# Selective breeding



## Butterflyhornet (Nov 7, 2006)

I'm wondering if anyone has tried selectively breeding mantids for certain traits like health, size, color, or "personality" so to speak?

it'd be interesting to see if insects can be selectivly breed like other animals people keep domesticated.


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## yen_saw (Nov 7, 2006)

I have never done that before but one way or another i think we are actually doing a selective breeding by choosing the brightest or largest to breed. I believed insect can be selectively breed for a purpose.


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## robo mantis (Nov 7, 2006)

ya like some people like different blood line mantids so they are healthier like someone in the U.S. trades an american mantis male with one from the UK so you get healthy looking mantids


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## humantis (Feb 19, 2007)

In other kinds of breeding one of the easier things to do is breed for vigor, i.e. healthier. But I wonder if anyone's actually done this in a documented fashion? I assume mantids don't hybridize much if at all...


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## OGIGA (Feb 20, 2007)

I want to breed some huge mantises from the same bloodline. However, I think it'll take too long and I'm not patient enough.


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## humantis (Feb 20, 2007)

Well, if you consider that most only live a year or so (give or take) then breeding mantids is a lot easier than many botanicals or other animals. And you'd probably want to diversify the bloodline - breed the biggest from separate broods - in order to avoid too much inbreeding.

I'm interested in breeding one that'll thrive in my particular climate: not to introduce into the wild but so I don't have to have anything electrical running in their habitat if possible. It runs on the chilly &amp; damp side where I live.


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