# Where do you guys buy your feeders, ooths, mantids, etc???



## sbugir (Aug 17, 2009)

Hello,

Just curious where you guys n gals buy your supplies? I'm assuming a lot buy em off of here and bugsincyber, but where else is a good place to purchase necessities?

Thanks in advance!


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## Katnapper (Aug 17, 2009)

Check out the "Other Feedback" section for lots of websites, places, and companies to get feeders and supplies from. The added advantage to checking out this section is the reviews on each one from people who have purchased from them in the past.

Also check out this thread... it should be helpful.  

10 Must-Have Online Mantid Resources, New guy here would like to know some great websites for Mantid info.

My main feeder suppliers are SpiderPharm, Grubco, Forked Tree Ranch, LLL Reptile, Josh's Frogs, and I can't think of any more off the top of my head!


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## sbugir (Aug 17, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Check out the "Other Feedback" section for lots of websites, places, and companies to get feeders and supplies from. The added advantage to checking out this section is the reviews on each one from people who have purchased from them in the past.Also check out this thread... it should be helpful.
> 
> 10 Must-Have Online Mantid Resources, New guy here would like to know some great websites for Mantid info.
> 
> My main feeder suppliers are SpiderPharm, Grubco, Forked Tree Ranch, LLL Reptile, Josh's Frogs, and I can't think of any more off the top of my head!


Thanks for the links/thread thingy! Really appreciate it man!


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## PhilinYuma (Aug 17, 2009)

lemmiwinks said:


> Thanks for the links/thread thingy! Really appreciate it man!


(Shhh! Katnapper's a girl!  )


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## Katnapper (Aug 18, 2009)

PhilinYuma said:


> (Shhh! Katnapper's a girl!  )


No I'm not.... I'm all woman!!  :lol:  

You're very much welcome, lemmiwinks! I hope you find helpful information and leads to good suppliers.


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## sbugir (Aug 18, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> No I'm not.... I'm all woman!!  :lol:  You're very much welcome, lemmiwinks! I hope you find helpful information and leads to good suppliers.


Oh... sorry about the discrepancies! anyway Thanks a lot for the thread! and uh sorry about that


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## Katnapper (Aug 18, 2009)

lemmiwinks said:


> Oh... sorry about the discrepancies! anyway Thanks a lot for the thread! and uh sorry about that


No problem.... I thought nothing about it. Phil is just a stickler for correctness, hehe!  Actually, I'd rather be considered as "one of the guys," than affiliated with some of the stereotypical prissy and wretched women in the world.


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## Rick (Aug 18, 2009)

Grubco for flies, carolina.com among others for fruit flies, wormman for crickets and as far as supplies I bought an initial amount of 32 oz insect cups, foam plugs, etc several years ago. Many things will work for mantids that were originally designed for something else.


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 18, 2009)

Check out my site too!


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## Katnapper (Aug 18, 2009)

hibiscusmile said:


> Check out my site too!


Don't worry, Rebecca.... your site is on the above-mentioned list in the linked thread.


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## ABbuggin (Aug 18, 2009)

I get my blue bottle and house fly pupae from Becky's site (mantisplace.com). A bit cheaper than the rest, and ships fast. One of the few dealers that I have not had any problems with DOA's. B) I like Grubco also, but they only sell maggots. I would rather deal with pupae because they keep better and hatch sooner into flies.


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## Rick (Aug 18, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> I get my blue bottle and house fly pupae from Becky's site (mantisplace.com). A bit cheaper than the rest, and ships fast. One of the few dealers that I have not had any problems with DOA's. B) I like Grubco also, but they only sell maggots. I would rather deal with pupae because they keep better and hatch sooner into flies.


Disagree with you on them keeping better than maggots.


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## Opivy (Aug 18, 2009)

I only have two mantids, so I've been catching house flies by hitting them with a swatter just enough to stun em'.

BTW, is your name a south park reference? Gotta love that gerbil.


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## sbugir (Aug 18, 2009)

Opivy said:


> I only have two mantids, so I've been catching house flies by hitting them with a swatter just enough to stun em'. BTW, is your name a south park reference? Gotta love that gerbil.


haha alright, thanks! and yeah it's off of south park!


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## ABbuggin (Aug 18, 2009)

Rick said:


> Disagree with you on them keeping better than maggots.


That's true with house fly pupae (only last 10 days or so), but I've kept blue bottle pupae in the fridge for up to 3 months, all hatching just fine. I found that if the maggots were in the fridge for that long, a decent portion wouldn't pupate, and instead just died.


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## Rick (Aug 18, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> That's true with house fly pupae (only last 10 days or so), but I've kept blue bottle pupae in the fridge for up to 3 months, all hatching just fine. I found that if the maggots were in the fridge for that long, a decent portion wouldn't pupate, and instead just died.


Maybe I had bad ones. My maggots can do two months but I usually use them up by that time.


