Archer
New member
Welp, here I am! Finally! mantidforum.net! Wow! This place is really nifty and chock full of really interesting threads, pictures, information and (dare I say) people!
I am from the Western side of North Carolina and am currently keeping 3 Ghosts, 1 Cryptic and 1 Miomantis and I have been involved in the hobby of keeping exotic mantids for about...5 months now? Or 4...? Whatever, something close to that mark.
I have been captivated by mantids for a very long time now, however. I remember the first time I came face to face with a real life mantis.
I was attending "Bug Camp!" that was held during the summer times at the local University where my father taught for a few years as a Bio/Anatomy Professor. In this little class we learned everything about the insect kingdom and how to catch, pin and preserve specimens.
One day while out sweeping in a field of tall grass I knelt down to see what I got and up popped the wee head of a wee mantis. Oh the joy and excitement! I did not kill or pin the little mantis though. I kept it and cared for it but it didn't do so well sadly
I didn't know what I was doing really and it fell between the netting and the side of my enclosure and died there. I pinned it shortly afterwards and I still have it in my collection to this day along with several other, much larger specimens (all Chinese).
Fast forwards a decade or so to this past September and you will find me running around a tree nursery gawking at the incredible, thriving mantis population that my girl friends best friends parents play host to on their land. A few hours of browsing the internet and a few discoveries later that night and I've discovered that this hobby is very real! A few weeks later I got into contact with a guy via reddits /r/mantids who had some Ghost nymphs and push came to shove and now I'm sitting here on my bed, typing my mantis history to you all!
Well, I guess that's about it for me. I'll be fairly active around here, I'd imagine. You'll probably see me around.
I'll post some pictures of my babies soon! They're staying in their winter home at my mom and dads as I am but a poor man who cannot afford central heating just yet one day soon though.
Mantids Rule!!!!!!
Peace
I am from the Western side of North Carolina and am currently keeping 3 Ghosts, 1 Cryptic and 1 Miomantis and I have been involved in the hobby of keeping exotic mantids for about...5 months now? Or 4...? Whatever, something close to that mark.
I have been captivated by mantids for a very long time now, however. I remember the first time I came face to face with a real life mantis.
I was attending "Bug Camp!" that was held during the summer times at the local University where my father taught for a few years as a Bio/Anatomy Professor. In this little class we learned everything about the insect kingdom and how to catch, pin and preserve specimens.
One day while out sweeping in a field of tall grass I knelt down to see what I got and up popped the wee head of a wee mantis. Oh the joy and excitement! I did not kill or pin the little mantis though. I kept it and cared for it but it didn't do so well sadly
I didn't know what I was doing really and it fell between the netting and the side of my enclosure and died there. I pinned it shortly afterwards and I still have it in my collection to this day along with several other, much larger specimens (all Chinese).Fast forwards a decade or so to this past September and you will find me running around a tree nursery gawking at the incredible, thriving mantis population that my girl friends best friends parents play host to on their land. A few hours of browsing the internet and a few discoveries later that night and I've discovered that this hobby is very real! A few weeks later I got into contact with a guy via reddits /r/mantids who had some Ghost nymphs and push came to shove and now I'm sitting here on my bed, typing my mantis history to you all!
Well, I guess that's about it for me. I'll be fairly active around here, I'd imagine. You'll probably see me around.
I'll post some pictures of my babies soon! They're staying in their winter home at my mom and dads as I am but a poor man who cannot afford central heating just yet
one day soon though.Mantids Rule!!!!!!
Peace
