Leaving the hobby

[agent A]

Also... what's a lep?

Lepidopteran

 

[Asbestos]

hey all,
so I doubt anyone will care and I don't really owe anyone an answer but I am leaving the mantis hobby
the community has become incredibly toxic over the years. there's no room or tolerance for any kind of neurodiversity, and the community as a whole is too religious for my comfort. There were several people on social media telling my friend how I make them uncomfortable, and they never considered how they made me uncomfortable. I'm getting really sick of the drama and the pettiness between a lot of the people around here and on other platforms
I also have little time for the mantis game anymore and it's a major financial drain. I enjoy rearing leps far more and I'm going to focus more on that passion because it just makes me happier and the lep community is far more suitable to me.
Also would people (mostly on insta) stop telling me I should stay just because I'm good at it? I need to do things that are better for me

So sorry to see you go! You seem really cool (I’m also nerodivergent and it’s tough) Good luck on your research

 

[Orin]

Also... what's a lep?

Lepidopteran - giant silk moths, butterflies, etc.

 

[Introvertebrate]

I need to set up a light station one of these summers. I hear the giant silk moths don't show up until 2:00-3:00 AM.

 

[agent A]

I need to set up a light station one of these summers. I hear the giant silk moths don't show up until 2:00-3:00 AM.

lunas fly pretty early, especially in the spring

 

[happy1892]

I'm guessing leopard geckos.

I thought agentA meant Lepidoptera?

Edit: I just saw agentA's answer on the second page after posting this.

 

[Introvertebrate]

I thought agentA meant Lepidoptera?

Edit: I just saw agentA's answer on the second page after posting this.

My bad. Leopard geckos are Leops.

 

[Orin]

I thought agentA meant Lepidoptera?

Edit: I just saw agentA's answer on the second page after posting this.

I thought he meant lepers, just wanting to help the less fortunate.

 

[TheWolven]

I thought he meant lepers, just wanting to help the less fortunate.

Wheeze

Well, considering they said they're rearing leps, it would sound like Alex is raising lepers. That would be an interesting hobby.

 

[Nerdomancer]

Wheeze

Well, considering they said they're rearing leps, it would sound like Alex is raising lepers. That would be an interesting hobby.

Definitely sounds illegal

 

[agent A]

Wheeze

Well, considering they said they're rearing leps, it would sound like Alex is raising lepers. That would be an interesting hobby.

this is like the time I reared Haploa clymene on joe pye weed and i didnt wanna label the cups with "JW" because I didn't wanna be accused of hunting down jehovahs for the larvae to eat

 

[TheWolven]

this is like the time I reared Haploa clymene on joe pye weed and i didnt wanna label the cups with "JW" because I didn't wanna be accused of hunting down jehovahs for the larvae to eat

W h e e z e

 

[AdrianVonEpic]

Also... what's a lep?

Lepidoptera. An order of insects, like how these guys are mantodea. Generally covers anything in the moth/butterfly range.

 

[agent A]

Lepidoptera. An order of insects, like how these guys are mantodea. Generally covers anything in the moth/butterfly range.

butterflies ARE moths

 

[Introvertebrate]

Lepidoptera. An order of insects, like how these guys are mantodea. Generally covers anything in the moth/butterfly range.

Something I wasn't aware of until recently: "The ratio of known moth species to known butterfly species is about 8 to 1, or, in other words, for every butterfly there are about eight moths."

 

[agent A]

Something I wasn't aware of until recently: "The ratio of known moth species to known butterfly species is about 8 to 1, or, in other words, for every butterfly there are about eight moths."

if we wanna be pedantic, all butterflies ARE moths

 

[TheWolven]

if we wanna be pedantic, all butterflies ARE moths

Moths are just fuzzy butterflies and butterflies are just sad, naked moths.

 

[Introvertebrate]

Maybe it's wildlife encroachment. There's only one place in town where I still see swallowtails. I need to become more nocturnal. That appears to be when most of the Leps come out.

 

[happy1892]

Yes, butterflies are just one subgroup of moth. People found out from genetic testing that moths are very diverse genetically. So there are many groups or types of moths. And butterflies are just one of those groups of moths.

It is similar to termites being just a kind of cockroach. Genetically, there are species of cockroaches more closely related to termites than to other species of cockroaches. So termites are a specialized social cockroach. And there is even a cockroach, Cryptocercus spp., that I have heard people call the "proto termites", because they have primitive social colonies. Cryptocercus is somewhat related to termites. They are in the same superfamily as termites:
http://cockroach.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1178159

 

[Katnapper]

hey all,
so I doubt anyone will care and I don't really owe anyone an answer but I am leaving the mantis hobby
the community has become incredibly toxic over the years. there's no room or tolerance for any kind of neurodiversity, and the community as a whole is too religious for my comfort. There were several people on social media telling my friend how I make them uncomfortable, and they never considered how they made me uncomfortable. I'm getting really sick of the drama and the pettiness between a lot of the people around here and on other platforms
I also have little time for the mantis game anymore and it's a major financial drain. I enjoy rearing leps far more and I'm going to focus more on that passion because it just makes me happier and the lep community is far more suitable to me.
Also would people (mostly on insta) stop telling me I should stay just because I'm good at it? I need to do things that are better for me

Good to hear you kept up with the hobby for so long. I knew you (online) when you started and you were excited and industrious about learning and raising mantids. I hope your years in the hobby gave you growth in knowledge and enjoyment. I left the hobby for different reasons (too time intensive and I had other acute situations needing attention at home, plus eventually financially non-feasible). But I'll always have a love for mantids and I'm sure you will too. Think of it as a special chapter in your life. Onwards and upwards! Best of luck to you from an old friend.