Free Mantis in Tampa, FL

[lossman]

We just caught a mantis in our tank. He is free if you want to come pick him up. We are in the Wesley Chapel area of Florida. NO SHIPPING!! NO MIDNIGHT PICKUP!!

e-mail sossman@tampabay.rr.com

He's in a jar now and not sure how long they can live in that. We will be adding fresh water and oxygen periodically but he needs to find a new home SOON!!

Sally

 

[lossman]

They are claimed

 

[melk-man]

PLEASE tell me how you caught him?? .. I have a MEAN one i am trying to trap now.

 

[lossman]

PLEASE tell me how you caught him?? .. I have a MEAN one i am trying to trap now.

So easy it blew me way! After trying for several months, we found the perfect combination. We bought the $20 X-terminator mantis trap, used silversides as bait, and let the mantis get used to us and the traps! We tried the bottle traps, shrimp as bait but it was all just a waiting game. The mantis needed to get cocky, the bait had to be right, and the trap had to be dark enough and put in the right place for them to feel comfortable going in. We caught, today alone, one mantis, a huge gorilla and a smaller gorilla. We now have two mantis and two gorillas sitting in containers on the counter ready to go to new homes.

The first mantis we lucked out when we saw him crawl in a hole in a small rock. Most of the rock in our tank weighs about 30 - 50 lbs and with a 150g tank, removing the rock to get a mantis out is usually out of the question. This first mantis gave us a treat and egged us on to get the rest of the bad critters out. We still have a couple of small gorillas to get out, which we should have by this weekend, but now we felt comfortable finally putting out fish in the tank!!! 5 months after setting it up we finally have a fish in the tank!!! WAAAHHHHOOOO!!!!!

 

[melk-man]

thanks. They do seem very smart. SHows little intrest in the shrimp/krill i put in. I have put the trap in a dark area under the live rock now. I ran a sewing pin through the back of the trap to skewer the bait so it wont float out.

 

[lossman]

thanks. They do seem very smart. SHows little intrest in the shrimp/krill i put in. I have put the trap in a dark area under the live rock now. I ran a sewing pin through the back of the trap to skewer the bait so it wont float out.

It sounds, and is, disgusting....but squish it. Once squished, it usually stays in place. Gawd...squishing silversides' head sucks!!!!! :eek1: