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praying mantis

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2004
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by apples on February 17, 2004 02:05 PM
Bug lady this is probably one for you. [grin]
[thinker] I was thinking of ordering a praying mantis egg pellet wich aparently produces 50/300 mintis about. The thing is I don't know if they can continue or survive through winter here. I originally wanted to get them for indoor use but I don't think my parents would apriciate it if a female layed eggs and our house become infested! Also even if only 50 that I think would be to many for me to care for or handle. Buglady, I know you've had at least one as a pet before, how can I pull this off because I think it would be a fun way to take care of pests in my indoor garden and I would love and enjoy caring for at least one mantis. I allready have a resonable sized ladybug infestation which will help with some types of insects but as I've allready stated it would be fun! [grin]

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The answers will come when needed. Otherwise, I'm guesing time will make me feel silly.
by Jillie on February 17, 2004 03:59 PM
Apples, until Buglady shows up....

I don't think theyre'd be a problem getting infested indoors with Praying Mantis'...They're cannibals!...and territorial. They tend to want to lop heads off one another if they feel crowded. [shocked]

The last egg pods we bought weren't viable, because the outside temp didn't stay warm enough to hatch them (no wonder, we got them on clearance at the garden center too late in the season).

Buglady will have the best info.....

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by catlover on February 17, 2004 09:00 PM
Geeeeez Jillie [Frown] ....having second thoughts now Apples??? [Roll Eyes] [Big Grin] [Big Grin] [Big Grin]

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by apples on February 18, 2004 02:42 AM
That's one reason I knew I couldn't keep them say in an aquarium. I'd like to have one in my bedroom that would most likely go in some type of container at night and one in my indoor food garden down stairs. But the rest of them [dunno] ? I don't think I want to be held resposible for a full scale mantis war! Bad carma I'd figure.

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The answers will come when needed. Otherwise, I'm guesing time will make me feel silly.
by Danaus29 on March 04, 2004 07:59 PM
I've kept them as pets before. They will eat each other even if there is enough other food available. You could keep one or two indoors and put them into separate aquariums at night. I leave mine live free outdoors. It gets pretty cold here sometimes (Ohio) but the mantis eggs always survive. I even had one egg case inside all winter and it hatched the same time the ones outdoors did. You would have to have a male and female in order to produce viable eggs.

Crickets, mealworms, and stunned flies make excellent mantis food. I was surprised to see the tiny babies catching and eating prey that was twice their size.
by Jillie on March 05, 2004 04:35 AM
Aren't they cute, Dan29???
I caught sight of our babies after they hatched..Dang...they'll turn their little heads and LOOK RIGHT AT YOU when you when you come close.....

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by Danaus29 on March 09, 2004 03:15 PM
We had dozens of them all around our house last spring! The tiny ones are sooo cute. I even put some in my greenhouse where they did a wonderful job of eating the fungus gnats. It's kind of a good thing that they do eat each other, otherwise we'ld have been overrun. I'm looking forward to this springs hatchlings.
by apples on March 10, 2004 12:43 AM
Thanks!
I guess I'll just let them free outside but keep a few indoors. The only reason I would want to keep the one in my room in an aquarium is for fear of squishing it in my sleep or getting up in the middle of the night and steping on it [tears] that would be kind of sad. I'm going to be ordering some seeds in the next two weeks and they have mantis eggs in now so... An expirience it will be! are their any poisones house plants that might afect them dose any one think, not that they be eating them? Oh last thing is how can you tell if they are male or female? I think I remember the female being bigger and bright green.

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The answers will come when needed. Otherwise, I'm guesing time will make me feel silly.
by Danaus29 on March 13, 2004 05:24 PM
Let's not lose the connection this time.

Poisonous plants won't harm a mantis but lack of humidity will keep the mantis from properly shedding it's exoskeleton. One mantis we had lost a leg because the old exoskeleton would not separate from it's leg. That one we kept until it was mature then we set it free to find a mate.

I can't tell male from female until the female gets that huge abdomen, then it's pretty easy.
by Buglady on March 21, 2004 05:42 AM
I am sorry I am sorry I am sorry.. I did not get to you sooner. I have been so busy I have not hand a chance to read the boards ... you can always email me direct if there is an emergency.

