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The Ultimate Beneficial Insect

2005-11-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

Raising Praying Mantises

There are many attributes that can be given to the Praying Mantis in their association with nature and man. In the wild they perform the task of population control of many pests harmful to man, horticulture and agriculture although they are not discriminative in their consumption and they will feed on some beneficial insects also.
Nature has its own way of determining the population of all creatures not controlled by man, where as man tends to get out of control at times with the use of pesticides, fertilizers, land management ect… which can do great harm to some of natures resources and some of the natural occurring events of natures creations. When we begin stepping on our own feet as we are now as we see major pollution damage in our creeks, rivers, waterways and groundwater we should all try and do our part to help stop the damage being done by considering alternate methods to chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Raising Praying Mantises and other beneficial insects for our own gardens and for educational purposes allows us to participate in helping to make a small change in the grand theme of life and in helping nature find it’s equilibrium.With this website I hope to share some of my experiences in the raising and releasing of the S. Carolina Mantis (Stagmomantis) for the benefit of the gardening experience as well as captive indoor raising and breeding mantids as pets for educational and therapeutic purposes.

Praying Mantis Fighting Skills

2005-11-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

Raising praying mantises can be a fascinating experience provided you have the time, but if you plan on raising them indoors for pets you might want to keep only one or two to start with as finding food sources can be very time consuming, especially when they are first hatched. Food sources for the young mantids are more easily found after the seasonal rain stops and the temperature outside become constant, once the daily highs reach 70 degrees F. You might want to first learn about raising crickets and vinegar or fruit flies. It is possible to keep them from hatching to early thru refrigeration.
One of the most interesting things I have enjoyed about the adult praying mantises besides the their ability to swivel their heads 180 degrees, are certain qualities about their eyes which seem almost mystical in that the pupil of the eye always seem to be pointed towards your view, but you can not see it move, it is just there when you change positions. It has to do with the structure of their eyes, but it is hard to understand when you see it. Their eyes also will turn red-brown in the dark.
These photos are one of two adult female praying mantises, which share the same aquarium. If one gets too close to the other, they will assume this posture, and defend their space. They might stay like this for hours till one of them attacks the other or until one or both back away from each other. If they do fight it is very brief and does not come down to fatal blows as they are equally matched in size, age and close to being equal in fighting skills, and usually results in one of them retreating to the bottom of the cage. The outcome might be different if they were not so well fed. In the case of male and female sharing the same cage at this age, the male would be lucky to escape with his life or without serious wounds and its only a matter of time before he becomes a meal.
One of these picture shows an ootheca (egg case) which she attached to a branch earlier in the season.

Carolina Female Praying Mantis Pictures

2005-09-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

Three photo images of a green Carolina praying mantis. She was born on April 20, 2005, and this picture was taken on August 30,2005. She is full grown and has already mated. Her abdomen is large and she is ready to lay eggs, which as it turned out happened the next day. It took her three and one half hours to lay one large egg case.

What is interesting about her is that she is the only one of the surviving mantids from the same two egg cases, (oothecas), that remained a green color after the final molt, even though she was raised in the same environment with the same moisture content. Supposedly it is the humidity which determines the praying mantises color. In moist conditions they are supposed to be green, and in dry conditions they are supposed to be more brown, but obviously their is more to it than that.

Praying Mantis Exoskeletons

2005-08-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Photos of some of the larger exoskeletons gathered through the season. These epidermis exoskeletons which cover the mantids are shed many times as the praying mantis grows. It is mostly done at night during which time they are in a vulnerable position, unable to defend themselves as well till they are free from this shell. It can take several hours of hanging upside down letting gravity do the work, slowly pulling them free. The exoskeletons show all the details of the mantid body including the tiny antennae on top of the head. They repeat this procedure over and over till they reach adulthood. On the last shedding they reveal their wings and no longer shed in this manner.

