# Capturing crickets and butterflies



## Quake (Apr 4, 2009)

Hey guys. I live in Pittsburgh, so it is warming up here, and I just got 2 more mantids thanks to mantisplace.com!

I was wondering how safe it is to set up a cricket trap to feed my mantids without spending the bucks to buy new crickets (I have bad luck with breeding store bought feeders)

I live in the suburbs, and nobody around uses pesticides or has a garden at all, actually, and the crickets in my yard range from cave crickets, little black ones, or the light colored guys you can get at petco.

I also have lots of flower pots on my porch, and attract butterflies and moths. Being that my flowers are natural, and I only use miracle grow, will my mantids be okay to eat what I reel in?


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## Katnapper (Apr 4, 2009)

Quake said:


> Hey guys. I live in Pittsburgh, so it is warming up here, and I just got 2 more mantids thanks to mantisplace.com!I was wondering how safe it is to set up a cricket trap to feed my mantids without spending the bucks to buy new crickets (I have bad luck with breeding store bought feeders)
> 
> I live in the suburbs, and nobody around uses pesticides or has a garden at all, actually, and the crickets in my yard range from cave crickets, little black ones, or the light colored guys you can get at petco.
> 
> I also have lots of flower pots on my porch, and attract butterflies and moths. Being that my flowers are natural, and I only use miracle grow, will my mantids be okay to eat what I reel in?


Your wild caught live food should be fine. I don't know of any "cricket trap." I just arm myself with my trusty aquarium fish net and go hunting. You might not find a whole lot just yet... until Spring and Summer really get going. Best of luck catching critters!


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## Quake (Apr 4, 2009)

Thanks. I usually arm myself with a jar and go catch them by hand for my frogs, but it is still cold out. So I put a shoe box full of breadcrumbs and some sugar sprinkles in the basement, where it gets warmer faster than the porch. When spring finds its way past the snow, I should have plenty of food, then. Thanks for the reply.


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## PhilinYuma (Apr 4, 2009)

Quake said:


> Thanks. I usually arm myself with a jar and go catch them by hand for my frogs, but it is still cold out. So I put a shoe box full of breadcrumbs and some sugar sprinkles in the basement, where it gets warmer faster than the porch. When spring finds its way past the snow, I should have plenty of food, then. Thanks for the reply.


Google is your friend. Here's a sample under &lt;cricket trap&gt; http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...20183315AAIGUab

Of course, for any trap to work, there have to be crickets in the area!


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## Katnapper (Apr 4, 2009)

Thanks for the link, Phil!  That's a great idea I might try someday!


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## hibiscusmile (Apr 4, 2009)

to bad u not in my yard, all u have to do is stand still and they jump all over your feet


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## Rick (Apr 4, 2009)

Yes it is fine. Why wouldn't it be? &lt;_&lt; Never understood why people ask this question. In the summer I catch all kinds of insects to feed mantids.


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## Frack (Apr 4, 2009)

Its funny how most the mantid people say its fine to feed them wild caught insects but if you asked on a tarantula forum you would get the total opposite response, they will tell you you should never do it and your risking parasites or poisoning your pets. I will feed wild caught insects to my mantis if I get low on feeders but I ve only had to do that a couple of times and it was fine. I think whenever you do feed wild caught insects though your taking a risk even if its a small one. Ive bred both field and house crickets and field crickets seem to breed alot easier, there defenetly hardier than the house crickets you get at petco.


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## yeatzee (Apr 4, 2009)

Ha, I'm with Rick. I feed practically any bug I find to my mantids. When I first got into this hobby I solely fed my 8 adult _Stagmomantis Limbatas_ on caught insects from my backyard. Thats alot of insects, and I never have had one problem!


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## Emile.Wilson (Apr 4, 2009)

Whenever i think about this question i always ask myself. Would they eat this in nature? ............................... yes


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## Rick (Apr 5, 2009)

Emile said:


> Whenever i think about this question i always ask myself. Would they eat this in nature? ............................... yes


Exactly. Yes pesticides are a valid concern but probably unlikely. I've fed mantids for entire summers just off of what I found outside. Makes for healthy mantids too.


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## Quake (Apr 6, 2009)

Thanks guys. I thought it wouldn't be a problem becuase I have fed them moths I have found outside, but I was just being safe.


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## nasty bugger (Apr 7, 2009)

With Phils trap you can have a cricket sandwich afterwards also  

I was thinking about a gallon jar in the ground with a funnel that is big enough to cover the opening to the jar completely, and food in the jar. Crickets check in , but they don't check out...

I saw some grasshoppers the other day, so they may be on the menu soon


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## Anleoflippy (Apr 12, 2009)

I've fed my Mantids with Wild insects at my front yard such as Grasshoppers,katydids,damselflies,dragonflies (Sometimes  ) and crickets. My front yard is full of them insects. Once, I caught a Tenodera fasciata at my front yard  . And yes it is safe as long as no pesticides...


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## tnienhaus (Apr 14, 2009)

The first mantis I had (adult european) lived almost solely on wild crickets and large houseflies...he loved them


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