Were you afraid of mantids?

[brown]

I was wondering if any of you were afraid of mantids before you started to raise them. I caught wild nymphs in my backyard and was too afraid to touch them for 2 molt phases (they are adults now). I never held an insect on purpose and most met the end of a fly swatter when I encountered them. I sort of just decided to raise mantids out of boredom and had no experience. I was afraid they would bite me but after months of raising mantids I find all of them are just shy and cute.

 

[Rick]

No. Been finding them since I was a small boy. Used to bring jar fulls of them home.

 

[ismart]

Like Rick, i have been finding, and handling them since i was a small boy. I have never had any fear of them.

 

[Psychobunny]

I have never been afraid of them even as a kid because I always thought they were so cool

and cute!!

I have had large adults latch on to me and dig into my skin (these suckers are STRONG, and it HURTS!!) when I played with

them in my back yard. But it didnt make me afraid of them, just a bit more respectful

 

[twolfe]

I've been handling darkling beetles and lots of caterpillars for several years. I'm more afraid to pick up a caterpillar with spines if I'm not familiar with the species. A few of them sting. When I found the wild adult mantis on the vacation rental house in Texas last October, I was a little leery because I didn't know if it would strike at me. But then it started climbing all over me.

Now that I've handled more than a hundred mantis this past year, I am afraid of my last Budwing. :blush: I got two females as adults, and one of them struck me and drew blood. I don't handle her often, and I usually have her crawl onto a stick now instead of my hand.

 

[Ntsees]

I remember I was in 6th grade when I found a mantid at school. It was a fascinating insect, but I was afraid to hold it (didn't know what it would do if I did). I lured it into a box and took it home and I my fears eventually went away after learning and watching it. Now, a mantid can bite me, pinch me, act in the most aggressive behavior, and it'll mean nothing to me.

 

[hibiscusmile]

I was too! My sister and I always screamed when we saw bugs! But one day I picked up an ooth and it is all over now! I used to marvel at them when I saw them, but kept a good distance from them. After starting to raise them, I had some adults, and my sister came over one day, and I had not had the nerve to handle an adult chinese, and she stuck her hand out and it crawled on it, to this day I havent told her I did not hold one first, she would kill me! :devil: I know she figured it was ok if I was doing it! :clown: and it worked just the opposite! :ytt2: