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Yes, I did. Which articles are referring to and what do you think they say that support your position? Scott

I guess you are going to have to explain the point you are trying make because I am not getting it. Scott

Did you read the article to determine why it was written. The authors said: "The aim of this study was to determine whether genetic cues can be used to discriminate kin from non-kin within colonies as a means to avoid inbreeding". They then say: "As in most other animals, inbreeding is...

kamakiri, Why is it that "Inbreeding isn't that bad for insects in general"? By the way, exceptions such as full or partial parthenogenic reproduction don't prove anything other than that they are exceptions to the rule. Please explain why "inbreeding *is* critical to the success of these...

kakistos, I suppose the best reason for male mantids in a temperate species maturing first is that it would never be good to have sexually mature females present in the population with few to no sexually mature males. Those females need to mate as soon as possible to get those oothecae laid...

He already did. He is just wondering if the ootheca will hatch because of how warm it is. Stagmomantis limbata in nature would have laid oothecae already. Scott

Arkanis, This was many years ago. We established a culture and bred them. But I think we started out buying them. Someone else was tasked with that job. I haven't bought roaches lately so maybe someone else could chime in with a good place to get them for someone in California. I think you...

Arkanis, Clearly diapause in various mantid species is not well documented and, from what I can determine, not well studied. The insects where diapause is well documented are usually pest insects and those studies have been undertaken to better understand how one might control the pest. From...

I used to use crickets to feed mantids, spiders, lizards, and chameleons. One incident caused me to use crickets for spiders and a few lizards, but not for my mantids or chameleons. Basically, in the course of a few days, I lost three adult mantids and a Jackson's Chameleon to bad crickets. I...

Thanks for all the input! Scott

What happens captivity is not necessarily representative of what happens in nature. In nature, because of wide dispersion of individuals, males just don't stumble upon female mantids. The primary reason male mantids find female mantids is due to pheromone emission. From the research I have...

kamakiri, This article explains why same lineage (brother/sister, cousin/cousin, etc.) matings are bad for at least one ant species: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlere...i?artid=1569181 The reason provided applies to most ant species. Scott

kamakiri, I never said all queens mate with males from other colonies. But for species that have mating flights that is the general idea. Why do you think ant colonies of the same species synchronize their mating flights? Can you think of any other reason why they would all have their mating...

Rebecca, Serious??? Dangerous caterpillars? Dangerous Lepidoptera spp. (Butterfly and Moth) encounters? Using fire to chase away Nemoria diamesa (a species of inchworm) larvae? Of course I am not serious! But I couldn't let an opening like "I heard they [inchworms] are voracious predators."...

I am not sure what you know regarding the mating process of social insects. In most species of social insects, there is one queen and a bunch of infertile female workers. Males are not always present but are "made" at the appropriate time of year. Most mating sequences involve unmated queens...

ant, I'd move that dog brush (visible in the first few photos) if I were you. It looks like your Nepenthes ventricosa has been chewing on it. ;) Scott

Arkanis, Yes, they are indeed voracious and frightening predators. I was on an expedition in the treacherous Hahamongna watershed (it's near Altadena) many years ago. We had heard stories about the allusive Nemoria diamesa larva and how dangerous it was. We laughed it off as we sat around the...

Sure. But I was assuming that the mantid had been well fed since it was taken into captivity. That may have been a bad assumption. Scott

Arkanis, 30 years ago when I lived in the Pasadena area, all I could find were Tenodera sinensis and a few Stagmomantis californica. I don't recall finding any Stagmomantis limbata. I found the S. californica to be more interesting than the T. sinensis. Maybe that was because they were harder...

I have caught several adult female Tenodera sinensis and Stagmomantis californica in my day that never laid a fertile ootheca. Did I catch them just after becoming adults? Maybe. Maybe a male didn't find them. Who knows....but they were not mated. As I recall, all the T. sinensis I was involved...