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 18, 2009)

hummm, I never counted the time, but I know my old ones will hatch smaller and smaller numbers and most just walk not fly as their wings are a bit crinckled. But you may be keeping them at a better temp than I am. I know some of the guys on the Chameleon forum can keep theirs for a couple mts too. Course I go thru about 15 hundred a day, so mine no longer are around longer than a week or two at the most. But what I do is order maggots and only a couple cups of pupae to fullfill orders that come in sooner than my maggots pupae. I pupae my own and place in fridge so that way they do last me longer. But as I said, I do order some already pupae in case I have a lot of orders I need to fill till my new ones are ready, but if not sold, trust me they dont go to waste :lol:


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## ismart (Aug 19, 2009)

Here is a list of places off the top of my head.

Carolina.com

Bugsincyberspace.com

Mantisplace.com

Spiderpharm.com

Grubco.com

Insectstore.com

Bioquip.com

Livemonarch.com


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## planetq (Aug 19, 2009)

I get all my supplies from Mantisplace.

It's so convenient. And you never know what you will get as an extra surprise.

Props to Rebecca!


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## PhilinYuma (Aug 19, 2009)

This is a good opportunity to mention The Fruit Fly Shop (DBA The Silkworm Shop) in CA. I have never received other than excellent service from them and although their ffs and culture (sent in two pots) cost $8.50, you can order the pot of flies alone for $5.75 making this probably the least expensive ff vendor around.


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## Katnapper (Aug 19, 2009)

PhilinYuma said:


> This is a good opportunity to mention The Fruit Fly Shop (DBA The Silkworm Shop) in CA. I have never received other than excellent service from them and although their ffs and culture (sent in two pots) cost $8.50, you can order the pot of flies alone for $5.75 making this probably the least expensive ff vendor around.


What a coincidence... I just ordered from them (well, from their affiliated site "The Live Fish Food Shop"). Will post a review when I get my order. It's in transit right now.

I hadn't had to order ff's for a while, because mine were doing well. But I went through a period when I was sick, then recouperating and unmotivated, and my cultures have almost died out. So.... $92.45 later.... my ff's are on their way. That'll teach me to keep up on my cultures!!


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## sbugir (Aug 19, 2009)

Not too sound nosy or anything but, so far, what has been your most expensive purchase?


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## Katnapper (Aug 20, 2009)

lemmiwinks said:


> Not too sound nosy or anything but, so far, what has been your most expensive purchase?


Which one, lol. I've spent well over $300.00 at once several times on various supplies off the top of my head (mainly cups, ff's, ff mix, feeders). Would have to think about it or search back through my records.

You know lots of people think mantis keeping is easy and cheap. It can be... depending what kind/age, and how many you have. But if you have a lot..... it takes a consistently substantial amount to keep your hobby going. And then some people wonder why prices for mantids sometimes seem high. I tell you, prices of mantids are nowhere near what I spend compared to housing, feeding, feeder food, shipping, various and assorted supplies, etc. costs! But it does help some, of course!


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## sbugir (Aug 20, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Which one, lol. I've spent well over $300.00 at once several times on various supplies off the top of my head (mainly cups, ff's, ff mix, feeders). Would have to think about it or search back through my records. You know lots of people think mantis keeping is easy and cheap. It can be... depending what kind/age, and how many you have. But if you have a lot..... it takes a consistently substantial amount to keep your hobby going. And then some people wonder why prices for mantids sometimes seem high. I tell you, prices of mantids are nowhere near what I spend compared to housing, feeding, feeder food, shipping, various and assorted supplies, etc. costs! But it does help some, of course!


Geez! Yeah it's not cheap at all...

Speaking of Mantids, are those Nebulosa still for sale?

I probably should be pming you.


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## Katnapper (Aug 20, 2009)

lemmiwinks said:


> Geez! Yeah it's not cheap at all...Speaking of Mantids, are those Nebulosa still for sale?
> 
> I probably should be pming you.


PM sent.  

Yes, last week I purchased a Grindmaster 100 commercial coffee grinder to grind ingredients for cricket and roach food. I hope my husband doesn't see that bill! And I ordered some more crickets (3000) that came today... that was $52.90. And I need to order BB flies again..... another $51.75. My last Grubco bill was $82.49. And I spend $30.00 a month on honey for the flies. I'm a regular Spiderpharm customer, and I've bought hundreds of dollars in packing/shipping containers for mantids, holes saws, glue gun and sticks for it all the time, it goes on and on....

So next time anyone thinks people are making a mint on selling a few mantids..... think again!!  Lol


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## sbugir (Aug 20, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> PM sent.  Yes, last week I purchased a Grindmaster 100 commercial coffee grinder to grind ingredients for cricket and roach food. I hope my husband doesn't see that bill! And I ordered some more crickets (3000) that came today... that was $52.90. And I need to order BB flies again..... another $51.75. My last Grubco bill was $82.49. And I spend $30.00 a month on honey for the flies. I'm a regular Spiderpharm customer, and I've bought hundreds of dollars in packing/shipping containers for mantids, holes saws, glue gun and sticks for it all the time, it goes on and on....
> 
> So next time anyone thinks people are making a mint on selling a few mantids..... think again!!  Lol


Geez, I think i'm gonna need to get a job


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## d17oug18 (Aug 20, 2009)

you guys keep forgetting me, my cultures are 5$ each, 10$ sent! MINE ARE THE CHEAPEST!!! HAHAHAHAHA lol well im just a beginner so the customer base isn't big but my goal is to do it right! and the people that do order from me know it to be true. =)(insert fancy smiley like katnappers)


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