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I'm not sure about conditions, I'll leave that bit to someone who has successfully matted ghosts. I believe I have read somethign about heating up the males but can't recall where. However I will admit getting right up in their business (my chines mantises) to help a male connect. Sometimes they...

I caught one friend I sold a mantis to who also has a lot of reptiles dusting the crickets they were feeding the mantis out of habit. They had been worried the mantis was not molting at the usual intervals and I pointed out that too much calcium has been said to have negative effects on a...

Happy to have you back but oh boy that was a rough trip.  Anyone that has tangled with pneumonia knows how terrible it is. I had it 2 years back, was out for 2 weeks and lost 15lbs before I managed to get the proper antibiotics. That was a horrible experience and it was nowhere near what you...

Minor Update: The worms that are ready to pupate are indeed finding their way slowly into the collection bin. None have made it up the steeper ramp to the pupating area but I expected that have been using the extra hole I made to put a handful in there so I have some breeding stock. So far so...

Welcome neighbor! I reside in NS. More Canadians are always welcomed!

After doing a lot more research, getting fed up with the giant fly cage in my house taking up an immense amount of room, and hating having to dig about to find the larva to feed my reptiles I decided it was time for a 2.0 fly bin to be built. I started by picking up a new container at Walmart...

@Bah You can usually find unfiltered raw honey at health food stores. I actually just picked up a little single serving pack made for hiking for only a buck that is a perfect size/price.

As someone that has witnessed the so called "stomping" method it is not something I would recommend for anyone that is even remotely fond of their mantises. You need to realize that mantises are very hard to "kill", especially when they get large. Bugs are not built like us and they can and will...

@Serle Better pics turned out to be a pretty cheap and easy fix. I just purchased one of these: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00CSJ50HY/ref=pe_3034960_236394800_TE_dp_1 You still have to get stupid close to the subject and keeping them still is always a challenge but I am loving this little lens...

Nice find! Most of my mantises will take honey and I have one that I have to pry the syringe from.

I finally got myself a little clip on macro lens for my camera and I am very pleased with the results. Still a bit fuzzy but the lighting was horrible, I can push it to do better! Here are a few pics of my bitty little mantis grandbabies.

Congratz!!!! I'm so happy for you! Its about darn time eh? :P I demand blurry impossible to take pictures!

A+ Lars is wonderful to deal with, his replies take a bit but when they come they are professional and informative. I ordered an ooth from him and he happily added a heat pack to ensure it made the trip while the weather was still a bit nippy.  Ooth arrived packed wonderfully (huge box full of...

Pretty much any thread about attempting to culture blow flies of any kind ends in tears as its very smelly (they need rotten meat to breed or something that at least smells like it from what I've read) and often times not overly successful. I know I have read a few threads on how to raise blow...

I would think they would be fine with a ton of fruit flies so long as they are eating them, but I don't know for certain. I would stay away from crickets unless desperate. Its not that they fight back so much as they might carry the cricket virus that will kill your mantises. I know for sure...

I'm so pumped. Miss Frizzle's (Chinese Mantis) one and only ooth laid on April 26 2017 hatched last night! That marks my first complete mantis cycle. Its been one heck of a fascinating adventure and I look forward to more mantis madness for years to come :D There seems to be about 50 or so...

Agreed, I had no time to enjoy my mantises when I suddenly ended up with 20 or so adults. Its a LOT of work to keep up with a large number of them.

That's great to know! I'll send him all the good get better vibes through the internets!

Thanks all for the answers. Guess my luck is just abysmal. Here's hoping my ooth hatches and I make out better next round.

So long as you are careful where you collect your outside insects from (ensure its a place that is free of pesticides) it should be fine. I frequently fed my mantises aphids and other "cluster bugs" I found during my dog walks when I ran out of fruit flies and never had any issues.