I’ve recently been discussing communal raising of certain species with a couple mantid keepers and one of the species that came up was Idolomantis. Many believe they can be raised communally fairly easily given plenty of food and space. I have tried to raise them together before without success, although I did not try it past the third instar. Once I noticed a few munching on others, I separated them immediately and have continued to do so ever since. They were just too expensive to chance it, and this species takes a while to mature to adult and can be tougher to feed due to the need for larger food once they are adults. Females get HUGE, and eating bluebottles is like eating 1 cheerio at a time.
I am going to give it another shot as this species is much easier to obtain now, and not as expensive as they originally were. However, I do not have as much space as I used to due to the amount of species I keep and the new additions to my family the past few years that are starting to demand more and more of my space (RENT FREE I might add!… freakin kids).
I am looking for 5 to 10 people that are able to take 10-20 or more Idolomantis and work with me to determine just how communal they are under various conditions. I will provide the nymphs at a much lower rate than on my site, as well as large netting cages at wholesale, sizes currently not listed on my site, but 17×17 or larger depending on the amount you plan to try and keep together and the space you have. I will also offer food at a discounted rate over the next few months to take care of them so long as you are actually contributing to the project. There are just a few conditions.
- These are NOT for resale. Please do not take this as an opportunity to get a bunch of cheap idolomantis to sell at a higher rate elsewhere. I have a limited amount for this and really want to see this project through.
- I need to get weekly or biweekly reports on how they are doing. What you have found helpful and what seems to cause issues. Does not have to be elaborate, but at least a quick update.
- I would need pictures of your setups and any ideas and recommendations for improvements that you gain while raising them.
- I will be keeping a log on my website of everyone’s progress. Hopefully, enough of us get through to the end to see some breeding and laying ooths. Either way, we will learn a lot.
If you are interested, shoot me an email with the subject “Idolomantis project” or message me on facebook.
