Ask them for their certifications, they may not have them and just say they do. A lot of stores say they're certified, but can't back it up. Of course there are some, but getting permits to sell mantises and other exotics that most people aren't interested in seems a bit too niche for a business to go through the hassle to get.
With such a broad inventory, they likely fall under the purview of multiple agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. They may have the necessary certification for an exotic pet store at the local level and therefore call themselves “licensed”, but the USDA does NOT grant the necessary commercial biological supply permits for exotic mantids. Without the commercial biological supply designation on a PPQ 526, commercial transfers of livestock are still legal (on most permits), but both a buyer and a seller must have their own PPQ 526 permit. This means any pet store in the US that sells non-native/non-naturalized mantids to individuals, who do not hold a valid PPQ 526 permit when they purchase the organism(s), is selling the mantids illegally.
I cannot say I disagree with this entirely. Really the only place the USDA seems to enforce the regulations on mantids is with museums and other educational institutions or their commercial suppliers.
Would any action be taken against online stores? For example, DeShawn's website.
Would is the wrong question because the USDA can legally justify shutting all non-permitted owners of exotic mantids, but they have taken no action to enforce the mantis regulations as far as I know. Even a physical pet store should get away with selling exotics based on the fact I have seen illegal phasmids at Repticon with no problem. (I even saw a post on Instagram showing an invasive weevil for sale at a show. I am pretty sure it was the invasive palm weevil [I forget the exact name] that recently became established in the Continental US and is one species where the regulations are enforced. Nevertheless, this vendor had it for sale in plain sight.)
Very informative. Seems like you're the go to person in terms of regulations
I have spent many hours on the phone with USDA senior entomologists, and they have been incredibly helpful in laying out the regulations. Hopefully, by passing on the information, I can make their task a bit easier. (Might backfire, though, if all hobbyists start wanting permits because then they have to review every application.)Very informative. Seems like you're the go to person in terms of regulations
Even then, it seems that exotic mantids and other insects are getting through in greater numbers. It seems to be how the isopod hobby recently exploded with all those new European and Asian species.And at the borders, of course.
