Recent content by Obie

I will no longer be selling, trading or keeping ANY invertebrates. I will not go into any specifics, other than to say that it has come to my attention, in a rather disturbing way, that the USDA is cracking down on keepers of mantids, assassins, etc (which it presumably views as a potential...

Its a Bush Cricket, aka Katydid.. They occur worldwide, not 100% sure about UK though.

Great job Rachel!!

Hi Christian, These are not wild caught. I got them from Francisco, who said they were R. megaera. I showed them to two Thai entomologists who were visiting the entomology museum where I work. One of them does some work on Asian mantids and he said they are Rhombodera and most likely one of...

Thanks Yen! :D These are really fun mantises. I think I like them even more than the Hierodula I've had in the past. I can't wait for the nymphs to hatch...

I'm with Rick, rats are the best rodent pets around. Mice are ok too. But hamsters are evil little things :evil: ! They can be very cranky and have to be kept alone since they attack each other. There are a lot of clubs and organizations online for people who breed fancy rats and mice as...

Wow nice work!!

I've had some problems with G. gongylodes not producing ooths when fed roaches exclusively, yes. I've also had P. paradoxa produce very small ooths on a roach diet (like 1/2 normal size). Tried both lobsters and lateralis with the same results. Butterworms are great as a treat, but way over...

I have an ooth from the Rhombodera (Hierodula ?) ssp. pair in my pic above. I'm looking to trade for ooths from other interesting species. Email me at [email protected] Obie

I have some eggs from a wild female Hyalophora euryalus moth. Its a nice silkmoth thats native to the west coast of the US, very similar to H. cecropia but much more red. They are $1 each plus $4 for shipping. US only, sorry. Email if interested [email protected] Here's a pic of the...

Sounds like the Attacus are dormant, so its hard to say, it could be awhile. I've had dormant cocoons of A. atlas sit for 6 months to a year. If they aren't dormant they usually emerge in a couple of months. You could try keeping them cool (maybe 15-20C) and dry for a couple of weeks, then...

This is a pair of Rhombodera (Hierodula ?) ssp. supposedly from Thailand. By the way, I got these from Francisco and he might know more about them. They look a lot like the H. "grandis" I see around these days.

These days I use Blatta lateralis and Blaptica dubia roaches to feed all my mantises, spiders, reptiles, etc. They both breed fast, have almost zero odor, and don't hide as well as some roach species. They can't climb glass either, so they're easy to contain. I've used lobsters in the past...

Any bright light will work to catch insects. There are many types of traps too. You could check on bioquip.com and get some indeas on how to make a trap. Many insects prefer UV light, and in my experience, if you're serious about attracting insects to lights -- you need a mercury vapor or...

I work in an insect museum at a university. Here's how my work breaks down: 50% field/lab work related to tracking insect vectors (mostly mosquitos that carry West Nile Virus), 25% giving tours and talks to school kids and others from the community, 25% rearing and caring for the museum's live...