Anyhow DON'T BUY MANTIDS!!!! they collect them out of the wild to sell them (also they are not native). They also do not provide really any benefit to your garden except eating your butterflies and other larger insects. Most insect plant pests are too small for mantis to feed on. For example, mites, aphids, whiteflies and caterpillars. Now they may eat some fast moving caterpillars but remember mantids hunt by sight.

I say of you want to release something go with lacewings ... they will give you the most benefit.

PS they don't have to mate to have babies [Smile] [grin]

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time
by apples on March 23, 2004 08:24 AM
Thanks buglady. Nice to see you back!
It's a good thing I've been postponing my ordering. I was somewhat wondering if it was a good idea to let them go here in canada as I don't think they're around here at all, I've seen a stick bug once! The thing though is it will be indoors I think lace wings will annoy my parents just as much as the fungus gants. Would nematoids be good in my plant pots as the only problem realy is fungus gants. I mainly just kind of wanted... I just had to take out a fungus gant just now! I just hate having to kill them my self [Frown] I'd rather give the job to something that will injoy it. Anyways I just kind of wanted them as pets as well but not that hundreds!! Is their any way to get 1 or 2 mantids? Oh I naturaly have alot of ladybugs in my house, will they help or do they only realy eat aphids?

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The answers will come when needed. Otherwise, I'm guesing time will make me feel silly.
by Buglady on March 24, 2004 05:17 AM
to answer your questions

1. use nematodes for fungus gnat control, i buy them from www.nematodary.com [thumb]

2. Don't think you can buy one mantid, and its work to keep them as pets. I have reared many of them.

3. To the ladybugs.. if they are in your house they are most likely The Multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis. And yes they do eat aphids.

"The Multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis. This species has become quite a nuisance in the United States even though it is a voracious predator. History: This Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle was intentionally imported from Russia, Japan, Korea, and elsewhere in the Orient and for releases in the United States as part of a Federal effort to naturally control insect pests in trees. With the first releases (1916 and 1960) the beetle did not establish. The in the 1970s and the early 1980s, tens of thousands of these beetles were intentionally released by the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) in an effort to control insect pests that injure trees. All did not go as planned, as many home owners found out."

here is a link to the rest of the article so i dont fill up all this text box
http://www.bugladyconsulting.com/Multicolored%20Asian%20lady%20beetle.htm

let me know if you have any more questions!!

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time
by apples on March 29, 2004 04:37 AM
Thanks,
I think they're the normal lady bugs cause there allways the standerd red, black spots and they're not very big or glossy. Dose nematodary ship every where. Just making shure. I'd be up for the job taking care of mantids but that many would probably be an inconvienence and hard on me. Maby on day in the future I'll have a large greenhouse and I'll give it a shot!
P.S. Bug lady, I like your site [thumb] !
It's nice and very informative.

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The answers will come when needed. Otherwise, I'm guesing time will make me feel silly.
by Buglady on March 29, 2004 05:07 AM
Yes, nematodes can be shipped anywhere. and I am glad you go to my sight before it was hacked. I think i have it fixed now... 56&^%12&^*& HACKERS! [devil]

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time
by afgreyparrot on March 29, 2004 06:51 AM
[shocked] I just read this post and got freaked out about the Praying Mantis. I had a bad experience once, and it left me scarred mentally! I was working in the garden and didn't even see it. It grabbed onto my finger and by the time I got it off there was blood dripping off my elbow!!!
Was it trying to kill me?

P.S. I know they are good, and I wouldn't hurt one for the world.
(A chicken tried to kill me once, too, but that's a whole nuther story.)

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Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!
by apples on March 31, 2004 04:04 AM
That's one of the crazziest things I've heard in a while but I'm ready for that chicken story!

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The answers will come when needed. Otherwise, I'm guesing time will make me feel silly.
by afgreyparrot on April 01, 2004 06:21 AM
Well, here's the chicken story.

