Rick:
Did something happen to this thread? Did a couple of hundred entries get lost or something? You made the first post recommending the book 3 years and one month ago and there are only three posts from people who actually bought the book, including one person who said that it is GREAT, while one person advertised a bootleg (ripped off, stolen, Feloniously Fabricated) copy on Ebay. Someone beat me to reporting that.
I am not suggesting that experienced members of this forum buy the book; obviously you already have. What you have saved by successfully raising your mantids and producing large hatches will have more than paid for the book by now. Not only does it tell you all that you need to know about basic maintenance, it also gives advanced tips. Is your male reluctant to mate? This book will solve your problem (Orin: I am thinking of renting a second apartment as a "bachelor pad"). Want to know the best way to store ooths? You will find the "no maintenance, tested and copyright" method only in this book. Perhaps, though, you might want to buy a second copy for a friend.
To newbies like me: Buy this book now. It will provide the groundwork on which the questions on this forum are based and save you from asking questions that have been answered a dozen times already. I have bought all of the small number of "hobbyist" books on mantises, and this is far and away the best out there.
One final thought. Those of us who enjoy this forum for free often forget that its existence depends on the hard work and financial investment of a very few. Buy the book at www.bugsincyberspace.com so that your purchase provides most benefit to the forum, tell everyone how great it is on this thread and go to amazon.com and write a glowing review there.
The Great Mantis Goddess will bless you and your charges.
