Are they here?

[Rex740]

I want to find and capture a Mantid by me. I live in the southern part of Florida, in Ft. Lauderdale. The town is Weston to be exact. My county is Broward County (some people locate by counties). If there are any species around me where, when, and how can I find them? Thank You.

 

[yen_saw]

You can find the following species in Florida based on County, it is from the following link

http://www.herper.com/insects/namantids.html

Gonatista grisea - Orange Co.; Seminole Co.; Dade Co.

Mantoida maya - Orange Co.

Oligonicella scudderi - Orange Co.

Stagmomantis carolina - Polk Co.; Brevard Co.; Orange Co.

Thesprotia graminis - Orange Co.; Seminole Co

But there could be more species in FLorida.

 

[Rex740]

Any other people have different answers? I checked that website originally but I'm not in any of those counties.

 

[yen_saw]

You may still be able to find mantis in your own county. The website provide information based on the collected specimen so it doesn't mean the species couldn't be found in your county. It is more of an indication of what species you could expect in each state.

I found Stagmomantis carolina and Thesprotia Gramins in Houston, Harris County in Texas which was not indicated in the website, infact, Thesprotia gramins was not even listed as existing species in Texas. You may get lucky and find a stick mantis (Brunneria Borealis) which is also existed in Florida but not listed in the link.

 

[robo mantis]

Yeah same with Indiana it says carolina mantid i never see those in the northern part by me but we have European mantids and chinese. You can buy eggs and hatch them and then they will populate your area that is what i do.

 

[Rex740]

I just want a regular looking mantis like an African or Chinese. Can there be Chinese here?

 

[yen_saw]

Believed Chinese mantis existed in Florida, but not African mantis.

 

[Rex740]

I've lived in Florida for 10 years already and I haven't seen one mantis (I never deliberatly looked). If I go looking will i find one easy? I mean are they rare taking a long time to find or something? Am I going to be searching for weeks? Where should I look for them and when is the ideal time to look for them (season and hours)? and when you say existed do you mean theres no more left?

 

[yen_saw]

Is never easy to find one in the wild, even if you deliberately looking for it. Some people came across wild mantis when least expected. Howveer, chances are better if you look for them in the park with field full of flowering shrub. If mantis can be found easily in the wild, they could have been an easy meal for those bird of prey don't you think :wink:

 

[Rex740]

Can it be by my house? My dad does landscaping so we have some shrubs. When you say at a park you do mean in the plants with flowers right?

 

[yen_saw]

Unless your house is close to a forest, reservoir, park or you have a ranch of few acres, chances are slim to find one around your house.

 

[Rick]

Find a weedy meadow or weed covered fence line. Mantids will be there.

 

[Rex740]

So basically a park with a field. Does it have to be a large field and park because I have a park in my development. And when you say weedy area does that mean they can be in the grass?

 

[Butterfly]

Hey Yen,

That was what I thought but I found my Stagmomantis Limbata in my back yard here in Los Angeles County, and my HUGE European Mantis at work, and the little male Iris Oratoria at Cal State Northridge.

But apparently those were all flukes, lol.

 

[Rex740]

So can I find it in my park? It basically is a small field with some bushes and a couple trees, and at the sides are some shrubs. Surrounding the park are streets.

 

[ABbuggin]

Just like Rick and Yen said look in a field. I have had the best luck looking for chinese mantids in a field with trees no taller that 10 feet or so they love it. I occasionallyfind S. carolina in light woods (ex. trails)...never Chinese. Chinse are a field mantis while S. carolina are more of a wooded mantis.

AB

 

[OGIGA]

I found two oothecas in my back yard. There are some other ones that have hatched a few years ago.

 

[Orin]

Try using a sweep net when you find a good field (a good field should be three or four feet tall and have many other inverts). Many species are not easy to see in nature.

Gonatista live on tree trunks, not in fields.

 

[Rick]

I've never had much trouble finding mantids in a weedy meadow/field. Go to the ones that have tons of high weeds and lots of grasshoppers. But this time of year I don't think you're going to find any mantids except maybe oothecas.