# Hello! Yet another from Southern California!



## wereshark (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello all!

I stumbled across this forum, thanks in part to google, but mostly by my drive to find out as much information as I possibly can about something I've become interested in. I've always loved all things living, for the most part, which led me to a degree in Biology that sadly never really panned out to anything useful as a stand alone career. I currently reside in southern California in the "Inland Empire", near San Bernadino.

My curiosity in mantids started about few months ago, when there was an neat promo on woot.com that featured InsectLore's preying mantis kit geared toward kids. I have two little daughter that are in their curious stage in life and I figure I'd introduce them to praying mantids and other beneficial creatures. I got the kit and then got the mail away ootheca, which then prompted me to realize I knew absolutely nothing about how to properly care for the nymphs once they hatched. The kit while great for viewing are hardly what I'd describe as the ideal habitat for any insect, much less praying mantids. The ootheca haven't hatched fortunately since the nights here are still kind of cold, but I intend to raise them as properly as possible, both for my children's enjoyment and my piece of mind that I'm giving the mantids a proper shot at life. I've raised a myriad of odd and exotic small pets in my own childhood, such as fish, birds, mice, snakes, lizards, turtles,scorpions and a tarantula. I guess it never occurred to me that a praying mantis would make a wonderful pet, until now. I figure I'd try to absorb as much of the veteran advice of the forums to make my mantis experience for the whole family a good one!


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## lancaster1313 (Apr 22, 2011)

Welcome.  I too , have ordered from InsectLore. I am pleased with their butterflies, ladybugs, and toys, but haven't ordered the ootheca because I can pick those up down the street at Sears garden gate.  

They make it sound easy to raise
_Tenodera sinensis_
, and give vague instructions on their care. This is the place to learn, if you wan't to properly care for your mantids.


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## Mr.Mantid (Apr 22, 2011)

Welcome.


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## hibiscusmile (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello to you and yours! glad another interested member!


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## more_rayne (Apr 22, 2011)

Welcome fellow SoCaler, you'll find many of us on here.


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## kitkat39 (Apr 22, 2011)

Welcome fellow SoCaler =)


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## patrickfraser (Apr 22, 2011)

WOOT WOOT!!! WEST COAST!!! SO. CAL!!! Welcome


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## myzticalboi (Apr 22, 2011)

Howdy socaler #456


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## sporeworld (Apr 22, 2011)

Another "warm" (get it?) welcome from a fellow SoCal rez.

Welcome!


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## Rick (Apr 23, 2011)

Welcome


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## Termite48 (Apr 23, 2011)

Welcome to you in San Berdoo from Rich S in Carson, not a far distance, and I hope you will tap the vast amount of knowledge and good will here.


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## patrickfraser (Apr 23, 2011)

Sporeworld said:


> Another "warm" (get it?) welcome from a fellow SoCal rez.
> 
> Welcome!


Going to be really warm next week


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## animalexplorer (Apr 23, 2011)

Greetings! Always nice to have a somewhat close neighbor. Ok, ok, so there is a state inbetween us.


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## kamakiri (Apr 26, 2011)

Welcome!

All the new SoCal people are making me think we should have some secret underground mantis swap-meets! :lol: Too bad we don't have basements here...


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## NecroticSnail (Apr 27, 2011)

Yey, more SoCal mantis fans! Welcome, I hope your kids love the mantids when they hatch. They're charming little critters and this is the best place to learn about them.


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## PhilinYuma (Apr 27, 2011)

Welcome from Yuma!. I couldn't find Socal on my Map of North America. Is it a fairly small town?


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## wyethia (Apr 27, 2011)

Welcome to the group! I found this group in the same roundabout way through insect lore! I must say--my ootheca from them did hatch and I'm lucky that I already had a larger enclosure (actually, their butterfly enclosure) because their "praying mantin mansion" is too small for chinese ooths. Though I will say--they just tell you to release them all, which defeats the point of learning about mantids  

My ooth didn't hatch for 5 weeks, so hang in there.

wyethia

(Socal just stands for southern California, a region, not a town.)


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## kamakiri (May 1, 2011)

Wyethia said:


> (Socal just stands for southern California, a region, not a town.)


Phil's just kidding...he's just jealous of the SoCal majority here...and that we probably have more ARIZONA bordered mantis (_S. limbata_) here!


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