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Very normal behavior, Coyote.  They all think they're bats. Here's Desta, an L7 Taumantis sigiana upside down on the cap of her deli-cup house.  They all insist on being bats.

I'm nervous about caterpillars too!  Not sure about budworms.  There are about 50 species (I've had my fill of trouble with them attacking petunias).  I think common species here in the northeast that attack conifers are (probably) ok to try on your mantis.  I'd much prefer waiting until they...

Hi M A, I'll add worms to my carrot prejudice.  If you're referring to an earthworm, my suggestion would be to not repeat that process.  Earthworms might possibly carry insecticides from surrounding water runoff, they might carry pathogens to which mantids are susceptible.  I think a good rule...

All great pictures. How I do love T. sinensis (mantis snobs ignore them ---- what'd they know, anyway?? !)  What a great shot of Song near the beginning of the series: s/he looks so damn proud!  I'm currently raising six Taumantis sigiana.  Although I treat them like royalty, I miss the large...

One of my six Taumantis sigiana, Subra,  has just reached adulthood.  What a pretty boy he is -- no?

These are my first Taumantis sigiana.  Of all the species I've raised, I've never witnessed such aggressive feeding habits.  These little guys will literally do somersaults and jump like grasshoppers to catch prey.  They're like cats -- fully jumping completely off a perch to grab a succulent...

Having run out of honey, I've been feeding my houseflies commercial maple syrup.  They seem to be ok with the stuff (Aunt Jemima).  I also supplement with commercial housefly powder mix, which is probably a waste of money.  These nasty creatures need H2O like every other living beast.  I...

I've raised a lot of Tenodera sinensis.  Many of them demonstrated this folded abdomen and most got through it just fine.  If it really bothers you (as it did me in the beginning), you can turn the container to let gravity pull the ab to the "unfolded" position.  However, your mantid will most...

Michael, This work leaves me speechless.  And that's really rare. Absolute superbness.

Just a quick shot of Nia, one of six Taumantis sigiana (L6) nymphs.  Although Nia liked the idea of the dime for scale, he was mortified that I didn't remove his poop - produced from the excitement of the photo set up session. Taken with a Canon 50D with a Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro - 1/6 sec @...

Sarah K -- That's exactly how it happened to me (8 years ago) !  You don't find them.  They find you.

You'll find a lot of different camera users around here Joe,  Some members produce really outstanding macro stills and video.  I've been doing photography for 40 years and still find macro some of the most challenging work.  It takes enormous patience, well-placed and designed lighting and good...

Beautiful work, as always Pap!  I remember my Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii when they were this stage (such cuties).  They came from Papa Wlodek.

Looks like an old-fashioned hospital pediatrics ward ! :D

Pap, What body and lens did you use for these great shots?  And light source?

While I'm waiting for a shipment of feeder houseflies (yech - how I hate 'em), I capture mini-moths when I can for the six kids (L5 Taumantis sigiana). Even though these tiny moths are the full size of the nymphs, the mantids, of course, have little trouble running the fluttering critters down...

Very competent surgery rude.  She'll be fine since her raptors are functional and her front legs seem undamaged.  I had two Tenodera sinensis who mismolted back legs and both remolted without incident.  But Rebecca's point is well-taken: you never know until the molt.  When she shows signs of...

Agreed, 230.  I'm not used to working with such a diminutive sp.  Although I did just place an order for house fly pupae (God, how I hate working with those smelly critters). Hope HFs aren't too big.  We'll see.

Thomas - Thank you for these search results.  And why oh Y didn't I think to execute a search on this board??  Duh. This BBS is so chock-full of discussion history..it's like the mantis Library of Congress !

I'm considering harvesting a bunch of aphids from my rose bushes as feeder supplements for my Taumantis sigiana nymphs (just molted to L5).  I am a proponent of giving wild food when appropriate.  I do not know if the rose bushes were treated with insecticide during late winter, but very much...