# Mantis Flys a Kite



## darkspeed (Apr 2, 2008)

Funny story... yesterday I gave my subadult spiny males (which are being slowed down) crane flies which were buzzing around the house. Most people think crane flies eat mosquitos and are sometimes called mosquito hawks... but they really only eat nectar, and dont eat at all once they reach adulthood.

They have really long legs which break off easily as a defense mechanism. Well they flutter alot so they quickly caught the hungry male PO's attention and one of them ended up with nothing but a leg... so he ate the whole leg!!! Second time around he got a leg again, but this time it didnt detach, and so the spiny male slowly reeled the fly in like a kite as it fluttered around, eating the leg little by little as he pulled the fly closer, and then continued to finish off the fly, including most of its other legs. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen a mantis do.


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## bugzilla (Apr 2, 2008)

:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Stuart89 (Apr 2, 2008)

I cant stand crane flies, just creepy little buggers, like flying spiders...Cant wait til my mantids grow up and guard my room from these little b******s :lol: . I applaud your mantid !


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## Gurd (Apr 2, 2008)

:lol: :lol: 

I used them last autumn it reminded me of eating spaghetti when they ate the legs :lol:


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## darkspeed (Apr 2, 2008)

Stuart89 said:


> I cant stand crane flies, just creepy little buggers, like flying spiders...Cant wait til my mantids grow up and guard my room from these little b******s :lol: . I applaud your mantid !


Yeah I read that over there in UK that they arent tolerated well, as there was a misconception that they were flying daddy longlegs. Makes sense lol... my wife hates them too, mainly cuz they fly rather aimlessly with quite a bit of flutter and they get in her hail lol. I personally dont like them much either cuz due to their high population they get all in the house, and you never know where they are lose a leg... like in your soup. Yuk. But I guess thats where the mantids want them, so im happy to ablige.


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## Stuart89 (Apr 2, 2008)

DARKSPEED said:


> Yeah I read that over there in UK that they arent tolerated well, as there was a misconception that they were flying daddy longlegs. Makes sense lol... my wife hates them too, mainly cut they fly rather aimlessly with quite a bit of flutter and they get in her hail lol. I personally dont like them much either cuz due to their high population they get all in the house, and you never know where they are lose a leg... like in your soup. Yuk. But I guess thats where the mantids want them, so im happy to ablige.


they are all also reasons they freak me out, the fly SO unpredictably... its scary :lol: And in the summer they are everywhere, should save me a few £££ tho


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## OGIGA (Apr 4, 2008)

Crane flies are all over Davis, CA. During summer, my mantises were eating them all the time.


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## obregon562 (Apr 4, 2008)

oh man craneflies are hilarious! my mantids are evil little "buggers" to these guys! they seem to find pleasure in the crane flies fragility, and break the legs and wings off before eating the body! it's darkly funny and totally twisted! Yours sound even better! :lol: ...  ... :huh:


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## MantidLord (Apr 5, 2008)

OGIGA said:


> Crane flies are all over Davis, CA. During summer, my mantises were eating them all the time.


You live in Davis? Cool. I want to go to U.C. Davis, I also visited the entomology museum last summer.


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## OGIGA (Apr 5, 2008)

MantidLord said:


> You live in Davis? Cool. I want to go to U.C. Davis, I also visited the entomology museum last summer.


Entomology museum? Where? I wanna go look!

Anyway, are you in high school? How long before you graduate and move along to college?


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