# Artificial Insemination...



## sinensispsyched (Mar 8, 2013)

How long do you think it will be before humans manage to artificially inseminate our mantids? It'd have to be a very hard procedure, to say the least.

Any theories on how to inseminate a mantis?


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## agent A (Mar 8, 2013)

If u can open a females ovi without hurting her and slowly insert a spermetaphore then it might work

Best to let the male do it though


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## Malakyoma (Mar 8, 2013)

how do you propose collecting the spermataphore from the male? I don't think theres enough intreest or reward for people to do research into it.


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## patrickfraser (Mar 8, 2013)

There may be some mantis-bating required. :lol: I'll let them do it themselves.

Also.....Why the need?


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## mantid_mike (Mar 9, 2013)

First, we have to start with a mantis sperm bank...


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## sinensispsyched (Mar 9, 2013)

Yeah, just curious. I'm also into falconry, and they cross breed species through insemination.

Understandably, cross breeding is dangerous in this hobby, so it is not for cross breeding, but more for breeding. For example, if you have a virgin male that wants to die a virgin, then you could miraculously collect his spermatophore and inseminate the female.


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 9, 2013)

You guys need a job! :shifty:


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## Ntsees (Mar 9, 2013)

Have you guys ever thought about removing and using the spermatophore on a mated female?


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## Domanating (Mar 9, 2013)

Really? Artificial insemination of an insect?... This has got to be one of the craziest topics I've seen in a while.



sinensispsyched said:


> For example, if you have a virgin male that wants to die a virgin,


You've got to show me one of those.


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## sinensispsyched (Mar 9, 2013)

Domanating said:


> Really? Artificial insemination of an insect?... This has got to be one of the craziest topics I've seen in a while.
> 
> You've got to show me one of those.


Yeah, understood. I was just curious, as a last ditch effort. What I meant by "virgin male" was a male who would refuse to mate with a flaming passion.


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 9, 2013)

I'm SURE that there is a way. Honeybee virgin queens can be artificially inseminated in order to specify the genes. These queens are awfully expensive though. It is a delicate process and special, expensive equiptment is needed.

EDIT: But, of course, you've got the honey industry that is world wide. The artificial insemination of honeybees benefits the world.

With mantids, they are either wild (in which case, may do best if breed natural by natural selection) or pets (in which case, the only benefit to artificial insemination would be for the keepers. Not a big drive for scientists.).

EDIT: Mantids mate on a surface. It is fairly easy to at least select an appropriate partner for the mantids. With honeybees, they mate while flying 10-40 meters from the ground. The drone dies after mating, and the former virgin queen mates with around seven (more or less, depending on the amount of drones in the Drone Congregation Area) before returning to her hive. The queen will never mate again after that mating flight, while mantids can be remated, and the males do not die.


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## Domanating (Mar 10, 2013)

There might be a way but nobody will be interested. The Honeybees case is quite different because there's the honey industry behind it and a lot of money involved.

It's way more practical as we are now. Finding a male and a female and let the magic happen. If either one apparently fail to accept mating for some reason then they must be discarded to avoid the proliferation of bad genes.


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## Ranitomeya (Mar 10, 2013)

It may be possible if you could produce a perfectly shaped model of a female mantid's reproductive structures to collect the spermatophore and then use a perfectly shaped tool resembling the male's reproductive structures to transfer the spermatophore. To be honest, it would be far more practical and inexpensive to allow them to reproduce naturally.


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## gripen (Mar 10, 2013)

Ranitomeya said:


> It may be possible if you could produce a perfectly shaped model of a female mantid's reproductive structures to collect the spermatophore and then use a perfectly shaped tool resembling the male's reproductive structures to transfer the spermatophore. To be honest, it would be far more practical and inexpensive to allow them to reproduce naturally.


Unfortunately every species has differently shaped genitalia.


