Hello from North Texas.

[Sapper]

Hello from North Texas, I go by the name Sapper. I spent some time in the Army. I am married with kids in college. I have been thinking of getting some Mantids for a while. I have been doing alot of reading on the Forums. which have been full of helpful information. I also got the book buy Orin. i have made some fly cultures with flies from the back yard. House flies and Green bottle flies. Next i will try some Wax moths. I want to get the feeders down before I get a Mantis. I have been thinking of getting a few Euchomonella Macrops when I am ready. I do have one question, my wife is on board with the mantids and the feeders all except roaches and crickets. she is fine with beetles. any help on which beetles are good for large mantis would be welcomed.

 

[sally]

Welcome from Il. Make sure you have mels or Hydei fruit flies for the very small nymphs. There are threads on culturing those as well.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Anything she does not like is not a prob, they eat most anything, and some only get crickets for their whole life or flies, so a variety of what u will offer is great. welcome!

 

[aNisip]

Welcome to the forum from Florida! You can also culture mealworms and superworms...as they are beetles when adult, and the mantises will eat them!

All the best,

Andrew

 

[ismart]

Welcome!

 

[thalassarche]

Welcome!

While there's strong feelings that a varied diet is beneficial to mantises, many live full lives and reproduce well on a diet of fruitflies-houseflies-bottleflies.

 

[twolfe]

Welcome from Minnesota.

I have never used roaches as feeders. I don't have anything against them. I just don't have any cultures. If you want to avoid using crickets, I'd stay away from Deroplatys desiccata. I feed bb flies to most of my adults in the winter with an occasional mealworm (darkling beetle larvae) now and then. In the summer I try to give my adult mantids some wild caught insects. My D desiccata would not take bb flies as adults, and I am feeding them crickets.

 

[ScienceGirl]

Welcome, and good luck!

 

[Rick]

Welcome. I too was a sapper. When/where did you serve?

 

[Sapper]

Rick. spent some time with the Pershing 2 in Waldheide outside of Heilbronn west Germany. until i had a missile expole in my face. in Jan 1985. the Army decided to send me to Schweinfurt with the 9th eng battalion I stayed there until my ETS.

Tammy, That's good to know. i was thinking of getting some D desiccata once i get some [SIZE=10.5pt]experience with some other Mantis.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]To everybody else thank you. [/SIZE]