I had a 70 acre farm and grew almost all my own food. Since I didn't eat meat, but DID eat eggs, I decided I needed some chickens. (There was a nice chicken house already there when I bought the farm a few years earlier.) I got some chickens and it was great. Fresh, brown eggs!

One day my husband suggested egg sandwiches for lunch and there were no eggs in the fridge, so I went up to the chicken house, like I had done hundreds of times before, to get a few.
Well, there was a hen sitting on her eggs to hatch them. I had no intention of bothering her...I loved the baby chicks we ended up with. So, I passed her up to get the eggs that were in the next nest.

NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!!

She flew into my face and grabbed hold of my t-shirt, proceeding to try to peck my eyes out! When I finally pulled her off of me, she came right back with full force, tearing me up with her claws and beak. I didn't want to hurt her, but every time I got her off of me she came back again. My face was bleeding so much I could hardly see because of the blood running into my eyes. I tried to just get out the door, but she would not give up. I threw her about 10 feet and turned to get out the door, but then she got onto my BACK, and ripped my hair out and shredded what was left of my shirt. I had to get down on the ground and roll to get her off my back.
I finally made it back to the house, covered in egg, feathers, and blood, with NO shirt on and half my hair pulled out.
(Picture that!)

I told my husband if he wanted an egg sandwich HE had to go get an egg!

We didn't have egg sandwiches that day!

This is funny to me NOW, but when it was happening I had visions of them finding me dead in the chicken house! How embarrassing!

Headline:
"Local Artist Found Dead In Chicken House.
Murdered By Ill-Tempered Hen"

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Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!
by Jillie on April 01, 2004 04:22 PM
Oh, Cindy, I was laughing so hard by the time I finished reading...

How scary, though.......Rampaging hen...Whew!
Glad you got out with your skin.... [thumb]

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by Jiffymouse on April 01, 2004 05:07 PM
[Big Grin] [Big Grin] [Big Grin] cindy, i am still giggling! [Big Grin] [Big Grin] [Big Grin]
and to think i wanted chickens!
by afgreyparrot on April 01, 2004 05:41 PM
P.S.
I do eat chicken now.

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Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!
by Buglady on April 01, 2004 06:20 PM
When ever i would collect eggs around hens that were "broody" I took a 3 gallon bucket and would hold it in front of me. When i go close enough i would just it over top the chicken. Also if i needed to collect her eggs I would put a bucket on her and she would peck away at the inside but couldnt get me. [Smile]

For future use if you get chickens again.

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time
by Jiffymouse on April 01, 2004 07:50 PM
thanks for the tip, i'll have to remember that!!
by loz on April 02, 2004 07:07 PM
Cindy, that was hilarious [Big Grin] ....I had to come read it after you posted about it in your slug story......very funny stuff, but not funny for you at the time.....OUCH!!! [Frown]
by gardengal on April 02, 2004 08:51 PM
Cindy, you tell the best stories. [thumb] I especially like the headline at the end! Glad you made it through your chicken attack and lived to tell the tale!

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Women and cats will do as they please. Men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
by Raenkatz on April 03, 2004 02:42 AM
If you need to control and infestation of Mantids, just let the kitties loose! hahaha

My darling Mr. Malimar [kitty] caught a Praying Mantis one evening. It was a little more than he bargained for. Mal is a Sylvester lookalike, with beautiful long white whiskers and cheek fur that's an inch or so long. Well, he started out just batting the bug around, playing with it....then the Mantis pinched on to his cheek fur and would NOT let go! hahaha Mal was freaking out, rolling around pawing at this creature clamped on to his fur making awful sound (both of them...the bug made a sound and Mal was mrowrrring)....I didn't know, at the time, if Mantids bite or could be poisonous, so once he did get it off his cheek, I shooed it off the balcony and Mal looked at me like i had taken all his Christmas Presents away for no reason hahahaha
by afgreyparrot on April 03, 2004 06:01 AM
See...I told you they would try to kill you!

But, the one that got me did it with his hands, not a bite. Stuck his finger-thingys right into my BONE. (Maybe mine was into martial arts!?!)

