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MantidLord, Mantis religiosa religiosa is the subspecies of M. religiosa found in the USA. This subspecies generally has an obligate diapause. This means you will need to expose the ootheca to a long period, maybe two months, of cold temperatures (and maybe even a shorter photoperiod) to break...

Orin, Based on what most people apparently do here, I don't lack experience in keeping tropical mantids because they keep tropical mantids just like I kept temperate mantids. Been there, there done that..... :P Scott

Peter, Based on what Katnapper is doing with her room, do you think net cages along with a fan to keep the air moving would be the way to go? Scott

Orin, While I lack experience in keeping tropical mantids, I do have experience with temperate mantids. I have 40 years of experience raising and breeding insects, arachnids, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Heck, cats and dogs too. Many of the arachnids, fish, reptiles, and amphibians have been...

Peter, Hemiptera is made up of Heteroptera (true bugs) and what used to be Homoptera which is now split into Auchenorrhyncha and Sternorrhyncha. So your Homoptera comment was spot on....just not up to date! But hold on, tomorrow might bring another change and you could be up to date again...

Katnapper, I am glad you found the discussion useful. Your mantid setup sounds like it is going to be great. I don't think my wife is going to be as understanding as your husband. The temperatures in your house sounds very much like what I see in mine. I won't have a full room to use so I have...

superfreak, Hmm......I don't see where I have taken anything in this discussion personally. Don't confuse being an advocate of a position with emotional investment in that position. The only reason I have continued the dialog is that others have participated in the discussion and offered up...

Olga, The species is Ledromorpha planirostris and is Australia's largest leafhopper. Up to 28mm. No male has ever been seen so the species may be parthenogenetic. The original scientific name was Fulgora planirostris. Order: Hemiptera Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha Infraorder: Cicadomorpha...

Arkanis, The Texas Unicorn mantis and Mexican Unicorn mantis are both Phyllovates chlorophaea. In other words, two common names for the same species. Scott

What the heck do aspirin and drinking coffee have to do with what we are discussing in this thread? There is no correlation. Scott

PhilinYuma, Here, again, is a quote from the Rearing and Breeding Mantids chapter of The Praying Mantids: "[Causes of mortality]...anything that disrupts the normal hormonal patterns of nymphal development can also cause problems. This underscores the need for stable and appropriate lighting...

Peter, I'll get on my soapbox one more time.... Most people here do not live in the tropics. So the species they find locally and bring into their home is not likely to be tropical so what I am saying is not at issue here. They don't need to worry about heat or humidity but misting is needed...

Olga, More insanity....... I am not comparing the cost of keeping tropical fish to the cost of keeping mantids. But, tropical fish don't need elaborate housing. You can get a basic 12 gallon setup, with everything you need, for less than $100 US. There are many hardy tropical fish that will...

Olga, Thank you for commenting. Actually, I am not frustrated or stressed at all. I made the mistake providing a definition of insanity and saying that I would not bang my head against the wall anymore. The former reference was pointing out that I was taking the same tack as others before me...

What species are you keeping? What temperature and humidity are you keeping them at? Are these constant? What photoperiod are you providing? Scott

eaglewarrior, Thank you! The pictures are great. Do you have larger versions that can be accessed from another site? This pretty much kills the idea that mantids are not a year round insect in Taiwan and that they follow annual or biannual seasons. Scott

Andrew, I could agree with that, except that the evolutionary migration path for insects is from the tropics to temperate regions, not the other way around. Taking the data that Christian shared in regards to the various Mantis religiosa subspecies, I would posit that M. r. religiosa evolved...

chun, Disrupting the exogenous rhythms can affect the endogenous rhythms as well. I am not suggesting the mantids will just drop dead. My point is that just because a mantid continues to live does not mean it is not experiencing stress or even severe stress. Scott

Peter, Like is I said, I don't expect any other response from you or most anyone else here. A search of the forum shows that "easy" is more important here than maintaining an environment equivalent to what the mantids experienced in their native habitats. My 40 years of experience raising and...

FYI: Brown Recluse and California Scott