How do I keep a Katydid alive all Winter?

Question

There is a Katydid hanging on the front door screen. How would I keep it alive all winter if I brought it inside and kept it?

Answer 1

If would be difficult to keep it all Winter for a number of reasons.

First, you'd have to find out exactly what species it is and what their hostplant is. Then you would have to have a Winter source for that hostplant. (Not an easy task)

Secondly, most katydids only live 4-6 months as an adult, and since the one you found is probably an adult already, it may be 1-2 months old by now.

Best to leave it be, breed and complete its' lifecycle naturally.

Answer 2

Katydid, cicadas, grasshoppers and crickets don't survive well in captivity. It's best to just let nature take it's course.

Answer 3

it probably wouldn't last that long even in the wild

Answer 4

ive kept katydids before.. in fact i have some alive in my room right now.. you have to clean the tank often (every 2 - 4 days) because it gets messy really quick.. they p**p a lot..

the cage will need some small air holes for ventilation.. it will also need soil and some plants to climb on.. in order for the females to lay eggs the soil needs to be about 5 cm deep.. keep it similar to the habitat it was in..

you have to research what species of katydid it is.. most are omnivores but some are carnivores and it eats other small insects.. they are cannibals so avoid keeping too many.. try feeding varieties of foods like carrots, cucumber, eggplant, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, lettus, grapes, chicken meat, sashimi, niboshi (dried fish snacks), grasshopper, cicada, mosquitos, beetle larvae worms.. change the food everyday.. dont forget to give it some water..

put it in a warm shaded area away from the sunlight.. the sunlight will overheat the cage and will kill the katydids.. keep it indoor if its too cold outside.. this will expand its longitivity but it might not make it through the winter.. the male will die after mating with the females..

the female will die after it lays all its eggs in the fall.. the eggs will hatch in the spring time..