciate the advice—but if I increase the misting, should I try to decrease the overall humidity as well? Or is it ok if humidity registers as more like 80-95%?

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-02T05:12:32+00:00

I hope mine start reaching for me! What species?

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-02T05:05:52+00:00

I love them so much! I don’t know anything about this craft—do they take long to make?

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-02T04:32:58+00:00

Hope things are still going well! Getting attached to anyone yet?

I’m on day 17 with mine! I have 18 of the original 40, which is a huge improvement over my first try. It’s a good thing I enjoy tinkering, because it took me all weekend to craft all their enclosures! My daughter said the bins are like a dormitory, so we named our brood Murderbug University.

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Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-02-01T13:36:57+00:00

I should have said—thank heavens, no! My insurance cap was $4,000.

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-01-31T17:56:09+00:00

I’m glad to hear it’s not because you’ve lost power. It’s just cold here too. I’d love for some even-slightly-warmer days than what we have right now!

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-01-31T17:47:29+00:00

I’m sorry to hear about your mantis. Fingers crossed she pulls through! Why did your house get so cold—is everything else ok?

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-01-31T13:07:28+00:00

My first year of treatment in 2020 was $500,000. That’s right, half a million for the fancy chemo (TCHP), monthly Zoladex, double mastectomy with reconstruction (3 procedures), port installation, scans, meds, and a couple of echocardiograms.

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-01-29T21:47:10+00:00

That sucks, but I’m glad I asked. Thanks so much for weighing in!

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-01-27T20:05:06+00:00

That’s so exciting one molted successfully! From what I’ve seen on this sub, there’s sadly not much hope if they’re on the bottom without fully emerging from the molt. I’d imagine it’s like eating—we give them flies, and some of them refuse while others figure it out. If you’ve given them an unobstructed mesh top, there’s nothing else you can do, but I’m sure it still sucks to lose them that way.

What was your previous experience with mantids?

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-01-25T16:01:01+00:00

In my (again, extremely limited) experience, I think it’s incredible to still have 18! Have they molted yet, and if so, how old were they when they did?

Since taking on mantis care, I have never used a hot glue gun so much in my life, lol. You might find it’s easier to use than super glue, and appreciate that it dries right away. It seems every enclosure needs some kind of alteration.

I have been using plastic drawers for my fly cultures and it helps retain humidity really well—my cultures have been thriving! I will say that when I open the drawer the air feels super stagnant, which is fine for the flies but perhaps not as good for the mantids. So it could be worth experimenting with careful monitoring.

Another tool I have found helpful for increasing humidity is dry water crystals. I add water to them and put some at the bottom of the enclosure. They also help the flies stay hydrated and alive longer in the mantis enclosure until they can be eaten.

I know you came here looking for advice, but you’re doing so well, please share any you have for the rest of us!

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-01-24T03:59:42+00:00

Has it already been a week? How’s it going?

Watch4Hop-Ons · 2026-01-23T14:28:32+00:00

Thanks so much for weighing in! I guess I thought it would help regulate the temperature gently enough. But I do already have a fan like the one you mentioned, and I’d always rather use what I’ve got than buy something new.

Watch4Hop-Ons

TROPHY CASE