Recent content by PaxALotl

My adult female H. membranacea is a beauty, and I'm really hoping to breed her. But, her suitor-to-be didn't survive his last molt and now she's without a boyfriend.  Does anyone have, or know where I can get, a male H. membranacea?  I am open to any arrangement, and also have phasmids and ant...

Hi all - My son and I have enjoyed raising our Chinese mantis to adulthood, but now she needs a boyfriend badly. I know that the chinese aren't really traded/valued/sold much, but if anyone can help us out it would be much appreciated. I am trying to go through the whole life cycle with the...

Sorry to hear it didn't work out. If a Extatosoma tiaratum is eating lettuce, I think it's probably desperate and starving.   But, just for next time: check with a local florist and see if they use salal as a filler plant. Most phasmids will eat it and if you can find it, you can buy it very...

I've just started a colony of tetramorium and another of lasius americanus. So far a queen and about 20 workers each. Ants are amazing.

If you are looking at insects in general, and you are short on space, maybe grab a few ant queens and some get colonies going. Small and easy to care for, and they most interesting and complex behavior of just about any insect! Also phasmids are easy and amazing. 

Yea that's kind of what I thought, so the whole thing is a bit of a waste now. But, this little girl is a killing machine and I like her, so she can hang out as long as she wants :)   I caught her checking out one of the phyllium gigantea in the terrarium right next to hers - she'd love to eat...

I have 2 male Chinese, which I believe to be L4, and my kid (and I!) has his heart set on mating them and producing an ooth. I love that he's interested in this stuff, but we don't have a female! I bought, on ebay, a female which was advertised as '1 LIVE Female Chinese Praying Mantis L7 OR L8...

Hi all - Does anyone know how many molts a chinese/Tenodera sinensis takes to go from L1 to adult? thanks!

How about this one? Male, right?

Not sure exactly what that means, but he ate a hydei.

He ate one fly, and now his abdomen looks thin but not crazy thin. So,, I think it's good! One of my phasmids/phyllium also molted today and I saw it happen - it's very cool to watch!

Update- the one is now pigging out on moths and flies! He finally looks a little full! The other one was molting when I came in this morning. It looks like a successful molt but he's SO skinny now! Alarmingly so. I put a couple of hydei in, hopefully he'll eat something soon.

Just grab them by the wing? Of course, yes, they are pretty easy to grab!  Ok, I was fussing with forceps, cups, tried to chill them in the fridge, everything - embarrassingly it never occurred to be to just grab one! :D

Ok, the slightly smaller one molted just now. I happened to be right there, and watched it! Now it's slightly bigger than the other one! So, they are probably both getting too big to bother with fruit flies. I have a light outside my office where tons of moths hang out. I got one that was about...

He (or she?) molted!  better pic.