/TPH. I like the white caterpillar photo a lot! It's kind of neat when we import plants and yet local arachnid camouflage still works fine. /Mike. Awesome caterpillar! He looks about ready for a hookah. We saw a giant mantis roaming around on the front window of the pub last night and it looked so brilliant highlighted against the golden backdrop that I really should have taken a picture. I guess it was looking for prey, but it was a bit odd to see it in such an urban environment. Although I guess if they live on Quinn's ceiling that's evidence that they are city proof.

Hi Michelle, I don't know anything about beneficial insects, but one thing I found works pretty well at controlling thrips here where I live in Oregon is a piece of bright blue foam that is found in a craft store or some meat markets use this same color blue to package their meats. I put staple it to a garden stake and then put tangle foot on it, place it right next to my plant that seems to attract thrips. I lost a whole bed of glads to thrips last year unfortunelty, I did not know about this color blue attracting them until later. If you do this soon enough it will bring them to a small toloration. Now I have to get some out soon before they start multiplying. Kathy

I really don't know if it could survive the winter, but I have kept them in a container giving them crickets to eat (purchased from the pet store). It would also need some source of water. They are such interesting insects. Here's a site if you are interested... Here is a link that might be useful: mantis care

The mantis has moved to one of my chili plants and has been there for the past three days, pretty much in the same place on the plant.Photo from Oct 10. Photo from today (Oct 12) I found some harmful bugs at the bottom of the chili plant and removed them, as she does not appear to be going to that part of the plant. I'm going to have to check my other chili plants and make sure they are not getting pests either, but normally I do not have any on them. In this photo (Oct 10), she turned her head to look at me while I was photographing her.I doubt she would want to lay eggs on the chili plant, as chili plants are not as permanent as the Bay tree, but it might be a better place for young to find food.