Feeding Guide for Praying Mantids

Feeding Guide for Praying Mantids – From Fruit Flies to Blue Bottles

Looking after your praying mantis starts with understanding how, what, and when to feed it. Whether you're raising your first L2 nymph or managing a collection of adult mantises, this guide will walk you through every feeding stage — from fruit flies to blue bottle flies, and beyond.

🐣 Feeding Young Nymphs (L2–L3)

At this stage, most mantises will happily feed on Drosophila hydei or melanogaster fruit flies, depending on their size. Keep your mantis’s abdomen nicely rounded — not overstuffed, not skinny. On average, young nymphs will eat 5–10 fruit flies every 2 to 3 days.

Tip: A 16oz culture of fruit flies will last about 2–3 weeks for up to 5 mantises. For larger collections, upgrade to a 32oz or keep multiple 16oz cultures on hand.

🌡️ Caring for Your Fruit Fly Culture

  • Keep cultures at 22–25°C (room temperature)

  • Too hot? The flies hatch too fast.

  • Too cold? They’ll slow down or die.

  • If the media looks dry, give it a light mist with water.

🧃 How to Feed Fruit Flies Without the Chaos

Tap the culture to move flies to the bottom. Remove the lid or sponge, then gently shake flies into your mantis’s enclosure. For larger collections, use a 10oz cup lined with a thin layer of Vaseline around the rim to stop flies from escaping — easy, efficient, and mess-free.

🐛 Time to Upgrade: When Fruit Flies Aren’t Enough

If your mantis seems uninterested in fruit flies or is eating them like snacks without looking fuller, it’s time to scale up to Green Bottle Fly pupae (castors).

🪰 Feeding with Green Bottle Flies (Castors)

Once hatched, these flies are perfect for mantises in mid to late instars. Here's how to get the most out of your castors:

  • Store them in a ventilated container at room temperature until flies hatch

  • Once hatched, move them to the fridge to slow them down and extend their lifespan (up to 10 days)

  • You can revive sluggish flies with a bit of tissue soaked in diluted honey water

Feed 3–4 green bottle flies every 2–3 days, depending on the mantis’s size and appetite.

💪 The Final Step: Blue Bottle Flies & Bigger Prey

As your mantis matures, it will be ready for Blue Bottle Flies, which are larger and more filling — one blue bottle can easily replace several green bottles. This is also the perfect time to introduce variety into their diet:

✅ Recommended Alternatives:

  • Red Runner Roaches: Fast-moving and perfect for active hunters

  • Locusts: Great hunters' prey, but remove uneaten ones quickly to avoid injury

  • Waxworms: A high-fat treat — offer occasionally, not regularly

🔍 Know Your Species – Feeding Style Matters

Every mantis hunts differently:

  • Leaf Mantises (e.g. Deroplatys lobata, Phyllocrania paradoxa) are ambush predators and prefer flying prey like bottle flies

  • Flower & Giant Mantises (e.g. Creobroter, Sphodromantis, Hierodula) are active hunters and will chase down roaches, flies, and even locusts

Final Tips for Mantis Feeding Success

  • Always feed prey smaller than or equal to half the mantis size

  • Remove uneaten prey after 24 hours

  • Never feed wild-caught insects — they may carry parasites or pesticides

  • Adjust feeding frequency as your mantis grows and molts

💬 Have Questions or Tips to Share?

We love hearing from fellow keepers! If you have a feeding trick or want to know more about a specific species, don’t hesitate to get in touch or follow us on social media for updates and care tips.