PRAY MANTIS NESTS

[crooketarrow]

  I've been colleting PRAY MANTIS NESTS (CASEINGS) for at least 20 years. I've never seen a post about them on here before.

 Last fall from Nov. untill APR. I sold 11,068 nests (caseings as there called). Though the years it's became almost as profitable as ginsang. At a $1.60 each it's still wort doing. I did'nt do this totally a lone family and I have 5 people working for me.

  I turned down a order for another 15,000

 I have a friend that make $47,000  2 years ago. Over $ 20,000 this year. He's getting $2.00 from some company's.

 Dose anyone do this.

[Gsulfridge]

I didn't know you could sell them.  Interesting.

[Pat B]

I used to find them all the time doing landscape work while pruning but always placed them back into the bush they came from.

[Parnell]

So are they still "in use" when you sell them?   What are they used for, I hope your not going to tell me they get old Chinese men excited...

[Pappy]

What do you mean  old Chinese men Steve.  never heard of such,now shark fins that is another story. I was always told if I hurt or bothered a Praying mantis that they or their off springs would follow you the rest of your life until they could get even, so I have always give them room and left them alone.
   Pappy

[Pat B]

They are used by organic gardeners and farmers for pest control. When they hatch out the hundreds of hungry baby mantises go on the prowl.

[Parnell]

That's really funny, Pap.  I can picture thousands of praying mantis launching an organized attack on Twin Oaks. 

When I saw this I searched and saw how they are used for organic gardening, as Pat states.  That's pretty cool.  I wouldn't mind hatching some of these down here in my yard to help control insect populations...plus, they are just cool insects.

Haven't seen one in years.  Not many mantis down here, I guess.  But we do have grasshoppers that will make you think dinosaurs have come back!

[Zuma]

Interesting.
What do they look like?
If you collect all you can find then what keeps them producing?
Zuma

[PrimitiveTim]

Interesting.
What do they look like?
If you collect all you can find then what keeps them producing?
Zuma

I'm guessing as is with many insects the vast majority of baby mantises die before they can ever reproduce and he's probably not finding every single nest in the area.  I'd be more worried about their predators missing out on that meal.

[crooketarrow]

 Let me do a little explaining.
 They connect their nest in any around golden rods. If you don't have golden rods you don't have pray mantis's. Gall flys lay their eggs in the golden rods stems. You ever see those brown weeds that have a knot in the stem.

 Those are gull flys,gull flys can fly but choose not to. They hatch the same time as the pray matis nests. The baby pray mantis's have a food scorce. There's anywhere from a 100 to 300 mantis's per nest. The ones the birds and turkeys don't eat. Lay their nests in the same golden rod areas.

 Your right Tim You can find the all. Everything song birds picking nests to foxs,coons,possums,skunks and me there right back the next winter.

 I get them and buy them from Late Nov. to APR. you can refridge and slow down hatching a month.

  There the preator of the insect world. I learned about them a long time back while doing a little farming. I've used them in doing a little gurrilla farming, for last 20 years.

 They go for anywhere from $ 8,oo to $16,00 a nest. You can even buy fully grown 6" pray mantis for $22,50.

  I bough my boys up they loved watching them hatch out.

[YosemiteBen]

I do not have golden rod but I do have mantises usually find one nest a year.

[Marks]

My 3rd grade teacher let us find them and keep them in class. We feed them until they laid eggs then the let the babies go when they hatched. We also kept garden spiders. We let 2-3 go in the class room over the weekend and they would build webs in the corners of the class. We fed them too but never kept any nests. That would be a nightmare. She was a cool teacher. My mom does praying mantis and tadpoles and hatches baby chickens with her 2nd grade class.

$22.50 for a praying mantis? ?? These hippies will buy anything. 

[caveman2533]

Gall grubs are good eatin.

[Wolf Watcher]

Anyone have a picture of such a nest for us that have never seen one?

[Zuma]

Thanks for the info crooket.

$22.50 for a praying mantis? ?? These hippies will buy anything. 

Now I know why those suckers are always praying.
Zuma