Huge absence/general questions

[Nicolas]

Hello, I haven't been active on this forum since 2013. My profile picture shows an old male membranacea I had 5 years ago (who, obviously, isn't around anymore, sadly.) 

I haven't had any pet mantids since then, mostly because of how short their life spans tend to be (a year in captivity or so is how long I had them? maybe I didn't care for them properly and that's way short), so I have a question. If there's an easy way to extend the lifespan of a mantis longer than a year if possible? In comparison, sometimes I like to keep the local spiders as pets and they live for as long as 3 years if they aren't messed with. Basically, what is the maximum lifespan of a mantis?

Second, I don't know if buying any through breeders/online is particularly for me - they tend to go for crazy prices, even the basic species like the Chinese Mantis. I can't even find any Chinese Mantids for sale anymore, it seems. So basically, is there any basic mantis that is easy to care for that is available somewhere to purchase? And will their lifespans be drastically different/feeding behaviors be different depending on their gender?

Third, I live in Las Vegas and as you may know this place can get very warm to put it lightly. I sometimes don't prefer to purchase online since there are native mantids to Vegas (at least, I specifically remember the Iris Oratoria species and seeing them often) and I was wondering if there was a specific place to look for them. Do they like tall bushes, grass, lights, etc? Where should I look for mantids in a hot climate? (That's basically what this question is)

Lastly, would you guys recommend getting back into mantis raising? I had a lot of fun with it back in the day and I'd like to do it again, but I'm really off put by expensive sales coupled with short life spans, and I can't seem to find any here locally (granted I haven't tried looking for them much more beyond scouting a few bushes I've seen them on in the past). 

Thanks for reading this if you managed to get to this point!

Regards,

Nicolas

 

[River Dane]

Welcome back to the forums! Five years is quite a while.

Unforunately, it’s inevitable that most mantids die between one and one-and-a-half years, depending on the sex and species. Tropical species tend to live longer, and females can live months into adulthood while males die within weeks following their final molt. If you want a long-lived pet, go for a tropical female. I’ve heard Deroplatys sp. (Dead leaf mantids) have long lifespans, but I’m sure other members have more suggestions.

Buying mantids online can have high prices, especially when you include shipping. If you’re looking for a more basic species, European, Chinese, and Carolina mantid ooths are commonly available on eBay, but your best bet is to buy them late winter to mid spring. Some members online here will probably be more willing to sell to you for cheaper prices. Among the cheapest of sites are MantidKingdom and MantidsGalore, but there are some other good online stores as well.

And yes, females typically tend to be much more aggressive, but their temperament varies from species and individuals.

I also live in a hot environment. Since I don’t live in your area, however, I don’t know any good locations to find mantids. But iNaturalist helps you find places where you’re most likely to see more mantids based in others’ past encounters. You just have to look up the species you want to find.

And, of course, I highly recommend you try raising mantids again. As you probably already know, they’re super amazing creatures, and now you can have the joy of starting fresh again. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

 

[Synapze]

I hope you choose to raise another mantis. The short lifespan is certainly a bummer, but I think it's still worth the effort. ?

 

[Chemz]

Mantids really only live about a year. Giant asians are a good species. Shipping can be pricey, especially if you don't know of any breeders near your state though. 

 

[Nicolas]

Welcome back to the forums! Five years is quite a while.

Unforunately, it’s inevitable that most mantids die between one and one-and-a-half years, depending on the sex and species. Tropical species tend to live longer, and females can live months into adulthood while males die within weeks following their final molt. If you want a long-lived pet, go for a tropical female. I’ve heard Deroplatys sp. (Dead leaf mantids) have long lifespans, but I’m sure other members have more suggestions.

Buying mantids online can have high prices, especially when you include shipping. If you’re looking for a more basic species, European, Chinese, and Carolina mantid ooths are commonly available on eBay, but your best bet is to buy them late winter to mid spring. Some members online here will probably be more willing to sell to you for cheaper prices. Among the cheapest of sites are MantidKingdom and MantidsGalore, but there are some other good online stores as well.

And yes, females typically tend to be much more aggressive, but their temperament varies from species and individuals.

I also live in a hot environment. Since I don’t live in your area, however, I don’t know any good locations to find mantids. But iNaturalist helps you find places where you’re most likely to see more mantids based in others’ past encounters. You just have to look up the species you want to find.

And, of course, I highly recommend you try raising mantids again. As you probably already know, they’re super amazing creatures, and now you can have the joy of starting fresh again. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

Wow, I can't believe you actually bothered to give me this super amazing and detailed reply! I really appreciate this, especially the link to the websites that sell mantids (that specific one sells Chinese mantids for only a dollar? Wowzers!)

I looked up mantids on iNaturalist in Las Vegas and only found this https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8222086 which I believe is just a male Iris Oratoria (correct me if I'm wrong) so that's kind of funny. But I still will make great use of this website.

