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He's not going to be the happiest mantis in Kentucky, but if you can get him to eat he could live out his days. I have a really hard time with the tweeners like this... not crippled enough to feel like they need put down but not well enough to live a "full" live. I say go with your gut, but if...

Other than the viridis being uniquely large (up to an extra inch, which is like 33% longer), the entire genus is very similar to my knowledge.

It will blow your mind how much they grow each molt. Seriously like 100% increases for a while and even later in life a good 30-50% literally right before your eyes. If you don't have them yet, find some flightless fruit flies (the black ones, Hydei if possible) which will be the staple for a...

They will get like 2-1/2 to 3", but right now they are tiny: http://mantisonline.de/pics/species/mantids/sphodromantis/spec/l3/sphodromantis_spec04.jpg That's an L3 on a CM ruler.

At that young age you're closer to too big than anything - but it will be okay so long as you keep enough feeders around. The problem with large enclosures is that the little guy can't find prey when he's hungry, and if you put too many feeders in all the commotion can stress him out - but I...

I have some extra Chinese adults, final molt within the last week (full instar documentation is provided). $20 per sexed pair, or $12 per sexed individual. Shipping from Portland Oregon.

I have budwings coming out of my ears - if anyone would like L1/L2 nymphs let me know. I think $2 each is reasonable for L1/L2. Shipping from Portland Oregon.

Maybe it has an accent, you don't know :clown:

Hello and welcome

Well a quick search of these forums shows very few posts about it, one person says it will kill them, I say it never has mine, and a few people repeat it as a rumor, specifically saying things like "I've heard carrot-fed crickets can make mantids sick, but I can't personally verify that." So...

Don't tell my shields carrot fed crickets kill them, they won't believe you. Also: http://www.mantispets.com/faqs.html At worst it's controversial but I can personally say it has lead to zero fatalities in my room.

If they are adult I would feed them well beforehand, then put some baby carrots and gut loaded crickets in and they'll be just fine. The crickets will stay nutritious and the mantids can snag a few meals while you are gone. If they are not adult yet I'd worry about crickets messing up their...

Well clearly our versions of the word "pest" are not the same... but I submit if insects kill a 200 year old pine tree by nibbling on it, destroying the ecosystem around it, it deserves the title of "pest". You can champion them if you want, but arguing that in moderation they aren't pests is...

I think I could just as easily accept silkworms as the sole non-pest as I could dismiss them outright since they can only exist in captivity. If they are dismissed, I think all caterpillars are pests. Or put another way, all caterpillars that can even possibly live in the wild are pests. The...

I'm not familiar with any "non pest" caterpillar, or even a method other than arbitrary/aesthetic that one could separate caterpillars in to two groups like that. Maybe the monarch?

It's funny apparently these hornworms are quite the pest and people revere these wasps as a godsend. Parasite or no, they are considered beneficial =D

Hornworm log, day 17: Sticky rice on my back still sticky. Heard rumor that it's not rice and I'm about to be eaten alive from the inside. Thought his new human keeper might help me out, but now he's acting detached. I'm sure this will all work out somehow.

If the soil is chemical free then it's no worse than grabbing a grub out of "clean" dirt in the wild (which is to say it's fine). If you stock the soil with springtails not only will it self clean but smaller mantids can grab them as a snack. My young carolinas fill up on springtails all day...

Ah, makes much more sense, my bad - and now your (appropriate) edit makes me look like a crazy person :P

Depends on if you want 1 hornworm or if you want 150 wasps. I think you can pluck them off at this point, just get fine tweezers. Worst you can do is kill the hornworm, and if you do nothing he's as good as dead already.