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It won’t be disappointing for much longer, all I’m gonna say haha

Very few people worldwide have been able to produce captive-bred Idolomantis diabolica over the last 10 years. The collection and exportation of oothecae from native areas is likely decimating the wild numbers

I wouldn’t say it’s a cake walk, “keeping” Idolomantis isn’t the issue, it’s the successfully raising of nymphs to adult and eventual reproduction that is the issue. Many hundreds of people keep Idolomantis on a yearly basis, yet nobody in the US has captive bred them for generations. All of the...

Sugar fed bluebottles and red runners. I keep a small number of dubia for the large species

I think the most important thing for longevity is reduction of stress. Mantises who live with more space, more access to good footing (i.e. live plants and not metal screen), and no exposure to excess heat tend to live the longest. A varied diet in theory is great, but feeding exclusively sugar...

I have a Deroplatys truncata female born in 2018. She’s 2 years, 2 months old (781 days) and 6-7 oothecae deep

I have a few hundred nymphs, they are currently first instar. Adult females are 9-10 cm, males are 10-11 cm.  Pricing is as follows as first instars: 5/$30, 10/$50, 20/$80, 40/$120, 80/$160 Waiting until instar 2 will increase price by $2 per mantis (ex: 5/$40, etc.) First come, first...

Looking for extra Parablepharis kuhlii asiatica sub or adult males for breeding.

I have some available ooths for Rhombodera cf megaera. All females have been mated twice at minimum and the first batches have hatched. Adult females are 9-10 cm, males are 10-11 cm (wing tip). Very heavily bodied and great eaters!  PM me with details for pricing (depends on size of ooth)...

In nature, the intensity of light is almost always higher than captivity. This is particularly the case with grassland species. The light cycling from bright to dark has hormonal and behavioral implications in many insects, mantises are likely no different.

Big pain, but the only real Lepidoptera option during winter months! They’ll take red runners regularly though too

Light intensity and wind/airflow are the two most neglected aspects of the microclimate in the hobby. The majority of species take advantage of both in nature, so they shouldn’t be ignored if you want success.  Humidity is a bit overstated in most cases. It’s the hydration of the mantis that...

Hawk moths are great for Idolomantis since they take so much biomass to fill up. I don’t use these regularly, just in certain scenarios like when adult female Idolos are gravid.

Here’s a spattering of some recent photos I’ve taken.    Adult female hangout (Deroplatys truncata, Rhombodera cf megaera (sp “Khao Sok”), Idolomantis diabolica, Parablepharis kuhlii asiatica) Rhombodera sp “Khao Sok” with Tenodera sinensis Male Idolomantis

Welcome back man!

Heterochaeta is much easier to raise. I have raised both, Leptocola tends to get tangled in their exhuviae as they molt.  Heterochaeta spp. are much more tolerant of microclimate fluctuations, and are thicker so they can eat a wider variety of prey.  Both achieve body lengths of 13-14 cm...

Great communication, solid packing, prompt shipping!

The females, once molted to adulthood, take 3-4 weeks to become sexually mature so that adds to the timeline as well

That may be true, but for the expectation to be 4 months it’d be unrealistic. The question also arises if that old of a male will show any interest any longer than the ones who die younger. In my experience, older males don’t equate to more time available to mate, they just kinda live longer and...

Females take at least 6 weeks to reach adulthood from subadult as a good estimate. I just had a male die this morning, he is not quite 7 weeks old yet. He was kept alone, stress free, fed on BB flies. It’d be rare to find a male in captivity last over two months, so unfortunately he very likely...