How I Keep My Stick Bugs

Replenishing Food

In my neighborhood I have Indigo plants. They are very healthy bushes and every 3-4 days I will change out the old cuttings for the stick bugs and give them fresh new cuttings. Once I am finished placing the new branches, I will mist them. The stick bugs enjoy this part and they will even wait by the walls of the tank to make it easier for them to drink. They will drink from the little dew drops that gather on the glass walls. It is a fairly easy process, but it takes me longer if I have more stick bugs to remove from the old cuttings. I usually remove them by using a tweezer, gripping an old branch cutting, and giving the tweezer a few hard raps on the edge of the tank. This results in the stick bugs getting shaken off. It is a lot easier than my older method of individually removing each of them. Stick Bugs are ‘sticky’ and will grip onto a branch, making it a little bit harder to remove. Multiply that by over 20, and that takes a long time. So, shaking them off the branch is the best method I’ve developed.

Babies!

One of the possibities that comes with stick bug husbandry is….babies! My Western Short horned stick bugs engage in parthenogenesis, the ability to produce eggs without a male. This results in little stick bug eggs that look like grains of rice. It usually takes a few weeks for the babies to hatch. This is why I got a step further in stick bug care by having a container to hold the eggs. This makes the process easier when I have to clean the stick bug’s tank without having to worry about any eggs get swept away during the cleaning process. I remove the eggs by using my finger to rub them until they come off the wall or tank lid. This doesn’t hurt the eggs, it just loosens the glue on them. As long as I don’t apply a strong amount of pressure, it won’t damage the embryos inside. Once it comes loose, a plop it into the new container which is filled with Eco Earth substrate as well. Once the eggs hatch, I move the nymphs into a small container. Once they reach the size of 1/2 -2 inches I move them into the main tank (or ‘grown up tank’) It’s an easier process for me for a few reasons.

1. It’s easier to keep track of the stick bugs.

2. The Indigo plants have flowers. Once the flowers dry, it is like velcro and the babies, which are lighter and more delicate than the adults, can get stuck onto them and then die of dehydration. So I pare the flowers off the fresh branches for the babies.

3. It prevents the babies from being crushed by older stick bugs, or removing that scenario.

The babies are very cute and it is very satisfying to watch them grow bigger and bigger. Sadly, some do not make it due to being sickly or experiencing a bad molt, but it is a way higher survival rate for the brood overall than if they were in the wild.

Tank Cleaning

Every 3-6 months the stick bugs tanks will get, what I call , a ‘deep cleaning.’ I have two tanks for the stick bugs. This results in easier transportation into a cleaner tank for the bugs. I will fill the old tank with about 3-4 inches of fresh Eco Earth substrate and get fresh cuttings. I will then move the stick bugs into the new tank. It is a more lengthy process than getting them fresh cuttings since I have to individually pick them up with a tweezer (or my hand) to transport them. I am very careful when moving each of them into their new clean area. Once I have done so, I turn my attention to cleaning the old tank. Before I was the tank out with my garden hose, I will check the tank to see if there are any eggs. It usually doesn’t take too long if I stay on top of removing the eggs and putting them in their own container. Then i rinse the tank out, use paper towel to dry it off. It is a pretty easy process. The length of time depends on how many stick bugs I have to move. For the babies in their little tanks, I do the same. Thing I just use little containers and cycle them out.