cloud jaguar
Well-known member
Hi everyone. I am new to mantids. I am keeping a stagmomantis californica for a couple of days before I release it (bright green). Also watching one I released back to the Zinnia where i found it - i kept it for 2 days after finding it hurt and it seemed weak so i let it go. She has been released 2 days and seems fine now (colored peach/pink). I have realized a deep fascination for mantids and have started to study about them. I live in california I would very much like to buy a couple of oothicae in spring to raise them up to L4 or L5 before letting them go in my aphid riddled rose garden.
At garden stores the oothicae they sell are Stagmomantis Californica or Chinese Mantids?
Also, is there a Care Sheet somewhere online about these mantids? please direct me to it if possible.
Here are some of my observations about these. They really like flowers. They seek out flowers that are colored like them. I placed the peach/pink mantid on a red Zinnia and within a couple of hours i saw it nestled under the only flower on the bush colored exactly like her. They like bugs that eat nectar, they seem to prefer flying bugs, they seem to enjoy eating yellowjacket hornets, they seem to prefer hanging upside down, they move in a jagged way seemimgly to mimic vegetation swaying in the breeze, not too scared of people, 7 belly segments on these ones.
I read online that if you raise these from oothica in an white/plastic environment without any greens or browns, that the baby mantises of this type will be all manner of crazy looking colors - has anyone heard about this?
Thanks.
At garden stores the oothicae they sell are Stagmomantis Californica or Chinese Mantids?
Also, is there a Care Sheet somewhere online about these mantids? please direct me to it if possible.
Here are some of my observations about these. They really like flowers. They seek out flowers that are colored like them. I placed the peach/pink mantid on a red Zinnia and within a couple of hours i saw it nestled under the only flower on the bush colored exactly like her. They like bugs that eat nectar, they seem to prefer flying bugs, they seem to enjoy eating yellowjacket hornets, they seem to prefer hanging upside down, they move in a jagged way seemimgly to mimic vegetation swaying in the breeze, not too scared of people, 7 belly segments on these ones.
I read online that if you raise these from oothica in an white/plastic environment without any greens or browns, that the baby mantises of this type will be all manner of crazy looking colors - has anyone heard about this?
Thanks.