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The thread of Creepy Crawlies

Well its time to bring this topic back on top folks....
Here's alil something i found chilling next to my front door...
IMAG0442_zps5bd5dbd7.jpg
 
Man Chris yall got some freaky stuff over there.... Never seen any like that here in Cali... Well there probably is some just haven't seen any like that one...
 
In the first pic,it looks like she may be looking for a spot to lay eggs.
Note the fat abs.
I see a lot of mantis here,Problem is they are very territorial and kill each other off.
I think they would rather eat each other than the bad guys.
In the summer they sit in the dark at night right at the edge of a shadow from the spotlights at night waiting for crickets and roaches to ambush.
Seems they only hang out during the day on my plants.
Not very good when compared to lady bug larva or lacewing larva,assasin bugs etc.
Cool looking but that is about it.
They don't eat enough to be worth having around-they eat the other good guys too.
Don't eat X times their body weight in anything dayly like other good guys do.

The ones here are mostly Pink/tan colored.A few are green.
Might be the colors they adapted to to blend in with asphalt and motor home colors-who knows.
I see a LOT of Big ones in the summer.
They consider Aphids,mealy bugs etc. beneath their dignity to eat.
Seen them sitting in the middle of a bunch of aphids eating the lady bug or lacewing larva.
Who needs Horderves when you can eat a steak?

If you see headless dead bugs around a mantis probably did it.
Those front arms were made for holding and their chompers do the rest.

Cool critters but they don't eat much and spend too much time protecting their territory where other stuff are endless eating machines.

Ever seen a hatch?
TONS of little guys at first.
They have to all dry out/get a hard shell.THEN the eat each other.
Only a few survive.
When I see a mantis,I catch them and move them out of my garden.
Let them fight it out and eat each other in the guy next doors flowers or?

Don't want them around eating my lacewings larva etc.
 
smokemaster said:
In the first pic,it looks like she may be looking for a spot to lay eggs.
Note the fat abs.
I see a lot of mantis here,Problem is they are very territorial and kill each other off.
I think they would rather eat each other than the bad guys.
In the summer they sit in the dark at night right at the edge of a shadow from the spotlights at night waiting for crickets and roaches to ambush.
Seems they only hang out during the day on my plants.
Not very good when compared to lady bug larva or lacewing larva,assasin bugs etc.
Cool looking but that is about it.
They don't eat enough to be worth having around-they eat the other good guys too.
Don't eat X times their body weight in anything dayly like other good guys do.

The ones here are mostly Pink/tan colored.A few are green.
Might be the colors they adapted to to blend in with asphalt and motor home colors-who knows.
I see a LOT of Big ones in the summer.
They consider Aphids,mealy bugs etc. beneath their dignity to eat.
Seen them sitting in the middle of a bunch of aphids eating the lady bug or lacewing larva.
Who needs Horderves when you can eat a steak?

If you see headless dead bugs around a mantis probably did it.
Those front arms were made for holding and their chompers do the rest.

Cool critters but they don't eat much and spend too much time protecting their territory where other stuff are endless eating machines.

Ever seen a hatch?
TONS of little guys at first.
They have to all dry out/get a hard shell.THEN the eat each other.
Only a few survive.
When I see a mantis,I catch them and move them out of my garden.
Let them fight it out and eat each other in the guy next doors flowers or?

Don't want them around eating my lacewings larva etc.
I hatched a ton from a few egg sacks I found hunting then spread them all over the garden.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=egbqulO5joA
 
Went scouting around again up in the mountains here in Central Cali... Got back to my car and noticed a very tiny spider on the back window...
IMAG0688_zpse829c7a9.jpg
 
I don't much care for spiders but I leave them alone as they eat flies and things. I am amazed at the lack of bees here, my neighbors on both sides have lots of flowers so that might be it.  
 
Love this kind of photos! Plan to learn how to use my camera (i'm a newbie), then buy a tripod, and later macro lens... Here a locust (don't remember if on a Trinidad Scorpion or a 7pod):
 
idHWE5SHx3vGg.JPG

 
Where i live there has been an invasion of grasshoppers...
 
Where the h*ll you find all the mantids anyway? I found one once, in November. 
Also, caterpillar can eat 7 pod because they can't taste them. Only the fruity bits. That's how Nigel's parrot eats them also.
 
cruzzfish said:
Where the h*ll you find all the mantids anyway? I found one once, in November. 
Also, caterpillar can eat 7 pod because they can't taste them. Only the fruity bits. That's how Nigel's parrot eats them also.
I knew that birds don't feel hot, i didn't knew about caterpillar...
 
Btw here some mantis photos i took 2 months ago...
 
iblRQk2y3IErP9.JPG

 
i7iq0BkubJ8mt.JPG

 
iugVFVkffBeNp.JPG

 
Here another random shot...
 
iA4ZQqbJo5VmT.jpg
 
Arizona is loaded with biting, stinging, stabbing, poking, impaling and otherwise nasty critters.
 
Arewethereyet.jpg

"Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Mom, I have to pee!" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Mom, Billy's spitting venom on me again!" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?"
 
 
0597s.jpg

Spidey has a BAD day.  :(
 
 
KissMe.jpg

Lickably handsome!  :P
(This guy is the notoriously hallucinogenic Colorado River Toad.  The dope is supposedly pretty good when purified but, "unfortunately", the toad's skin is also loaded with various toxic compounds that make licking them a dubious activity.)
 
BlackTail.jpg

Blacktail rattler.  One of the prettier and more relaxed (as rattlesnakes go) varieties. I'm pretty sure I could have picked this fellow up without much risk.  I was already sitting down about two feet from him (not generally recommended!) and he didn't even seem to notice.
 
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