Stackable Communal Mantis Enclosures



This was my old mantis setup.

When I enjoyed my mantis hobby in the past it was, for the most part, an exercise in dealing with deli cups. Plastic deli cups are not necessarily a bad thing, but they require a deal of time to ensure that each cup has the exact right humidity and temperature. What better way for me to save time on maintaining many deli cups than to keep multiple mantids in the same enclosure.

 




The mini communal container with holes drilled in

 

 

 The idea for the stackable container came from the fact that I saw many people who screened their mantis cages on the sides and that I did not want to deal with maintaining the mantis enclosure from the top, because mantids (and flying insects) tend to stay at the top of the container, where they try to get out each time the enclosure is opened. The containers I decided on were about the same height as a deli cup, so – for molting purposes I am restricted to raising mantids that are 2 ½ inches or less.

 

 

How the Deli Lid fits onto the container

 

 

After doing some measurement I determined that I could use a hole-saw drill attachment to make deli-sized holes and hopefully put on deli lids to ensure easy access to mantids and food without having anyone try to get out. All containers had fiberglass window screen on one side (without lids) and fiberglass window screen on the lids. Two of the containers had mesh screen added to accommodate younger nymphs – so that the smaller fruit flies or springtails do not get out.

 

 




Some kind of dry weed material from Southern Arizona

 

 

 

Next came the branches. I had noticed some very pretty-looking weeds that had been growing in the medians in my neighborhood and had decided to save some for my mantid containers. It is a good thing too, because shortly after gathering these branches a clean-up crew came and removed the remainder of these pretty plants. I gathered both large and dwarf sizes to accommodate different container sizes.

 




A dwarf version of the same plant for smaller containers

The container itself is screened on nearly all sides, with a gap between the screen and the plastic side supported by craft popsicle sticks that are glued on the inside of the container. This enables mantids that require better grip as they travel around the container to be able to curl their feet around their climbing material. The top was screened in a similar manner, without ventilation. Feeding holes were also drilled to allow me to glue on Almond milk lids. The flat back surface made them perfect for this application and will work great when funneling insects in.



The inside of the communal container with screen top and sides

 


To keep humidity high, small condiment deli cups were filled with water and capped with a fine screen lid to keep small fruit flies out. Then moss was added for additional humidity control. Though I had used pearlite in the past, it is no where near as aesthetically appealing.



The communal container with moss and small cups with water for humidity.

 

 

In relation to electrical components, a double incandescent aquarium hood with CFLs lights the area. Two heat mats provide heat in the cold of the winter while only one heat mat is required during the summer. The lower heat mat is maintained by a temperature controller with a probe maintains the temperature as close to 80°F as possible. Two thermometer/hydrometers are also present in two of the containers to ensure that humidity and temperature are kept as constant as possible.

 

 

Outside the container, with a thermometer/hydrometer inside.

 

So – here is the final product: my small communal mantis enclosures.

My setup with fruit fly cultures below and shoes above