Legal Release in South Florida

[Chivalry]

Are you looking for pest control or just to enjoy some mantids around your house?

 

[massaman]

depends you can release them and if you dont want to then dont its just up to you and as long as its not a exotic species or any of the constrictor snake species then your ok!

 

[warpdrive]

Please don't release chinese mantids in florida. They're not currently found there and florida only has native small mantids. If you release the largest known mantis in the US in a place where there are only smaller mantids, not only could florida loose some current mantids, it could also loose other smaller animals not used to this predator, such as anoles. Only because adults breed like wildfire and have and insatiable appetite

I have to agree. I find it horrable that people buy pets and then think that it is just OK to release them in the wild just because they don't want them anymore. they have no idea the harm they are doing, or the balance that they are upsetting.

it's one thing to release chinese mantids on a farm or a residential comunity that is far from wild life. but most people don't live on a farm, nor do they really need to release chinese mantids for their garden as the nymphs will only go the neibors garden anyway.

but you have another choice besides releasing them. it's called selling or giving the extras away.

many here will take the extras as pets. I would love to have a few extras to feed off to my animals. see how fast even a simple chinese mantid can be exchanged? even mailing some extras will be easy once you learn how. so why release them?

help wild life help itself by not releasing your pets into the wild.

you would be doing a service to your neiborhood, your fellow man, and to your contry.

Harry

 

[mykey14]

Can i release a more native species such as the grizzled bark mantis?

 

[mykey14]

Please don't release chinese mantids in florida. They're not currently found there and florida only has native small mantids. If you release the largest known mantis in the US in a place where there are only smaller mantids, not only could florida loose some current mantids, it could also loose other smaller animals not used to this predator, such as anoles. Only because adults breed like wildfire and have and insatiable appetite

They are found in florida.

 

[kunturman]

I agree with Rick, mantids will not prevent a sphinx or any other moth larva infestation from eating your tomatoes.

Spraying your tomatoes with a heavy solution of dog shampoo + water, works well.

Just be sure to do it at night.

 

[Mantiskid]

dont chinese mantids mismolt often?

btw where can i get some nymphs?

No, they are actually pretty hardy and are easy to raise.

 

[brancsikia339]

Can i release a more native species such as the grizzled bark mantis?

Yes, mykey14, you can. They'd be quite beneficial, actually

 

[brancsikia339]

They are found in florida.

Yeah! If you read some earlier post, It'll explain what happened

 

[warpdrive]

the question is not what to release, but why release at all?

clearly you want to for some reason, well, what is it?

you say you live in Florida. but where? do you find any mantids on your property?

while they are in Florida, they might not be were you live and could hurt the fine balance of life that you live in without you even knowing?

my point is, why release them when they will almost never stay were you want them and they will just goto your neibors house?

Harry

 

[gripen]

the question is not what to release, but why release at all?

clearly you want to for some reason, well, what is it?

you say you live in Florida. but where? do you find any mantids on your property?

while they are in Florida, they might not be were you live and could hurt the fine balance of life that you live in without you even knowing?

my point is, why release them when they will almost never stay were you want them and they will just goto your neibors house?

Harry

With a contrasting opinion I say this: I release chinese nymphs every year in my garden. I do this because I love this species and i feel that it is better if possible to observe them in nature than in deli cups. Contrary to what you have said about them all wandering over to my neighbors lawn I ind that they stay in my garden where i can observe them. I firmly believe if you can spend time with them in the wild then you will take much better care of them in the cage.

 

[angelofdeathzz]

You said a mouthful there Warpdrive. Several years ago I released, well hatched out 4 Chinese ooth's in spring(set out in late winter) that were tied to a Lilac bush/tree in my back yard and they did all hatch which was cool to see, like 100's all over the ground and tree each hatch that I checked on every 2 days or so, and out of all the 400-600 that hatched I've seen 2 around my house in the rest of the time since, 2 I did say 2, I mean come on man 2???

I did find all the ooths 6 miles from my house in a field so their all good.

