This winter has not been a good one for the eggs. First of all, a number of them were attached to the top of the cage, rather than just dropped to the bottom of the cage. So I couldn't keep those ones moist. I tried removing a few, and they broke, so finally I left them there. I managed to round up maybe 15 to 20 and kept them in an open-lid container on a moist paper towel, within the main cage. But a number of them had gone mouldy, and I have even thrown a few away that looked too mouldy to be good anymore.
Today, when I was replacing the blackberry leaves, I was telling my daughter that I hope I will have a few hatch, so I can continue the cycle. Already, 2 females (the original Grandma & one of the Moms) and 1 male (original one or offspring, I don't know) have died.
Then my daughter pointed out that there were babies in the cage. Sure enough, there were 3 of them! (And one of them had already escaped around the corner, and was on the outside of the cage! They all looked very newborn. Adorable. I was ecstatic. Here is a photo of two of the little darlings.
I can't wait to tell all the friends to whom I gave stick bugs, and my sister (who bought me the original pair of walking stick bugs), that they should watch out for babies arriving soon.
2 comments:
Wow, these are cool! Do they gobble other indoor bugs? All of a sudden I'm seeing aphids everywhere...
Kate - No, I understand that these guys are strictly vegetarian, and are quite restricted in their diet at that - either oak leaves or brambles (e.g. blackberries). Fortunately (or unfortunately!), I have lots of blackberries nearby, and the leaves are evergreen. So no help with your aphid problem - I'd suggest just squishing them.
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