Hey Toni,

I guess Congratulations are in order! I've never ordered these but I live in the woods and have Alot outside. They are very neat and interesting insects!! Please keep us informed!

Hi Teisa, Thank you.
You're lucky you live in the woods. Do you see PM?

I know they're in IL, but I've never seen one.

Then again, the little guys look nothing like adult Mantis, so maybe I've seen them, but didn't know what they were. lol.

That's way, wicked cool! Wishing them luck, and lots of happy meals "at" your plants, in your yard!

Oh yes we see them alot! I can remember having a pet one when I was like 8 yrs old! (As corny as this may sound, I am being totally honest). I wanted "her" to have babies so bad but she never did. My mom convinced me to let her go after a few days....
Well fast forward to my house where we live now. I have seen a few throughout the years, but nothing like where we live now. The previous owner had a greenhouse on the property where he sold vegetable plants. We see ALOT of PM. I think he probably had ordered some himself to control bugs. Because we see like 20 per year probably. We do live on several acres, mostly wooded but this seems like alot to me. I'm very happy to find the little critters, I smile everytime one makes his way into the house or is hanging onto the window/door. I think of my little friend when I was 8.

Please let us know how they do for you!! And how are you planning on "using" them? Do you mostly have outdoor plants?

-Teisa

You guys can have all of mine, lol. I have yet to see a PM doing anything but grabbing butterflies and bees from my flowers. They aren't the least bit interested in our peskiest pests like aphids, mealybugs, scale, or whitefly. (Maybe babies will munch on aphids.)

I've tried relocating them from the flower gardens to the veggies, but as soon as I turn my back, they sneak back to the flowers! I've sent many off to work with my husband who lets them go someplace on campus.

Purple, I've seen one eating a small anole when I lived in SC. Not a pretty sight. /:-(

I know, everything in moderation. I've only ever seen 1 PM in AL, or FL for that matter. It rode home on the hood of DH's truck one day, we gawked at it, then it got bored with us and headed into the menagerie, panacea of shoulder-high stuff next door. Dunno what became of it, or if it has any possible mates around.

Seems palmetto bugs (which I can't say w/o translating to 'giant cockroach') would be appropriately sized for a good meal, if grasshoppers and crickets will do. If only I could train a PM to follow me around, I could turn over rocks, disturb compost, and move pots for them. We'd make a great team... sigh!

About anoles, sadly, so sadly, there are so many fewer anoles and birds around the porches this summer which we have chalked up to the over-abundance, even for here, of stray cats. If you remember me mentioning the burned, abandoned house next door, imagine what a great kitty-raisin' place that is for a nice, large family. Then the dweeb 2 doors down puts food on the front porch at 5 PM every day. These critters roam around making dogs bark everywhere, upsetting the natural balance... it used to be so peaceful!

Hey, BTW, we saw 2 anoles in an epic battle on 5/17. At this point, it's still the last entry in the linked discussion.

Toni, hope you'll add a pic of your PM's!

Afternoon,

Purple, thank you. I hope they find 'Happy Meals,' too. :)

I spoke to Meyer Mike. He said he bought eggs, 'I better check the proper name.' He said there was supposed to be thousands. He found one. Terrible odds.

Teisa...Oh, what a cute story. Funny you wanted your PM to have babies. lol.

It's amazing you see so many. Do they blend in plants like Chameleons? Also, are they large? 7-8"?
As of now, the little guys are brown. Those I've seen online are green.
Do you think color depends on species?
I pray mine turn green and large enough to see one day. :)I bet there's a lot more on your property roaming around.

Actually, I have both house plants and in-ground plants..Perennials, etc.

This year, probably since we've had rain the last two-weeks, there's a ton of little flying bugs..Mosquitoes are out already. They usually hatch around mid-July.

