# Buggin Luv



## sporeworld (Mar 23, 2011)

I think I'm beginning to understand some of this hobby's addiction a little better.

I thought it might be something like hoarding. But I'm happier with less.

I thought it might be like "Pokemon" ("Gotta catch em all"), but I'm happier with one species at a time.

I thought I might be like finding a play-pal, but I rarely take my bugs out for a stroll.

Now I just think, it's CHANGE.

Opening the door and wondering - did an ooth hatch? Did someone molt (besides me)? Is she adult yet? Did she lay an ooth?

Once I finally had a few staggered cages going, I'd get an "OOOOOO!" moment nearly every day! That kind of daily experience IS addictive.

I THINK that's why I do it. What about the rest of you...?


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## kitkat39 (Mar 23, 2011)

I think you nailed it right on with that there buddy. I think the secret is getting just the right amount that you could handle so that it doesn't become a chore.. at least that's what it is for me. Too little and it's not exciting enough.. too much and you end up losing hair from yanking it off the sides of your head. =P


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## patrickfraser (Mar 23, 2011)

kitkat39 said:


> I think you nailed it right on with that there buddy. I think the secret is getting just the right amount that you could handle so that it doesn't become a chore.. at least that's what it is for me. Too little and it's not exciting enough.. too much and you end up losing hair from yanking it off the sides of your head. =P


"said the guy who just cleared his clutter for some beer."

People say i'm insane for keeping bugs, but I think it helps retain my sanity.


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## kitkat39 (Mar 23, 2011)

patrickfraser said:


> "said the guy who just cleared his clutter for some beer."
> 
> People say i'm insane for keeping bugs, but I think it helps retain my sanity.


lol! I'll admit that I get into the "hoarding stage" from time to time.. ;-)


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## sporeworld (Mar 23, 2011)

kitkat39 said:


> lol! I'll admit that I get into the "hoarding stage" from time to time.. ;-)


Amen! Same here! You loose equilibrium at a certain point. And not on prupose, either. Tons of breeding Ghosts and Gongy's, and you're very quickly overrun! Then I can't preciate the new arrivals and little surprises. Poor little mystery mantis looks at me with his little mantid teary eyes... "Is there any more, sir?".

Sometime it takes a fire sale to get you back to balance, huh?

I'm happy to be cleaned and ready for next round, and I think I'm more appreciative now, having been without for this long.

"Round Two... FIGHT!"


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## myzticalboi (Mar 23, 2011)

I think it was more of a "gotta catch em all!" pokemon style for me. Same here, I would always go over to the cups and cages to see what changes happened that day. The hatching of ooths was very exciting for me. And the last molt of a presub was the best excitement because you've waited for 3-5 months for the final product, adulthood.


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## JoraMajora (Mar 23, 2011)

Pokemantis! Gotta catch em all! :lol:


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## PhilinYuma (Mar 23, 2011)

With me, it's simple finances. Cage racks, net cages, beak moss, dozens of deli caps and lids with cute holes in the side so that no one else can use them, Phil's Phamous Phly Pharmer, I'm still waiting for an offer on that, special lighting, ultrasonic humidifiers, one being Crane's "adorable penguin", and several large plastic sweater boxes that make odd rustling noises when I toss in a cabbage or a small child, and FLIES! Tiny little F flies, sex obsessed H. flies, pretty GB and BB flies and double decker flies with stingers. Oh, and Fly Food, brown, white and weird smelling.

With that kind of an investment, I can't afford not to keep the little buggers.


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## Rick (Mar 23, 2011)

Comes and goes for me. I never totally lose interest in mantids, but at this time I haven't kept a single mantids in months. I just don't feel any desire to. Spring is coming and I have the bees on the way and I have been spending much free time fossil collecting.


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 23, 2011)

What a wonderful funny post! tks! :tt2: 

I guess it is hoarding for me! :lol: , I never lost interest in them, always fun like sporeworld said, never know what I will see every waking moment. But I find, for some odd reason, I like the sick babies best! Does that make me a ( mind went blank! what's the word for making someone sick so u can be top dog? not that I make them sick... but I so do like to baby them) :tt2: oh yea, and it gives me a chance to use this :tt2: which I love!