 

[warpdrive]

With a contrasting opinion I say this: I release chinese nymphs every year in my garden. I do this because I love this species and i feel that it is better if possible to observe them in nature than in deli cups. Contrary to what you have said about them all wandering over to my neighbors lawn I ind that they stay in my garden where i can observe them. I firmly believe if you can spend time with them in the wild then you will take much better care of them in the cage.

what I'm trying to say is what may work for you, may not work out too well for him. it could also harm or upset what is propergating in his area as well.

all I'm asking him is what is his goal in having something to release. why not just trade them for something else or give them away. a school might want them, kids in his neiborhood might want a few.

now I can understand if this guy has a moth problem at night and he can't enjoy his beer in peace. but I just see it as a time to free range a few while enjoying the beer, turn on the portch light and call it dinner time. :devil:

Harry

 

[gripen]

what I'm trying to say is what may work for you, may not work out too well for him. it could also harm or upset what is propergating in his area as well.

all I'm asking him is what is his goal in having something to release. why not just trade them for something else or give them away. a school might want them, kids in his neiborhood might want a few.

now I can understand if this guy has a moth problem at night and he can't enjoy his beer in peace. but I just see it as a time to free range a few while enjoying the beer, turn on the portch light and call it dinner time. :devil:

Harry

I get what you are saying

 

[Chivalry]

Harry, I don't think he has nymphs, I think he is looking for a species to have outside, though I'm not sure if for pest control or just to watch them.

If you build a habitat for them, they will stay. They seem to love my herb garden and laid 6 oothecae out there, and I'm sure there are dozens more in the back unmowed portion of my yard.

 

[warpdrive]

he wants them to hang out with his tomato plants if I remember corectly.

Harry

 

[ismart]

I don't see what the big deal is about releasing chinese mantids in your Florida garden? By now i'm sure plenty of people have done this in Florida already. If they have not taken a foot hold already, it is because they can not thrive there. I'm sure there are small popultions, but nothing more. I just visited south florida this weekend. The few parks i went to could not even support chinese mantids this time of year. I don't know if the invert population in the summer is any better, but finding any inverts was a chore. I would have figured there would be a lot going on being it was so warm? Personally i think the Anolis sagrei Has done more damage to the invert population then any chinese mantid ever could. The anoles were everywhere! I even witnessed one eat a gulf fritillary!

 

[warpdrive]

Ismart.

When you say " south Florida", you understand that this includes the everglades?

That's a large area.

Yet you've found almost no inverts, and the parks you've visited could not suport Chinese?

What parks did you visit? And why do you think that they can't thrive there?

Did you try some out of the way woods or forests? Meaning, not a city park.

Harry

 

[ismart]

Ismart.

When you say " south Florida", you understand that this includes the everglades?

That's a large area.

Yet you've found almost no inverts, and the parks you've visited could not suport Chinese?

What parks did you visit? And why do you think that they can't thrive there?

Did you try some out of the way woods or forests? Meaning, not a city park.

Harry

South Florida in meaning fort Lauderdale, Pompano beach area. I cant speak for the whole state. Sorry i should have been more specific.

I said it was a chore to find them, not that there aren't any. If i have a hard time finding them, then a mantis would have an even harder time. That's one of the reasons for my opionion. I expected to see a lot more inverts. Like i said maybe it's just the time of year?

It's hard to explain, but the areas i did visit in my oponion could not hold a chinese mantis population. The shurbbery was all wrong to me. I think one of parks was the secret woods. The other one i forgot the name? It was hard to get to though. Obviously woods are not where chinese mantids thrive, but the meadows and shurbbery within the parks did not hold any chinese mantids that i could find? I do consider myself pretty good at finding them. Maybe there are other meadows, and overgrown areas that do support them?

 

[mykey14]

i want to have mantids around my house so i can go outside and say " Oh gee whiz, look at dat big ol mantis"

I want to have around so i can better observe them in their natural enviorment.

Also having them around means i can just go outside and choose one to raise rather then pay $10.00 for a mantis plus an added $25.00 for shipping and the added anxeity of hoping they dont die in the shipping process.

I dont see how this is affecting the natural balance

if any of you have ever been to florida you will see that there is a lot of limiting factors contributing to the low population of mantids.

I dont believe that one othecca will destroy everything and turn the river red and make birds fall from the sky

i think you guys are blowing this way outta proportion

what i wanted to know was what species are you LEGALLY allowed to release.

but apparently i cant release native species, that i can find in florida, in my backyard.

ARGH IM SO CONFUSED

K im done with this thread

my eyes are bleeding