Adult Praying Mantis

2005-08-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Adult Praying Mantis searching for ? Lost Atlantis ? Here is Big Boy, my largest Carolina mantis. She has grow so large that she now has trouble moving about her cage. She needs larger branches in order to hold on, and the glass surface of the aquarium has become very difficult for her. I am still waiting for her to lay her eggs, (oothecas). I plan on separating the egg cases for next years hatch to see if I can notice any differences between hatchlings. I wanted to get pictures of her eyes turning red, which happens in the evening at sunset, but there was to much light in the room. This is a very strange the first time you see this happen, I thought I was imagining it the first time I saw it. The hole eye turns red, not just a small pupal area, and they have a shimering effect when light is shined on them.

Mosquitoes in Your Garden? Try Planting These

2005-08-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

HOME::Home-and-Family/Landscaping-Gardening

Mosquitoes in Your Garden? Try Planting These
By Scottie Johnson

If you are a serious gardener, you spend lots of time outdoors. And, for sure, you would rather be tending your plants than swatting mosquitoes.

While there are many things you can do to keep mosquitoes away, there are some plants that will beautify your yard and help repel mosquitoes.

As one more way to keep mosquitoes away from you and your yard, try planting these attractive plants.

HORSEMINT

Horsemint has a scent similar to citronella. Horsemint grows wild in most of the Eastern United States, from Mexico, Texas up to Minnesota to Vermont. It is partial to sandy soils and will grow in USDA Zones 5-10. Native Americans used it as a treatment for colds and flu. It has natural fungicidal and bacterial retardant properties because it's essential oils are high in thymol.

ROSEMARY

This wonderful herb we use for seasoning is also a great, natural mosquito repellant. It has been used for centuries to keep pesky mosquitoes away. Rosemary is a native of the Mediterranean, so it likes hot, dry weather and well-drained soil. It is hardy in USDA zones 8-10, and must be grown as a pot plant in colder climates. If you happen to live in a part of the country where rosemary does not grow, you can get a good quality rosemary essential oil; mix 4 drops with 1/4 cup olive oil. Store in a cool, dry place. When it comes to fresh plant oils as natural mosquito repellants, there is every reason to have the plant in your yard, if they will grow in your area. It is an inexpensive and attractive way to boost the appearance of the landscape and have natural mosquito repellants on hand as well.

MARIGOLDS

Organic gardeners have used marigolds as companion plants to keep aphids away. Mosquitoes dont like its scent any better (and some humans feel the same way). Marigolds are sun-loving annuals that come in a variety of shapes and sizes for almost any landscape. They are quite easy to grow from seed.

AGERATUM

This charming little bedding plant contains coumarin, and mosquitoes detest the smell. It is used in the perfume industry and is even in some commercial mosquito repellants. Dont rub ageratum on your skin, though. It has some other less desirable elements that you dont want to keep on your skin in quantity. Ageratums are annuals, and the come in a muted blue and white that compliments most other plantings.

MOSQUITO PLANTS

There are two types of plants that are called mosquito plants. One is a member of the geranium family that was genetically engineered to incorporate the properties of citronella. Citronella only grows in tropical places, but it is a well known repellant for mosquitoes. This plant was created to bring the repellant properties of citronella into a hardier plant. It will grow where any geranium will thrive. Many have questioned its usefulness as a mosquito repellant, but it is attractive enough to warrant planting for its ornamental value.

The other kind of mosquito plant is agastache cana. Its common names include Texas hummingbird mint, bubblegum mint, giant hyssop, or giant hummingbird mint. As you might guess, hummingbirds are quite attracted to it.

It is a New Mexico native, also found in parts of Texas. It is, in fact, a member of the mint family and its leaves do have a pungent aroma when crushed. In its native habitat, it is perennial, and is usually hardy in USDA Zones 5a-9a. It blooms late summer to early fall, so it catches hummingbirds on their annual migration. The long, medium pink flowers reel in butterflies as well.

CATNIP

One of the most powerful mosquito repellant plants is ordinary catnip. Recent studies have shown that it is ten times more effective than DEET at repelling mosquitoes. It is a short lived perennial throughout most of the United States. It is easy to grow from seed, and quickly reseeds. Aside from its intoxicating effects on cats, the leaves make a very soothing tea.

With all of these plants, the leaves must be crushed to release the aroma. Otherwise mosquitoes cant smell them. And, with rosemary and catnip, you can simply crush a few leaves and rub on your skin and clothing to enhance the effect.