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## Mr.Mantid (Mar 23, 2011)

I enjoy genetically altering the DNA molecules to make them a bit more larger, and to be able to live 50+ years so that one day I can take over the world with my mantis army.... Wait did I just type that? I mean.. um... they look cool and stuff.


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## alicenwnderlnd (Mar 23, 2011)

For me it started out as getting that great picture that not many can(little different on this forum, my pics are kinda boring here) but then it grew to more than that, i want to get to know each sp, the wild jumpy ones, the docile easy ones, the one that sees a fly and starts twitching in excitement, coming into the room and automatically searching for new babies, the satisfaction from seeing those new babies and being privileged enough to watch these beautiful insects change with each life cycle and being able to record that through pictures and notes.there is no better satisfying moment than when that silly little baby that was scared of that first ff molt into adult and gift you with the next generation.!


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 23, 2011)

Mr.Mantid said:


> I enjoy genetically altering the DNA molecules to make them a bit more larger, and to be able to live 50+ years so that one day I can take over the world with my mantis army.... Wait did I just type that? I mean.. um... they look cool and stuff.


HAHA, I heard that


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 23, 2011)

Oh yea, Münchhausen syndrome! That was the word I was lookin 4


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## PhilinYuma (Mar 23, 2011)

hibiscusmile said:


> Oh yea, Münchhausen syndrome! That was the word I was lookin 4


Pretty darn close, Rebecca, but Munchhausen syndrome is when you fake/exaggerate your own illness.When you do it to your kids or mantids, it's called Munchhausen by proxy.


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 23, 2011)

oh yea, tks Phil!


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## angelofdeathzz (Mar 23, 2011)

For me it was raising Gongy and Chinese as I like large mantis, from L1 to adult is a great feeling. it's turned into a overwhelming want to mate Idolos that is about to crash and burn since my male is all but gay I'm afraid. my two females try to get him inspired but he walks right on them then walks right off as they look at him like "where are you going, I'm right here"

So I'm kinda down about the whole mantis thing, don't get me wrong I still take great care of them all(about thirty-budwings-gongy-chinese-diabolica) but I'm bummed about having two sex starved Idolos and a unic male.  but on the the other hand I thinking of slapping a fake mustache on the two girls and seeing if he goes for it :euro: can't hurt :lol:


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## Krissim Klaw (Mar 23, 2011)

For me it is the interactions and fun I have with them. They all have their own personalities and I have so many fond memories with each one. I have several plants around my room just for them, so it isn't unusual for one of mine to be out during the day. I don't know how some of you manage with all the numbers. 1-3 at a time is my comfort zone.


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 23, 2011)

u guys are great, I love the stories! and a mustache won't hurt! :lol:


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## sporeworld (Mar 23, 2011)

angelofdeathzz said:


> For me it was raising Gongy and Chinese as I like large mantis, from L1 to adult is a great feeling. it's turned into a overwhelming want to mate Idolos that is about to crash and burn since my male is all but gay I'm afraid. my two females try to get him inspired but he walks right on them then walks right off as they look at him like "where are you going, I'm right here"
> 
> So I'm kinda down about the whole mantis thing, don't get me wrong I still take great care of them all(about thirty-budwings-gongy-chinese-diabolica) but I'm bummed about having two sex starved Idolos and a unic male.  but on the the other hand I thinking of slapping a fake mustache on the two girls and seeing if he goes for it :euro: can't hurt :lol:


Have you up the temps yet? I know Hibiscusmile has had successful mountings and at least one fertile mating. Maybe she can elaborate...? I think she used her "Honeymoon Suites".


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## Mr.Mantid (Mar 23, 2011)

About a year ago I got into the hobby. The Chinese mantis was my first mantis. Ah I will never forget the feeling I felt when I seen my first ootheca hatched, there were hundreds of the little guys everywhere. I was fortunate enough to watch them hatch! It was awesome. I had that feeling of a child when he gets to finally open his Christmas presents.

I raise mantes because I think it is interesting to breed them, essentially you are taking two mantes and making dozens to hundreds of them ( depending on the sp. of course)

So far I have had Chinese, Orchids, Creobroter sp, ghosts, and ant mantises. They are all COOOL DUDES!!!! B)


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## Schloaty (Mar 24, 2011)

I was always in to insects, spiders, and other creepy-crawlies...As well as other non-standards interests.