And some of you SLEEP with them right in the house? [nutz]

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Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!
by apples on April 04, 2004 01:15 AM
Cindy, that's exactly why I would of kept the one in my room in a terarium or something at night! I've only been near chickens on their own turff once when I was little. I went into a barn while my dad was talking to the people who's house it was and they automaticly flew up in the air, over my head to perches and all over the place. For a 10 year old that's kind of frightening! After I ran out I guess that scared them and they started chasing me [Big Grin] . Only a few meters but still!
So your an artist ehe... What's your medium?

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The answers will come when needed. Otherwise, I'm guesing time will make me feel silly.
by afgreyparrot on April 04, 2004 08:49 AM
#1 Acrylic, and #2 Sign Paint

I used to make good money painting saw blades, etc., most of them special order from a photo of someone's home or barn. Whenever I had a booth at a craft show, SO many people wanted me to paint them a sign. So, I started painting signs and loved it. I ended up with the biggest sign business within 100 miles, and LOVED the diversity of it. One day it was a plain ole sign for a real estate company, the next was custom graphics on a race car. When I married Andy, he didn't want me to work. So, I sold my business and now only paint signs for his business, and Christmas presents. All the time I used to spend painting for money is now spent in the yard! And since I am an artist at heart, I have a very colorful yard! I don't miss the business at all...I can paint anytime I want to. I am so grateful for the time I have now to spend with my yard and grandson. I pick him up from school almost every day, and the first thing he says is "What are we going to plant today, Cindy Granny?"! He has his own tools and has quite the green thumb! (4 years old)
I was thinking about donating a custom-painted sawblade or something as a prize if they had the gardening contest I read about on the forum, but since I haven't been here that long didn't know if it was appropriate or not. Guess I'll wait and see if they do it.
Are you a "painter"?

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Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!
by Rick on April 06, 2004 07:50 AM
It's rare that I see a mantis around here. I think I'm too far north. For pure insect control, you'll do better by making the spiders at home. They eat far more pests. My worst pest is cabbage worms. The spiders, especially the crab spiders get the adults while wasps get the larvae. Combined, they keep them pretty much under control.
That ladybug article is interesting. We have that species, along with others here. They do manage to get into the house, sometimes in some pretty big numbers, but aren't really a problem. I usually wait for a day slightly above freezing and move them out to the wellshed where they finish the winter. I moved several dozen outside during the last warm spell. Put them on a small table in the sun. When I splashed some water onto the table by accident, they all went to it for a drink. It was quite interesting to watch.
They do get into the walls but I'm willing to let them. The good they do far outweighs the minor inconvenience of them getting indoors.
Rick
by apples on April 16, 2004 05:17 PM
Sorry I haven't gotten back to this post for a while, been getting to much oxygen!
Rick, when ever I see a spider I rescue it from my mom or sometimes they're in the upstairs bathroom and I move them next store to mine! Did you know that the average canadian eats up to 100 spiders a year! ?I think it's that. Our goverment gets board every now and then I think [thinker] .
I figure it's mostly the new borns just leaving the nest while were sleeping [Wink] .
Cindy, I do paint by some standards! Acrylics & sand, string, anything I can make stick. I love art!!
Since I'm mainly just at home for the time being my gardening motto is "I'm practicing to be a starving artist with a vegetable garden!" I to have lots of time to paint and grow things for the moment. My skill has yet to pass over from drawing to painting. I used to be big into surrealism when I drew and just let my hand go but since I've been painting I think it's a cross between being lazzy and to anxious to realy keep my self in a good state of mind for anything with detailed form. I'm still kind of sluggish with the brush strokes to. I do lots of realy abstracted stuff and alot of impressionism. I've said it befor words to big for some one as little an artist as me [Smile] . I look forward to seeing some of your work? Bill needs to put in a realy big wink graemlin with it's mouth open [Big Grin] ! Your art seems realy neat.
I'm shure it's not out of order at all to bring up the custom sign thing. As you must know by now EVERYONE is realy friendly but I think they did want it to be a just for fun thing. I think it'll be a while to so time will tell.
Josh.

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The answers will come when needed. Otherwise, I'm guesing time will make me feel silly.

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