All in all, I really appreciate you giving me this response and now I feel quite re-ignited with the spark to raise another mantis, even if it's something basic like a Chinese Mantis. Thank you so much!!! 

 

[hibiscusmile]

I myself have been absent for a few months, I am so busy I see myself coming and going. hope to be here more.

 

[MantisGirl13]

Welcome back to the forum, @Nicolas! I am good friends with Patty (MantidsGalore) and DeShawn (MantidKingdom). They both offer great prices, and very good customer service. DEFINITELY get back into the mantis hobby!

- MantisGirl13

 

[Mantis Lady]

Welcome back.

Yes, you should  to start to raise some mantids again.  I just started with 1 and now I have a few. They have great personalities.?

 

[lovemymantisfriends]

Second, I don't know if buying any through breeders/online is particularly for me - they tend to go for crazy prices, even the basic species like the Chinese Mantis. I can't even find any Chinese Mantids for sale anymore, it seems. So basically, is there any basic mantis that is easy to care for that is available somewhere to purchase? And will their lifespans be drastically different/feeding behaviors be different depending on their gender?

For Chinese mantids, check mantids galore!  She has some up for sale at a very reasonable price!  Also, I just hatched 5 ooths worth of Chinese mantids.  i ordered those on amazon.  

 

[MantisGirl13]

MantidsGalore has some great deals! I am good friends with Patty, who owns the business. 

- MantisGirl13

 

[Nicolas]

Yep, I just picked up two of the Nymphs. Hopefully at least one of them is female - and I'm starting out with the Chinese mantids because I want something easy and ferocious! I should make posts about them. I didn't choose the overnight shipping option because it's quite expensive, but every time I've ordered a mantis before, they've arrived just fine. Would you guys advise against feeding them insects that I catch outside? (I don't particularly trust pet store crickets either, honestly.)

 

[agent A]

some really long-lived species include Popa spurca (females like almost a year after becoming adult, which itself takes 5-8 months), and Gongylus gongylodes (adult females lasting 14 months)

 

[River Dane]

@Nicolas Feeding wild insects should be fine, as long as you know what it is. I feed my Mantids wild lacewings, flies, hoverflies, and moths. 

 

[MantisGirl13]

Yeah, my mantids love wild caught moths and flies. As long as the insect doesn't look sick, then it it a good prey item. 

- MantisGirl13

 

[Synapze]

Anyone know of a easy way to make a trap to collect flying insects around outdoor lights? Free snacks! ?

 

[Nicolas]

That's great - because honestly, it's much easier for me to just go out and catch some random insect during the day rather than buy feeder insects. That being said, does it not matter if you catch a green bottle fly that has potentially been walking all over dead animals/poo/garbage and your mantis eats that?  

 

[Synapze]

That being said, does it not matter if you catch a green bottle fly that has potentially been walking all over dead animals/poo/garbage and your mantis eats that?  

It's probably a greater health risk to you than the mantis, but nothing a thorough hand washing can't fix. Even some commercial feeder flies are raised on rotting meat and animal excrement. 

 

[Nicolas]

It's probably a greater health risk to you than the mantis, but nothing a thorough hand washing can't fix. Even some commercial feeder flies are raised on rotting meat and animal excrement. 

I see. Speaking of health risks (or maybe just general dislike) would it be a good idea to avoid feeding stink bugs to mantids? Also, milkweed bugs (small ones) seem to be hated by every animal I have - the scorpion won't eat it, and my widow spiders all envelop them in webs but then just toss them out like garbage without even biting them. With that in mind, I feel as if mantids would dislike small milkweed bugs too, but I'm not sure why. They seem perfect... perhaps something about the insect just makes them revolting to arachnids and insects? 

Sorry about all of my questions by the way - I just want to not screw up on mantid raising this time around, despite being fairly good last time. A detail I left out in my OP is that when I had the two Heirodula mantids, I also had a stick mantis that ate fruit flies perfectly, then randomly died a day later unknowingly. I also had a chinese mantis YEARS ago die at I believe L5 or L6 due to eating bad food (I fed it german cockroaches a lot since they were common pests at my old apartment).. ?

 

[Synapze]

I don't know much about stink bugs other than they stink an are a real problem for farmers in the the Southern states. I know less about milkweed bugs. I've read recently that mantids like mealworm beetles, which are super easy to propagate and some mantids will even eat the larvae. I grow a lot in a very small mealworm "farm" and I only started it with less than fifty worms and the cheapest oatmeal I could find.

I've always wondered if household roaches were safe to feed since chemicals are used to control their population. Many sprays are advertised as "long lasting protection". I've never fed one to my mantids, but I'm always tempted when I see one scurry around. ? Unfortunately, I live in Florida so roach control is necessary even in the cleanest of households.  

Never worry about asking too many questions here! There are so many kind people who are more than happy to help. ?