I have a rather large carnivorous plan collection, too (and the Sarracenia in the greenhouse are blooming now. GORGEOUS!).

I really got into mantids as a kid - we vacationed on Fire Island (NY) which was CRAWLING with chinese mantids. My uncle made me a great, big bug cage, and I raised them communally. I didn't have too much trouble with canibalism, because I kept them stuffed with flies (I got the flies - this is gross - by dropping a butterfly net over dog poops I found on the sidewalk).

A couple of years ago my interest was re-kindled during an I'm-bored-at-work random internet search.

Just recently, I FINALLY have gotten two ghosts to mate for me - ghosts that I raised from ooth to now!

I've raised other matids to maturity, but never gotten a fertile ooth yet....all sorts of random problems (most recently my D. bolivari is ooth-bound. She mated TWICE, and produced two aborted oots...and nothing since).

So for me, at this point, it's the I-will-do-this-right-or-die-trying thing.  

Plus they're cool.


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 24, 2011)

No problem mating them at all, and they were in the little aquariums.


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## GreenOasis (Mar 24, 2011)

What defines a "Breeder of All Things":

It is not "hoarding", but ramping up production!

It is not "a daily chore", but daily exercise!

It is not "losing a beloved pet", but making room for new stock! (Although, yes, I will be very sad the day Monkey Face dies!)

It is not "a strange form of insanity", but it is a strange form of insanity.

And it's what makes me A Breeder of All Things!  

(P.S. I would try taking Roger the Gay Idolo out and removing him to a different room for a few days to a week. Maybe being in "isolation" for awhile will make him change his 'tude! ...okay, actually the theory is that he might be desensitized to the scent of the fertile females, being in such close proximity all the time. Just a thought you might try!)


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## angelofdeathzz (Mar 24, 2011)

GreenOasis said:


> What defines a "Breeder of All Things":
> 
> It is not "hoarding", but ramping up production!
> 
> ...


That's exactly what I'm trying now, for the last two days he's been in the other side of my house far from the girls. I'll try again in a few days.  Thanks for the input all and yeah I boost the temps and RH when I try to put them together. I've tried everything but separation that I can do? And I thought getting them to adult was hard??? Here's too absence makes the heart grow stronger!


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## dgerndt (Mar 25, 2011)

There are a lot of reasons why I'm so addicted to mantids. First of all, I love how intelligent they appear. They've developed arms for grasping, and huge variations in camouflage so they can blend in with just about anything. They turn to look at you, and seem to even give you an expression such as, "Uhm, I'm trying to eat here!" when you watch them devour prey, or "WOAH! Where did you come from?" when they spot another mantis. They dance and wiggle around, and even get each other going. They are reborn with every molt, and you get to watch every subtle change as they grow. They will sit on a plant and just hang out with you for hours. They each have a different personality.

The list goes on and on...


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## warpdrive (Mar 25, 2011)

Deby said:


> There are a lot of reasons why I'm so addicted to mantids. First of all, I love how intelligent they appear. They've developed arms for grasping, and huge variations in camouflage so they can blend in with just about anything. They turn to look at you, and seem to even give you an expression such as, "Uhm, I'm trying to eat here!" when you watch them devour prey, or "WOAH! Where did you come from?" when they spot another mantis. They dance and wiggle around, and even get each other going. They are reborn with every molt, and you get to watch every subtle change as they grow. They will sit on a plant and just hang out with you for hours. They each have a different personality.
> 
> The list goes on and on...


Yeah, what she said.

Yet to be honest, I never thought I would get into mantids as much as I am.

I know this will sound crazy, but I was just looking for a new food item for my chameleons.

Yet once you get some in your home, they turn into instant pets. How can you feed them off then?

I'm not even a bug person. I still have never touched a roach with my hands yet.

I just love nature and all her glory. Mantids seem to work and do the trick for me.

Yet while I have had plenty of ups and downs with mantids, I just can't get enough.

Yes, I've had a mismolt or two. Yes a few of my mantids are just not as strong as others.