So, next time you are revising your plantings, consider using some of these attractive plants to do more than just enhance the landscape. You can have pretty ornamentals that also drive mosquitoes away.

About The Author

Scottie Johnson is a life long mosquito warrior and freelance writer dedicated to eliminating mosquitoes from her life. She is also an organic gardener. For more information about mosquito control in your home and yard, visit her website at http://www.mosquito-kill-net.com. Copyright 2004 All rights reserved. Copies of this article may be used on websites and in e-zines provided the resource biography and URL are not removed prior to reproduction.

info@mosquito-kill-net.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Losing His Head over Something in Mind

2005-08-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to my little friend. This is Big Boy, the same Carolina mantis in the picture that opens this web log, only now she has grown wings, and at the moment she is very rattled. In the other part of the cage which you can not see in this photo, she was about to attack a male who had something else in mind and had gotten too close, and as she did she accidentally disturbed another female that was hanging nearby. The second female unexpectedly attacked her from behind, and Big Boy spun around in defense flaring and rattling her wings. It was a rare moment in the cage, and I was lucky to get this image. The male ran off and the two females stood frozen in attacking positions each showing off their sharp talons. It took several hours for them to slowly back away from each other and fold up their wings. In my experience, the females rarely attack each other like this. Later in the week, I found the male unfortunately lying on the bottom of the cage, missing his head. Apparently whatever he had in mind was cause enough for him to lose it.

Good or Bad Oothecas

2005-08-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some images of last seasons oothecas, (egg cases) that have already hatched out. Each egg case holds from twenty to two hundred young praying mantises, so the experts say, but out of all my egg cases that hatched I am very doubtful if any contained quite two hundred, but try counting live baby mantises running around in a single cage. Everytime you get to around ten you have to start over.
These were gathered in the wild and many did not hatch. It can be difficult to tell the difference between oothecas from previous seasons as many will stay in place for years before eroding and falling from its branch, but there are several indicators that will help. The lighter the color the better, some will look fresher than others and those are most likely good, but even if they look dried up, do not disregard them as many of those are also good. Some will have obvious defects like fractures or small blow-outs and those are no good. Generally the ones that have a light colored film still covering the two rows of tiny holes in the front are good, but do not throw away any until you have a chance to throughly examine them. I do know that some will look bad, but when you break them open, they are fresh and viable.
Do not pull them off the branch or stick or the might be damaged. Some of them will not hatch if the conditions are not right as they need humidy and warm temperatures. Do not put them in a paper bag in the window like some say to do with out taking them out every few days and misting them lightly with a water spray or misting the paper bag.
I will be selling some ootheca which will be available in December, 2005, if anyone would like to purchase some.

Hanging Out in the Cage

2005-07-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

Hanging upside down in her new breeding cage, this adult female praying mantis gets a taste for crickets. In this cage, which is an old aquarium with a fine mesh top the mantis prefers to hang upside down as she can get better footing clinging to the mesh screening. It is necessary to place a small branch or other bridging so that the crickets can climb up to the top of the cage, as they will not climb up the glass. I keep two females in this cage and they have been co-habiting it for about three weeks without any aggressive acts towards each other. The cage is 24 x 12 x 12. The first thing she does after catching the cricket is to gnaw off its head and drop the unappetizing parts of it to the bottom of the cage. She then leisurely finishes the rest of it.

Feeding your praying mantises

2005-07-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

Keeping your mantises fed can be a challenge if you do not live in a large town with a pet store that carries a full range of pet supplies. Mantises eat a lot of fruit flies and I keep mine fed by setting out five gallon buckets with scrap fruit. (cantaloupe, watermelon, etc.) By the end of the day you should have attracted enough to start gathering a few, which is best done in the morning when it is still cool or then again when it cools down in the evening. I use this large funnel which I place on top of the buckets and shake to try and get them to fly out the top and then catch them in the clear plastic containers which I make with old tennis ball containers covered with a fine mesh material on one end. (As shown in the image above) I also feed them crickets, but where I live, (Paradise, Ca.) none of the feed or pet stores sell the small adolescent crickets and only the adult mantis can eat a full grown cricket.
As to other recent happenings. One of the males finally grew its wings and reached adulthood and I thought would be the alpha male. Unfortunately the large female got hungry the following night, and the only trace left of him was a pair of beautiful wings left on the bottom of the cage. She ate the rest. The next male to get wings I am going to take out and put in a separate cage to protect for breeding later in the season. With Mantises it is the male who is smaller and are generally picked on by the females if you are raising them together.