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## sinensispsyched (Mar 10, 2013)

Yeah, I undrstand. It was just a curiosity of mine.


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## Ranitomeya (Mar 11, 2013)

It is because of the difficulty of producing perfect replicas of such delicate structures of not one, but every species, artificial insemination would be unfeasible.


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## agent A (Mar 11, 2013)

Ranitomeya said:


> It is because of the difficulty of producing perfect replicas of such delicate structures of not one, but every species, artificial insemination would be unfeasible.


what if we could make a tiny metal frame to affix to the legs and bottom of abdomen and use electrodes to zap a spermetaphore out of a dead or old male, using an RC to control the metal frame and make the body mount and connect the female??


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 13, 2013)

agent A said:


> what if we could make a tiny metal frame to affix to the legs and bottom of abdomen and use electrodes to zap a spermetaphore out of a dead or old male, using an RC to control the metal frame and make the body mount and connect the female??


!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh goodness. Let's hope agent A never gets his hands on any of this equiptment.


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## agent A (Mar 13, 2013)

ScienceGirl said:


> !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh goodness. Let's hope agent A never gets his hands on any of this equiptment.


i got the idea from phineas and ferb


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 13, 2013)

agent A said:


> i got the idea from phineas and ferb


I'm now scared to learn what they were doing on the episode... :blink:


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## agent A (Mar 13, 2013)




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## ScienceGirl (Mar 13, 2013)

agent A said:


>


"That's kinda disturbing." - Stacy

Uh, yeah Stacy, I can echo that...

Haha.  Still confused where you got that mantis torture idea from the dancing robot. Was there more to the show?


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## agent A (Mar 14, 2013)

ScienceGirl said:


> "That's kinda disturbing." - Stacy
> 
> Uh, yeah Stacy, I can echo that...
> 
> Haha.  Still confused where you got that mantis torture idea from the dancing robot. Was there more to the show?


it's not really torture

on this episode, ferb has really good dancing skills but jeremy doesnt so phineas and ferb make a device that mimics ferbs movement and whoever it's strapped to moves the same way, it's not torture since it doesnt go beyond the natural range of motion of the wearer

perfect if the mantis isnt willing to move its body and mate


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 14, 2013)

agent A said:


> it's not really torture
> 
> on this episode, ferb has really good dancing skills but jeremy doesnt so phineas and ferb make a device that mimics ferbs movement and whoever it's strapped to moves the same way, it's not torture since it doesnt go beyond the natural range of motion of the wearer
> 
> perfect if the mantis isnt willing to move its body and mate


Oh my! Haha. It would be a good idea, in theory. I'd be afraid that it would snap the mantids' legs, though...

"perfect if the mantis isnt willing to move its body and mate" This made me laugh! So... What happens if Mr. "under the influence of techonology" mantis comes out a little too confident and the female decides it is snack time?


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## TheOtherSpecies (Mar 15, 2013)

Wow! I never seen this topic coming!


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## agent A (Mar 15, 2013)

ScienceGirl said:


> So... What happens if Mr. "under the influence of techonology" mantis comes out a little too confident and the female decides it is snack time?


u mean what if the male with this on him accidentally steps into the female's claws?? all i know is it would be easier to get a male to put a spermetaphore into the female than it is to collect one from him and put it into her

i saw on law and order SVU someone used an electronic probe they could collect sperm from dead people from (freshly dead) and the tube goes into the anus and an electric shock it applied and an involuntary ejaculation occurs

idk if there is such thing or if it was made up for SVU purposes but that's where i get these ideas from

someone (not saying who) said if u use a thin piece of silver duct tape and tape the female's claws closed she wont attack him and after mating the tape comes off easily and doesnt hurt her (which is somewhat true as long as the antennae or tiny feet things dont get stuck to it)


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## sinensispsyched (Mar 15, 2013)

Yeah, I agree with everyone's comments. Just a question I had...

As for that ^..... Agent A, that's nasty.


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