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Chivalry

Chivalry

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Dec 24, 2011
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I bought a pothos yesterday to take pics of my critters on, but while I was doing it, it occurred to me that I don't know if it was sprayed with some sort of pesticide....

So, I suppose I am asking, do you allow your mantids on house plants, and if so... geez I'm not even sure how easy it'll be to find organic house plants, a lot of people don't care if it's not something they're going to eat. I'll probably try, though, because my C. picti really seemed to enjoy exploring live foliage.

Thoughts?

 
Should be fine. I do it all the time. But next time wait a month after buying before you take any pictures ;)

 
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I sometimes leave mantids in a closet full of plants. I think it is alright. I have a pothos too for my mantids to stay on. They seem to like the other plants more. I think they like the other plants more because the pothos is slippery. I like to put them there just before they molt. I did it but the camera ran out of batteries! I mean I could have got a video of a mantis molting.

 
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I noticed that about the slipperiness. The outside mantids love herb plants so I may try some of those, potted.

 
Always best to wait a few months and mist it regularly to help the process.

I once sat an adult male Ghost on a plant I just bought and misted him. He drank water from the leaves and went into a coma for 2 days. I seriously almost burried him (yeah, I burry some of my bugs in the garden). Then he just snapped out of it and was back to normal. I don't doubt there was something on the plant that caused it. Luckily he didn't die. Lesson learned.

 
Precarious said:
Always best to wait a few months and mist it regularly to help the process.

I once sat an adult male Ghost on a plant I just bought and misted him. He drank water from the leaves and went into a coma for 2 days. I seriously almost burried him (yeah, I burry some of my bugs in the garden). Then he just snapped out of it and was back to normal. I don't doubt there was something on the plant that caused it. Luckily he didn't die. Lesson learned.
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Oh no! Sad.. but glad it was ok. Makes sense though. And one can certainly ask a salesperson when buying or like someone said, just wait a while after you buy a plant.

 
I got a houseplant from Home Depot for my Mantids and put them on it the day I got it...and they were fine.

 
As Precarious said there can be Bug Spray it. Bug Spray is meant to kill bugs (hence the name) So next time let it sit out near a window and wait 2 months with regular misting to wash away the Spray! Then take as many pics as you want...

 
Sadly there was a member not to long ago that added a freshly bought plant to a community cage and lost a number of mantises. I would do as others have suggested and give the plant a good mist and some time before introducing.

 
Hertarem45 said:
What would you say about dried leaves you find?
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I'd say same thing as with houseplants. It'll be fine. I used to use a small, live tropical plant in each cage. Never had an issue. I bought those from Lowes. I know for a fact the stores themselves do not spray plants with pesticides.

 
brancsikia339 said:
When in doubt, use a fake plant!
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Fake plants are fine and don't require trimming, watering, etc. like live plants, although they don't oxygenate the tank.

One herper told me that some of his reptiles have died because of lack of oxygen in tanks with no live plants...

Just to be safe, I use a combination of live and fake plants.

 
Are there any plants out there that are toxic to the mantis? I've read a story where the Ooth was placed in a terrarium with a tomato plant and the nymphs died a day later. They were dead on the ground of the terrrarium. I don't think the sticky hairs on the stem of the tomato plant would be such a great idea for the little nymphs. But if that were the case then wouldn't they have died attached like velcro to the stem rather than on the ground?

 
nicoledougherty said:
Are there any plants out there that are toxic to the mantis? I've read a story where the Ooth was placed in a terrarium with a tomato plant and the nymphs died a day later. They were dead on the ground of the terrrarium. I don't think the sticky hairs on the stem of the tomato plant would be such a great idea for the little nymphs. But if that were the case then wouldn't they have died attached like velcro to the stem rather than on the ground?
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I have put mantids on tomato plants before and they did fine. But only for a few minutes, maybe ten or fifteen minutes.
 
i have wild mantids live there whole lives on tomato plants. no ill affects.

 

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