I orignally ordered PM eggs because I thought they'd eat ants. We have enough ants here to feed 100 Ant Eaters lol. They crawl in my house plants, then, once plants are brought back indoors, they're in my house.
I do not like ants. Or spiders for that matter. lol

Hey Rhizo. Aw, no more PM... lol.
Remember the first thread I started..I had ordered the 'eggs?' before posting.
I didn't know PM's ate butterfly's and BIRDS! No matter how cute and interesting these little critters are, if they eat our wildlife, I hope they don't make it.
That sounds awful, but I can't imagine seeing such a disturbing sight.
We feed the birds. Seed, bread, etc.

Now as far as mice..they can eat all they want.
We have so many ants, I think they scared off mice. lol.
I'm not kidding. I haven't seen a mouse in months..since ants took over the neighborhood.
Neighbors hire exterminators, for in and outdoors.
That means, ants and other pests will come here. Sigh.

Rhizo, do they allow you to lift them?

Toni, I was bitten once (long story) when handling a mantis, so I do very little handling without gloves. It broke through the skin between my fingers! I remember, now, having to move one who kept 'roosting' on my hummingbird feeder! I'd knock him away but he'd show back up in the same position a little while later.

Purple, I hadn't seen the anoles at war pictures! Very cool.

Speaking of spiders, Toni....you're going cringe over this one....I saw a black widow INSIDE the house yesterday afternoon! She scurried away under the sofa before I could squash her and though Robert and I armed ourselves with the vacuum cleaner and turned the sofa upside down, we could not find it.

That sounds really exciting! Not really sure what i'm looking at. Is that tiny brown bug the insect? I really love PM, but have heard horror stories of what they can do. There were very few growing up, but I've noticed at one of the old houses they really love yew.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but I think brown PM's are female and green are male. Around here they are usually 6" long at least.
I've thought about ordering some. At my new house, there are a lot of earwigs, and other bugs fond of decomposing stuff....I have these two terrible silver maples to thank for that. I like to smell my roses without seeing those menacing pincers wiggling out from underneath the petals....
If yours survive, may they forever feast upon your enemies :)

We have many species of PM in North America, including a few exotic kinds that are taking over the native population. Each look different from the other.

I think there are a bunch of them. I put red arrows pointing to the ones I think I see. Is that right, Toni? Your receipt should have their exact name.

Rhizo, ack!!!

Oh Rhizo, you're right. I'm cringing. OMG, a non-fiction horror story!
I'd have moved every last bit of furniture, with either dh's big shoe/broom handle inserted since I don't dare near any spider, let alone a black widow, or a fly swater used to swat ants! Donned in thick gloves and winter boots!!

Honest to God, I got goose bumps reading yesterday's event at your house.

Will you or Robert sit on the couch?
Do you find webs? Ohhh, I hope she didn't have babies..look for her dh's skeleton. Might lead to her whereabouts. UUULLLKKK.

Several deep breaths.....

Your Mantis is a little monster. Poor hummers. Can Robert catch and trasfer to a different location? A wooded area?

I can't believe he/she bit you. And broke your skin. Do you know if they have teeth? Darn sharks!
No matter, I'd rather be bit by a mantis than see a BW.

Auron. After I ordered PM egg cases, then posted here on GW, I then discovered mantis weren't as innocent as they look.

When mantis stand they pose as in prayer. After hearing Rhizo's story I know what they're praying for. lol.

At first I thought mantis ate grass, weeds, etc, then found they ate bugs, but didn't think it possible they'd eat a bird..even a little hummer.
We rarely see hummers here, so I pray, if by some miracle the mantis live and grow full length, the hummers stay away.

I realize it's a matter of survival. I can't watch nature shows when one animal devours another, even though it's natural.

I assumed mantis ate ants..a pest I've been trying to rid 4-5 yrs. Ants are everywhere, including our house.
As much as I dislike finding hundreds of ants, I'd rather deal w/ants than Rhizo's black widow. lol.

Purple, thank you. You're so funny, 'in a good way.' :)

Yes, the brown things are mantis. Babies.

Mantis type wasn't on the receipt so I wrote the seller. He said they're Chinese Mantis.

Oh Rhizo, you're right about exotic mantis. There's one type that resembes a semi-white/semi-transparent, double-petaled flower. He/she is BEAUTIFUL. I'm certain they're not hardy in IL though.