Stick Bugs

[kgallego]

Does anyone have any experience with breeding stick bugs? I have them outside my house, and I'd like to breed them as a staple food source. I don't want to feed the ones outside because of pesticides. My questions are:

What plants do they eat?

How fast do they reproduce?

What husbandry conditions do they need as far as lighting?

Thanks!

 

[Kate]

Does anyone have any experience with breeding stick bugs? I have them outside my house, and I'd like to breed them as a staple food source. I don't want to feed the ones outside because of pesticides. My questions are:

What plants do they eat?

How fast do they reproduce?

What husbandry conditions do they need as far as lighting?

Thanks!

Can't answer all your questions but I feed mine bramble. The adults lay lots of eggs but they take 5-6 months to hatch. I just keep mine at room temps.

 

[kgallego]

Can't answer all your questions but I feed mine bramble. The adults lay lots of eggs but they take 5-6 months to hatch. I just keep mine at room temps.

Thanks for the info. How many eggs are considered "lots?" What do you do with the eggs? Just let them sit at room temp until they hatch?

 

[SSimsswiSS]

Does anyone have any experience with breeding stick bugs? I have them outside my house, and I'd like to breed them as a staple food source. I don't want to feed the ones outside because of pesticides. My questions are:

What plants do they eat?

How fast do they reproduce?

What husbandry conditions do they need as far as lighting?

Thanks!

Do you have a picture of one? Many people call praying mantis stick bugs. So need to truely know what you have outside your house.

 

[kgallego]

Do you have a picture of one? Many people call praying mantis stick bugs. So need to truely know what you have outside your house.

They're stick bugs, walking sticks, stick insect, or whatever other names that they're called. They're not mantids.

 

[SSimsswiSS]

Thanks for the info. How many eggs are considered "lots?" What do you do with the eggs? Just let them sit at room temp until they hatch?

I round up the eggs, and place them on top of a damp paper towel inside a deli cup. And depending on species take 3 to 18 months to hatch.

 

[kgallego]

I round up the eggs, and place them on top of a damp paper towel inside a deli cup. And depending on species take 3 to 18 months to hatch.

Wow! 18 months! lol, in that case I might as well time them with a batch of parsons eggs, lol. Thanks for the input!

 

[SSimsswiSS]

Wow! 18 months! lol, in that case I might as well time them with a batch of parsons eggs, lol. Thanks for the input!

If their Indian walking sticks, your wait will be quick. And their all females, so no mating involved. Unlike these Austrailian sticks that have both sexes.

 

[kgallego]

If their Indian walking sticks, your wait will be quick. And their all females, so no mating involved. Unlike these Austrailian sticks that have both sexes.

They look very very similar. How quick is quick?

 

[laurie]

If their Indian walking sticks, your wait will be quick. And their all females, so no mating involved. Unlike these Austrailian sticks that have both sexes.

Now those are some seriously cool sticks.

 

[SSimsswiSS]

They look very very similar. How quick is quick?

If they are the Austailian prickly sticks, you have about a 6 month wait.