Smiles, If you don't want to exclusively do organic that's fine, but BT is a great product and really works against most of the worms and definately cabbage worms. You can buy it in dust form just like a non-organic pesticide (it's sold as Dipel) or you can buy it in a spray form or concentrate (also sold as caterpillar killer by green light or safer, I can't remember,--there are other brands read the ingredients and look for bacillus thurengitis). Be sure not to apply it during the heat of the day cause the sun inactivates it but if you spray/dust it in the evening or on a cloudy day it will work great. BT shouldn't hurt mantises, it only works against caterpillars (which is what cabbage worms are). You don't say which pesticide you used so there isn't much people can say about the toxicity to mantisis.

The mantids are good. So funny to look at. They turn their heads and look at you. I haven't seen any this year. Hope they are around.

What's with all the double posts? GW is having problems. I tried signing in Mon and Tues. Got error messages, and one message asking if I was sure I wanted to go to.......... Strange. Teen, why did you ask if I wanted PM to control insects? Purple, several months ago, I Googled PM. Several sites suggested these cuties would rid bad insects, and healther for the environment. I checked Ebay, but there weren't any eggs/cases available. Guess they weren't being sold because of the season. Organic gardeners use beneficial insects instead of insecticides...besides ladybugs, mantis were mentioned. And they are cute..:) Can Anole's live inside? If not, our winters would kill them. What I was told about mantis, 'not from a seller,' is adults die but their eggs survive the cold. The woman I talked to on the phone this morning used to work in a plant store. She found two mantis at work, brought them home..she said, the following year they had babies galore.. She lives in IL, too. If mantis eat ants, they'll live happily ever after. The town is loaded w/ants. They're everywhere. For a while we didn't see many, 'walking Coco,' but since the temps increased, THEY'RE BACK! There's all types of insects they can devour here. Anyway, after browsing Ebay earlier, I found a seller that sends 2 or 3 cases and 100 free ladybugs. :) 9.99. I started this post around 4pm. Dh came home, I had to make dinner, ate, washed dishes, fed Sparkle, Cricket and Coco...it's now 6:16pm. Sheesh. Purp, even if PM don't do the job I expect, they're adorable to look at. And I'll be a proud mama..... Hi Karen. Since Jan/Feb, I've gone through half a dozen gallon, vinegar containers..Heck, I even wash floors w/vinegar..lol. I clean kitchen counters, fridge, stove, bathrooms, computer screen and TV's w/vinegar. The entire house smells like salad. Dh hates it..lol. DS said it reminds him of a Chinese food dish he orders. Yesterday, while watching a show on tv, there was a commercial about a book that's out..how to kill pests organically...that's not the name of the book... They displayed a 1-800 number on the bottom of the tv screen to order the book. If an order was placed within 10-mins of the commercial, a second book was included..how to rid larger pests like squirrels, rabbits, etc. During one scene, they showed a woman drawing a circle on the floor, using chalk, around a dog bowl. Ants won't walk past a line..Strange, huh? But, most of the info can be found online for free. BTW, I started out using 50/50% vinegar and water, now I use it full strength. Vinegar kills ants on contact. Rhizo. I won't keep a mantis inside...Some sites talk about keeping mantis as pets, lol, but unless they're fed properly, I can't imagine the poor little guys living long, let alone laying eggs. About the species. There are three varieties sold on Ebay. Chinese, European and Carolina. There might be others... The company I ordered from is located in MN, but they order eggs..'by professionals,' lol. Rhizo, Terro works great..every so often a stray ant walks across the floor. Since you use Terro baits, have you ever noticed deformed strays? They're disgusting! Some look like they have two heads..oh gross. Seeing this ants is one reason I don't like using chemicals. Heck, seeing them sure doesn't make it easier. And they spray fresh food with similiar crap. I've got the weather channel on..To those who live in AR and OK, please be safe.

Thanks Lance. Today there was another small green praying mantis on my Coffee Country and it stayed there alllll day. But last week I saw a gigantic brown praying mantis, almost scary looking because he was so big but he or she was sooooo cool. Bummer on the baby bumble bees. They would be a cute little site to see. Thanks again, Judy