For Oregon / Washington folks

[GreenBean]

Anyone from Oregon or Washington still seeing bugs in the wild? If so, where?

 

[Seattle79]

I haven't seen Mantids in the Seattle area ever. They are not common here but hopefully someday they will be.

 

[Peter Clausen]

I'm seeing tons of bugs. I was just out in my backyard around 1:30AM and saw harvestmen, several varieties of isopods, flat millipedes, a centipede, a ground beetle, slugs if you count 'em, Araneus garden spiders, a Tegenaria house spider, a straw moth, a bunch of fruit flies, springtails and probably a few other odds and ends I'm not remembering.

As you know we've had a terrible rainstorm the last few days. Last week I was still seeing syrphid flies, yellowjackets, honeybees and few other hymenopterans, dipterans, etc. etc.

Are you looking for anything in particular?

 

[GreenBean]

I'm seeing tons of bugs. I was just out in my backyard around 1:30AM and saw harvestmen, several varieties of isopods, flat millipedes, a centipede, a ground beetle, slugs if you count 'em, Araneus garden spiders, a Tegenaria house spider, a straw moth, a bunch of fruit flies, springtails and probably a few other odds and ends I'm not remembering.

As you know we've had a terrible rainstorm the last few days. Last week I was still seeing syrphid flies, yellowjackets, honeybees and few other hymenopterans, dipterans, etc. etc.

Are you looking for anything in particular?

Yes, mantids. Sorry. I put it in the sub-heading of my post but not in the main one. So, seen any? You are in Tualitan?

 

[GreenBean]

I haven't seen Mantids in the Seattle area ever. They are not common here but hopefully someday they will be.

No kidding! I wonder why that is, especially considering you have pretty constant weather there. Here, we have schizo climate: it can be fiercely hot and dry (wildfire country) or fiercely wet (flash flooding), crazy windy, big changes in temperatures within 24 hours, and not to mention icy, snowy winters. Despite that, there are plenty of mantids out here in the Columbia Gorge, though I must say I have yet to see one in Portland proper. Could be a big city aversion? Sensitive to pollution? In any case, when you say "hopefully...", are you trying to make a difference in their current status? Thanks for replying! And DO let me know if you ever see one there!

 

[PhilinYuma]

I think that the answer is a geographical one. On the west coast, Stagmomantis californica has not spread further north than Oregon. Perhaps our most widely distributed native mantis, S. carolina is confined to the central and southeastern states, and the two introduced species, the Chinese and European were introduced into the US in the 1890's in the NE and so far have not climbed the Rocky Mountains.

 

[Peter Clausen]

To answer your question, no, I'm not seeing living mantises outdoors anymore. I suspect there are a few straggler females lingering but barely moving in the current cold/wet spell (that will last for the next 7-8 months).

I had three local M. religiosa males collected in the local Southern half of the Metro area in September. They've passed on now. I know a place where I can find oothecae of this species in the spring (when all the previous year's vegetation is down). In the fall the Dairy Queen in McMinville gets slammed with these as does that air museum out there. (security at the museum will descend upon you pretty quickly though, in my experience;-)

I've never seen one, but a Chinese Mantis is occasionally found in the Portland/Vancouver metro area.

A month or two ago a few members of the Pacific NW Bug Club (and I) found a Litaneutria on the Washington side of the river, just past The Dalles.

 

[GreenBean]

To answer your question, no, I'm not seeing living mantises outdoors anymore. I suspect there are a few straggler females lingering but barely moving in the current cold/wet spell (that will last for the next 7-8 months).

I had three local M. religiosa males collected in the local Southern half of the Metro area in September. They've passed on now. I know a place where I can find oothecae of this species in the spring (when all the previous year's vegetation is down). In the fall the Dairy Queen in McMinville gets slammed with these as does that air museum out there. (security at the museum will descend upon you pretty quickly though, in my experience;-)

OMG, I can't tell you happy you've just made me!! Just drove by there last week. Will definitely have to make the trip once vegetation is down. HUGE THANKS!!! (Anyone else know about that mother lode? Are YOu planning to hit it? If so, would love to join you instead of take your treasure!)

I've never seen one, but a Chinese Mantis is occasionally found in the Portland/Vancouver metro area.

Yeah, Chinese is what we got plenty of out here in the Gorge. No doubt they've been seen where you describe, but I have yet to. Still looking, as Portland hasn't hit freezing temps yet this year.

A month or two ago a few members of the Pacific NW Bug Club (and I) found a Litaneutria on the Washington side of the river, just past The Dalles.

WOW, Litaneutria?? No way!! And to think I got excited about a mantis fly I found here a couple years ago (Mosier, Oregon side of river, 15 miles west of The Dalles, pop. 430)! (Wondered what the h*ll that thing was...looked just like a 2nd instar mantis, but with wings(!), and flew fabulously...like a, uh, fly. Was all excited and thought I had a mutant until I did further research). And about this Bug Club...would love to know more. Would LOVE to join you guys for ooth hunting and would quickly make the trip up there from Portland to do it. Would you keep me posted??

 

[Peter Clausen]

It left an egg case and I made the, perhaps fatal, decision not to give it diapause.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

It left an egg case and I made the, perhaps fatal, decision not to give it diapause.

Is this mandatory for say species such as chinese and europeans? Thanks.

 

[GreenBean]

It left an egg case and I made the, perhaps fatal, decision not to give it diapause.

Oh dear... What exactly did you find..were the eggs desiccated, or just plain never hatched? Did you keep them indoors with the intent of speeding up the hatching? I'm very curious. And to be sure...which mantis are you speaking of, the ground one or other?