Northern Walking Stick (Diapheromera femorata)
Size
Females up to 9.5cm (3.7in)
Males up to 7.5cm (3in)
Moisture
50-70% humidity
Spray daily, they enjoy a good drink
Early instars need higher humidity
Temperature
22-27°C (72-80°F)
Sexing
Sexable at i4/i5. Males will begin to develop claspers, pincer-like circi at the tip of the abdomen. Females will grow larger and more robust, and have a tapered abdomen. Females will develop a flat-end segment. Adult males are brown; females are greenish-brown and larger.
Lifespan
They appear to live anywhere from 4-6 months, including nymph stages. Mine generally follow the leaves, existing May-October. They naturally expire in time for the leaves to drop.
Instars
It is believed that they molt 7 times, maybe more. Phasmids eat their molts, so it's harder to track them. They molt similarly to a mantis, so please provide 4 times the length of the animal in molting space. Once they hit a larger instar they start growing FAST.
Feeding
Young nymphs (i1/i2) may need their leaves torn or cut to allow easier eating. Replace leaves every 1-3 days depending on their state. Keep fresh leaves always available 24/7. Snip branches and keep the ends in a container of freshwater to keep them good longer. This species consumes Oak (Quercus sp.). I have successfully raised mine on white (Q. alba) and northern red (Q. rubra) with the occasional offering of pin oak (Q. palustris). Other varieties of oak are likely to work as well. They have also been known to host on cherry (Prunus sp.) and hazelnut (Corylus sp.).
Enclosure
Estimates for enclosure size are based on a cohabitated group of 10-15. For a single phasmid or a pair, a 1x1x1ft pop up can be used. For large volumes of phasmids, I reccomend upsizing early and using a 24x24x36 inch pop up for adults. Bigger will not hurt.
Make sure fresh leaves are always available and that the container of water your leaves are in is sturdy. All of my individuals are cohabitated, never aggressive. They do however walk over each other, so I provide plenty of space for multiple individuals.
- i1-i3: 32oz deli container with poke ventilation to retain humidity
- i3-i5: 12x12x12 inch pop up mesh or larger
- i6-adult: 15.7x15.7x23.6 inch pop up mesh or larger
Breeding
Males will hitch a ride on the back of a female and connect abdomen for several hours. They are polygynandrous; females will mate many times with many males. One female can produce over 250 eggs each. Oviposition begins in late August, peaks during mid-September, and tails off at the end of September. Females will continue to lay until late October until most of the green foliage is no longer present.
Other Information
These hatched after a chilled diapause of ~3 months+. Leave them to overwinter outside in a container or put them in a fridge. Make sure leaves are available when you pull them out of cold storage. I have occasionally noted an odd straggler that hatches way after others, often many months behind. I am still looking into this oddity.
Yes, they do the dance. Yes, you will get stickbugged.