First post (go easy on me). Available and breeding year round?

[Sharno]

Hi all,

I having had mantids since I was a kid and they were available as exotics in the pet store. I recently purchased one online and am happy to get back into the hobby (H. patellifera).

The question I have is whether hobbyists are breeding mantids year round, or do they only really reproduce on their own time cycles - ie, I had thought (I may be wrong) that mantids are on a very consistent schedule of when they mate, die, eggs are produced, babies are born, etc. I always used to try to remember when to buy the eggs from the nursery/garden store as a kid and would "miss the window" and was told to wait until next year.

In other words, can you purchase a mantis of pretty much any age year round, or are you still buying according to their breeding cycles?

 

[Paradoxica]

Only wild mantids adhere to the annual cycle you are talking about. As long as many people are breeding them you should be able to buy captive bred mantids year round.

P.S. you should say hello in the Introduction section of the forum

 

[aNisip]

Only wild mantids adhere to the annual cycle you are talking about. As long as many people are breeding them you should be able to buy captive bred mantids year round. P.S. you should say hello in the Introduction section of the forum

+1 Nicely put

 

[RevWillie]

I would say that not ALL species at ALL sizes are available ALL of the time. There seem to be certain times of the year when everybody seem to have adults and certain times of the year that everybody has nymphs available. Depends on the species. For example: right now everyone's Orchid mantises seem to be near- or adult - I haven't looked but it might be hard to get 2nd instar nymphs now. I was recently on the hunt for a certain species and it seemed I missed the window of nymphs being available by 2-3 months; I had to wait a month or 2 for nymphs to be available. Many of the tropical species can have 2-3 generations a year.

With the wild, 'native' US species, Dec-May is the time to buy the egg cases. On ebay do a search, I like smallsips as a source for native ooths.

 

[Mr. Hyde]

I would say that not ALL species at ALL sizes are available ALL of the time. There seem to be certain times of the year when everybody seem to have adults and certain times of the year that everybody has nymphs available. Depends on the species. For example: right now everyone's Orchid mantises seem to be near- or adult - I haven't looked but it might be hard to get 2nd instar nymphs now. I was recently on the hunt for a certain species and it seemed I missed the window of nymphs being available by 2-3 months; I had to wait a month or 2 for nymphs to be available. Many of the tropical species can have 2-3 generations a year.

With the wild, 'native' US species, Dec-May is the time to buy the egg cases. On ebay do a search, I like smallsips as a source for native ooths.

I have also found that while you may be able to find a certain species at a certain time, you may not be able to find companions at the right time. I had purchased a pair of one species at an odd time to try to breed them. I lost my male in unfortunate shipping circumstances and can't find a mate for my female. Hoping someone will have something for me by the time she reaches adulthood, but I may just have to wait another couple months for the current adults to lay again.