Sure, some have died for no real reason. But some have made it to full adult and are going strong.

Some have become my pets...or maybe I became their slave. Not sure what is true, but they are so cute.

I also like how friendly the members are on this forum. How wise some of you are, like Phil.

How generous most of you are.

I wonder what will molt in the morning? Oooooh, maybe that crazy orchid will finally molt into L2.

Harry


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## lancaster1313 (Mar 26, 2011)

For me, it isn't just mantids, but most "bugs".

Before I found my first mantid, I had started keeping some locally found millipedes, beetles, and roaches. I went a little overboard with the mantids for a while, but keeping them separate and feeding live food does become a bit more work than caring for my other bugs.
Now, I won't keep more than 15 mantids at a time unless I am hatching an ooth.

Recently I purchased some Discoid roaches that I was planning to feed to my mantids, lizards, and frog. But, I have yet to feed one of them to anything.
 I actually like my roaches as much as anything else I keep.
 I guess I will have to wait until my colony gets overpopulated before I start crying and actually using my feeders for the purpose that I got them.
 
One of my favorite qualities of the mantids is that other humans seem to be more open to them than other bugs. I love showing them to young people in the hopes that more people will take an interest in insects, instead of just being afraid or disgusted, and killing every small thing that moves.


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## angelofdeathzz (Mar 27, 2011)

likebugs said:


> For me, it isn't just mantids, but most "bugs".
> 
> One of my favorite qualities of the mantids is that other humans seem to be more open to them than other bugs. I love showing them to young people in the hopes that more people will take an interest in insects, instead of just being afraid or disgusted, and killing every small thing that moves.
> "I would not harm a fly" I just send them into the arena.


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## Precarious (Mar 30, 2011)

You absolutely got it when you pinned it down to the "oooooh!" moments. They're addictive.

I seldom have time to mourn any deaths because there is always new life and new progress pulling at my attention. In that way keeping mantids has helped me learn to better handle loss. Just keep moving because new discoveries are just around the corner.

I was always fascinated by local mantises but never kept them as a kid since I wasn't sure how to care for them. There was no good information and no internet back then. Once I lost my job and had time for pets I discovered how many exotic species there are in culture and had to try some out. I found it to be easier than I expected.

Like others were saying, I find their expression of awareness irresistible. That is what bonds me to them. I've kept other insects and enjoyed them but never on the level I connect with mantids. I like having them as roommates. There is always at least one loose in my main room. Right now there is an adult female Ghost on one side of the room and an adult male Mega on a plant by the window. I like to give them more freedom if at all possible once they're adults.

I really feel they bond to me on some level as well. My Mega will watch me from the across the room and fly to me. Or if I walk by he will grab onto me and climb. I think that's odd behavior, even dangerous from an instinctual perspective. Why would he gravitate to a much larger living thing if not through comfort or familiarity? In the wild he would be swatted or eaten. Or maybe just feeding so much love and positive energy into them would effect other animals that way too. Who knows?

I also find it interesting that they are essentially a physical representation of the archetype of the cold, wise, observer - what Jung might term 'Observer Consciousness'. We see this archetype expressed psychologically as the Gray aliens with their large, deep eyes and emotionally-removed behavior. And, interestingly, Dr. Rick Strassman's DMT studies reveal a tendency to experience intelligent hyperdimensional mantis beings while under DMT's influence. Search "dmt mantis" for more on that. (DMT or Dimethyltryptamine is an endogenous molecule produced in all living things which is suspected to play an important role in consciousness. As an interesting side note, Mantis Root (Desmanthus illinoensis) is a commonly used source of DMT.)

I'm all about consciousness studies and Jungian archetypes so mantids are the perfect choice for me.


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## angelofdeathzz (Mar 30, 2011)

Have you been hanging out with Phil??? :blink: :lol:


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## Precarious (Mar 31, 2011)

angelofdeathzz said:


> Have you been hanging out with Phil??? :blink: :lol:


Who? Me?

No...

Phil is a realist grounded in literalism.

I'm a surrealist drowning in symbolism.

Opposite ends of the philosophical spectrum but neither conflicted nor mutually exclusive.

Right, Phil?


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## dgerndt (Mar 31, 2011)

Nicely put, Precarious.


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