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Well, some of you may be aware from some of my recent posts that I have an interest in keeping a mantid but am a little hesitant regarding the prospect of having to feed it live insects. Well, I decided to just shut up and go for it, and my Madagscan Marbled Mantis (Polyspilota Aeruginosa)...

Hmmm, I guess attempts at lighthearted humour don't really come across too well on message forums...

Wait a second. You mean I listed six alternatives to "noob" and by sheer coincidence they all happen to mean exactly the same??? What are the odds of that?!?! Anyone'd be forgiven for thinking I was trying to make a rather lame joke...

Actually I prefer the term novitiate. Or neophyte. Greenhorn is ok. Tenderfoot, fledgling and freshman are acceptable. But I take EXTREME offence at being called a....wait, what was it you called me again?

Weirdo.......... ;)

I just went out and took another look in there and it's a bloody treasure trove. Other than the fruit flies, there's spiders (which are ok to feed mantids right?) woodlice (which unless I'm mistaken are not ok), regular flies and also these other kind I can't identify. They're black, about...

I've tried catching fruit flies from from the compost box and haven't had any problems. There's so many of them all I do is sweep a cup through the inside of the box and I usually end up with a few. What are springtails and where in the UK would I be able to order some? I've been told that...

I have a compost box in my garden that is teeming with fruit flies and all kinds of bugs. I was wondering if there were any feeder insects/worms that I could introduce to it and that would do well in there? Looking for something that would thrive without affecting the other bugs, and not ruin...

How do you know when it's time to switch your mantid from fruit flies to larger food like crickets?

I know each species is different, but roughly how man instars do Mantids pass through before reaching maturity?

This is probably going to sound like a really stupid question, but if a mantis is advertised for sale as "3rd/4th" instar, does this mean that it's between it's 3rd and 4th molting, or that the supplier isn't sure but knows it's either the 3rd or 4th? I assume it's the former, but just wanted...

Enfield? Lewisham? Walthamstow? Good God man, are you trying to get me shot? :-P Anyway, the 'maggot' option seems like a good one. If they'll work, what about mealworms? (I've heard wax worms are too high in fat to be used as a day-to-day feeder, so I'm assuming they're not a good idea).

Why won't I be able to get grasshoppers? exotic-pets.co.uk claim to sell them...

Is it possible to give a mantid TOO big an enclosure? Do they get stressed out with too much room?

Hey, look at me, I registered. And if there's one thing I've got, it's a lotta love to give...

I am in London, England. Directions and/or advice on resources in my city would be appreciated in much the same way that a fat man might appreciate a large plate of fried chicken. Are grasshoppers smaller than crickets? Do they stench the place out?

What about locusts or grasshoppers? Similar to crickets I guess, but do they produce the same smell? Are they appropriate mantis chow?