Speaking of mantids...

[Eltortu]

...this hatched five days ago, all three eggs cases at once! They are chinese mantids that I got from Kara, and I'll release them out in the yard next weekend.

 

[Hoj]

lil itty bitty things. You are going to release them into the yard?? not feed them to the chams? Is that to help controll garden pests?
just curious

 

[maxttu]

Nice! I joined the mantid club over the weekend myself! Lots of babies going around!

 

[Eltortu]

lil itty bitty things. You are going to release them into the yard?? not feed them to the chams? Is that to help controll garden pests?
just curious

I do save some for snacks to the chameleons, but for the most part I use them to control the grasshoppers out of my berries patches. Later in the season I buy ladybugs and released them around my rose, mint, oregano, tomato, and cypress trees to keep the little bugs down.

 

[Eltortu]

Nice! I joined the mantid club over the weekend myself! Lots of babies going around!

Congratulations! They are fun to watch eat and grow! What did you get?

 

[Hoj]

Very cool. thanks for the reply. I have not gotten into mantids yet but I think my local greenhouse is supposed to get some in, so I will porb check em out

 

[Eltortu]

Hey Laurie, how are your mantids?

 

[maxttu]

Congratulations! They are fun to watch eat and grow! What did you get?

I imagine that they're Chinese? Picked them up @ a nursery...

 

[Eltortu]

Some of the mantids munching of ff's...

 

[Solid Snake]

Yay!

I had one hatch yesterday.

One of the coolest insects to watch ever!

 

[Eltortu]

I had one Aeon hatched today! Hayo!

 

[arnau666]

soon i might get some too barely can wait

 

[Eltortu]

Some of the Carolina that hatched and released on my yard today, along with my lonely Aeon. I had three of them, but I guess this one ate the other two...

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j369/Sodasfan/IMG_1257.jpg

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j369/Sodasfan/IMG_1260.jpg

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j369/Sodasfan/IMG_1264.jpg

 

[Eltortu]

A couple of mantids...the Aeon is munching on a ff...

 

[Eltortu]

How cute!

 

[Meow Kitty]

maybe this is just the local mantis in New Mexico but don't the females eat off the males head after mating?

 

[Eltortu]

maybe this is just the local mantis in New Mexico but don't the females eat off the males head after mating?

I keep the female loaded with flies, moths and crickets so she won't eat him.

 

[cricketkilla]

I do save some for snacks to the chameleons, but for the most part I use them to control the grasshoppers out of my berries patches. Later in the season I buy ladybugs and released them around my rose, mint, oregano, tomato, and cypress trees to keep the little bugs down.

Mantids will usually just eat each other and your ladybugs. Not very good for biocontrol. Green methods.com has awesome info on all sorts of beneficial organisms

 

[Eltortu]

This Acon just molted from a dark brown to a bright green!

 

[Ace]

cool mantids