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Back in late September one of my best friends got arrested and has been in jail since then. In mid October his mom asked if I'd take some of his reptiles off her hands to make it easier for her. I took a few of his lizards and one of them, a marbled gecko, got loose when we were transferring it...

I recently received some H. multispina oothecae and I house them each in their own 80oz insect cup. The problem is, I didn't consider just how many would hatch out and how I'd get food and water to them without it being a big hassle. I need foam stoppers and I don't have time to order them over...

Recently my best friend got arrested and right now it's unclear how long he will be incarcerated. The problem is, he left behind a variety of reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and plants and his mother, who has no experience raising anything but plants, has to care for them alone. I...

Has anyone heard of any flightless or wingless house flies being sold anywhere? Do they even exist? As most of you know, scientists have managed to remove use of the wings, or the wings all together, of the two fruit fly species commonly used in our hobby through genetics, but what about larger...

I will be moving into a new house within the next two months. My family is approved for the loan and we are just waiting on some further negotiations based on some things an inspector found wrong with the house. I'm really excited because the house has so much more room than my current place and...

After a long hiatus from keeping mantids, I recently got back into the hobby by collecting adults of the two local species in the wild. But without something exotic, or at least non-native, I still felt like I hadn't quite got fully back into the hobby yet; however, after getting some...

Recently I found a new T. sinensis female in the wild and today I decided to try and mate her. I gave her a cricket and took out the extra male I had that hadn't got a chance to mate yet. When I put him near the female, he clamped down on the tip of my finger and wouldn't let go. It didn't hurt...

I have some Tenodera sinensis (Chinese mantis) and Mantis religiosa (European mantis) for sale or exchange. I also have T. sinensis oothecae available and will have M. religiosa oothecae available shortly as well. I would preferably like to trade but I will sell T. sinensis for $10 and M...

Today I found a cheapo digital camera at a garage sale and thought I'd test it out. The photos turned out better than I had expected, but I really need to buy a nice camera. Mantis religiosa female eating a cricket. Tenodera sinensis male feasting. Same M. religiosa as above.

Today I made a simple fly trap using a plastic bottle and a funnel with meat or some other attractant in the bottom. I've used these before and they work fairly well. I'm just wondering what those of you who catch your own feeders use to trap the insects with. I'd like to find a good design for...

After recently discovering a vacant lot teeming with mantids and catching two Tenodera sinensis females, three males, as well as a female and male Mantis religiosa, I came home today to find the larger T. sinensis female had laid an ootheca on a fake plant in her enclosure! I had a feeling that...

Hi everyone, I used to post here from late 2008 through early 2009 but went inactive from both the hobby and the forum due to personal/medical reasons. My name is Jay, I'm 22 (will be 23 this month) and I live in Northwestern Pennsylvania. I had plans to order a few species but a friend and I...

I recently had a P. paradoxa L3 nymph die unexpectedly after experiencing symptoms I have never seen before. At first, I thought it was going to molt as it had been refusing food (D. hydei) and was very stationary. It really didn't seem to be that uncommon; it looked like any other mantis that...

Hi everyone, I am planning on traveling to New York City for an event in Manhattan in March of this year and I have never been to New York before. I am wondering if anyone here has been to, or lives in NYC, and could help me out with some advice. The place I'm going to is on Chambers Street and...

I found a stink bug in my house and I always like to give my mantids variety. I am just wondering if it is safe to feed it one of my mantids, and if my mantid will eat it. Thank you!

I am completely out of food, and because of the holiday, no stores are open within 50 miles of my house. That being the case, my mantids are going to be without food until Friday and some haven't eaten in a while as it is. So, how long can an L6-L7 male Sphodromantis lineola go without food? He...

I had to get a space heater for my room because it's so cold in here. I put in a thermometer yesterday and it was at 59 degrees F when it got dark and hit a high point of 65 degrees F during the afternoon. I know there are points where it drops below 59 in here too, as when I feel cold, it's...

Does anyone have any Blepharopsis mendica sub-adults or adults for sale? I would like to get a few males and a female if anyone has any to spare. I am in the U.S. and in a cold climate so I will need express shipping along with measures to protect from cold. I will pay with paypal only. PM me...

Lately, I have been pondering what I should do with the rest of my life. I am strongly considering studying entomology and finding work in this field someday down the road. What I am wondering is the following. Are there any entomologists here on the forums who have gone to college to become...

When I was reading the answers to my question about stochastic extinction (see: http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=12502) a thought popped into my head. How exactly do species get introduced into the breeding stock of the U.S., or other countries for that matter. I'm just...