where can I find a praying mantis?

[Gr8Reptile]

I live in the USA and was wondering where I could buy one. Does anybody know where?

 

[ragingcobalt]

a true praying mantis or a more exotic foriegn species? because you can just catch a wild one from a hedge bush or look underneath highpowered lights like at a tennis court. I found a 5 inch specimen at the tennis court by my uncles house and kept it in a critter keeper for about 6 months

 

[Chrysopid]

I found a lot by gas station lights later in the summer. They were only there for a couple of weeks, though.

 

[Mr. Mordax]

Try the Mantid Forum Classifieds.

 

[Tunedbeat]

Try the Mantid Forum Classifieds.

There are more i WTB than FS.

 

[Mr. Mordax]

It's a start.

 

[scolex]

These are savage!

At the right time of year... You can get a sac = (100+) at a hardware/garden store they sell them with laddybugs and others I call them (bennies they eat the bad). ACE was the last place I seen them. Now if you want exotic type like (flower Maties) look more at places that sell herps stores, inverts, online, shows, etc. I had a native female 10+ years ago that breed and the babies, came back every year??? figure that out!

 

[Gr8Reptile]

yeah I'm looking for the exotic kind but all the reptile stores in my area didn't stock in um. Not even reptile shows sold um

 

[Galapoheros]

Are there any legal issues with mantids, esp. exotic ones? Seems like I read something but I can't remember.

 

[Mr. Mordax]

The APHIS guys who interrogated me weren't very specific. They said mantids had been "added to the list," but they didn't really say what species / families / what-have-you. Apparently someone's collection on the east coast escaped and began displacing the native species. (Kinda bugs me, as the only wild ones I find in Oregon are exotics that have been here since the 1890s.)

Shoulda clarified -- It bugs me that they're against exotics for fear of them harming the natives, but I'm not aware of any natives out where I live.

 

[Celeste]

I just bought a bunch of babies from Yen at www.usamantis.com -- I would recommend him highly. Seems like a great guy to do business with.

Be aware, though, that the ones he sells are tiny babies, and it's kinda tricky feeding them ('though they are a real trip to interact with!)

-- Celeste