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Wow, amazing critters that you can keep legally down there.

There's no sudden magical transformation where you can handle them when you couldn't before. If you don't feel comfortable handling them because your worried they're too small and delicate and might get lost, then don't. But you can technically handle them at any time if you're careful.

Many of mine do that too, especially chinese but also european. I think it's actually just because they become frightened and agitated at your approach.

I'm glad I've never encountered problems with ants... Sounds terrible.

Well actually this is a european mantis, so she's not from asia.

If you do get in touch with them don't mention that you already own an exotic mantid. They're legality is a bit of a gray area.

Wait, so you threw a dead, unidentified insect away without taking pictures? Chinese and religiosa can't hybridize. Completely different genera.

If you live in California then it's not a carolina. Probably californica.

I use those little red and brown meadowhawk dragonflies you see in fields this time of year. Interestingly my mantids sometimes eat the wings.

This is the one with a rather colorful common name, no?

Well if you want staggered generations just keep some of them warm and some cool for varying lengths of time.

Sounds like you have Achroia grisella, also called lesser waxworms.

I saw it.

Aren't polyphemus caterpillars great when they stand up like that? Those are my favorite species, unfortunately this summer I lost my last female cocoon to a Calasoma grub that chewed its way into their cage.

When the roaches become adults the males will be easier to feed.

I'm really interested to see your breeding tank and captive bred babies. This is completely fascinating, I didn't know that you could breed any kind of crab with planktonic larvae at home!

Wait, they breed in your tank? There's no drifting larval stage? Do they need saltwater to soak in or are they actually terrestrial? I always assumed that the bottom of their burrows are flooded.

Nah, he would've known if it had been parasitized. Probably fungal or bacterial.

Once your colony has become well established (offspring are having offspring) it's actually a good idea to feed as many adult males as possible so that you have several females per each male. If there's too many then their constant fighting will disturb the colony, plus females who are...

What kind of habitat was the Scolopendra heros found in? Was it near a body of water or somewhere moist? Just wondering so I'll have an idea of where to look if I go to arizona. Sad that the grasshopper mantis got eaten but that's a cool lynx spider.