In the cage

2005-07-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

These are images of one of the cheap cages I showed how to make in an earlier post, but now it is filled with two month old praying mantises. This type of cage works well for raising mantids, especially if you are feeding winged flies as they do not tend to escape when released, although the mantids will try to escape during the first few feedings until they figure out the routine. The sticks I placed in the cage are not necessary until the mantids are ready to mate, but I did not realize that at the time I put them in and now it would be too disturbing to take them out, but the mantids prefer to cling to the sides of the mesh and the top of the cage is the most popular area. I have found that if you place a single cricket in the cage, it will keep things somewhat stirred up and force fly movement to help the circulation in the cage.
One of the flaws in this type of cage is that you can not see as well as through an aquarium, as the mesh creates a filtered view and lower humidity, but it does allow for good air circulation. The first image shows more close ups of mantid silhouettes.

Scoring some catnip

2005-07-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Well you might be wondering what catnip has to do with praying mantises. Most likely you could care less. The fact is I am still exploring the relationship, but the immediate relationship came about by raising and feeding a few mosquitoes to my pet mantids when they were young and in the course of doing that I learned of some experiments which were being done using catnip as a mosquito repellent. I wrote an article about it earlier and posted it on this site. Anyway it seems that there is so much mis-information out there, and the chemical companies (particularly the manufacturers of deet,) have such powerful friends, that the media will not pick up the story, even with the west Nile virus spread through out the country, so I thought I would grow some and test it myself. The photo above is the first one to bloom. I will test it later this fall when my plants reach maturity. If anyone has heard any new news about this please leave a comment. As for myself, I believe the studies I have read, but still want to test it for myself. As for my cat Tessers, she seems to love the stuff and I am saving most of it for her.

Zoomed photo image of Praying Mantis

2005-07-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

The mantids are large enough now to be able to distinguish between the sexes and I seem to have an equal mix of both although the males get picked on due to their smaller size and if I do not keep an abundant supply of live flies in the cage the males are the first to become lunch. The mantids are very selective about their food and weary of different kinds of insects that I introduce to them. If I place a different type of fly that they have never seen before into the cage they will watch it very carefully before attacking it even if they seem to be hungry. Some of them will even step back and allow the newly introduced fly wide berth to go by even though the fly may be small. I released the adult black cricket who was keeping the cage clean by eating all the dead remains of flies dropped to the bottom of the cage. The mantids only seem to eat till they are full and do not over indulge. I may be able to let crickets and mantids co-habit in the same cage but for now it is easier to monitor what is going on by keeping them separate. The oldest mantid is about 77 days old and may be starting to grow wings, but I am not sure.
Posted by Picasa

DIY Cheap Critter Cages

2005-06-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

Start with wire garden plant support, (they come in several sizes) and clip off the three ground stakes about one inch from the end. Then bend them over to round them off and eliminate the sharp ends.

Roll it out on a paper or cardboard template, bookmarking the starting and ending position. Add two inches to the width and twelve inches to the length on each ends. Save the template for cutting the netting fabric. Make another template of the large round part of the plant support for the bottom of the cage. Use template to cut some clear fabric for the cage surround. (Drapery fabric works well) Sew long seam together and pull over wire. Mark the position of the top and bottom after you determine where you want them to end remember to leave an inch or so extra to sew seams on the top and bottom so the ends do not fray. Cut and sew top and bottom seams. Streach over wire, put in round bottom and tie off with nylon cord, wire twisties. Anyway you got the idea. The cage can be hung or set a on stand. This type of cage works great for raising praying mantises and other small insects.

Praying mantis on catnip

2005-06-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

Image of Praying Mantis named Big Boy. He is the largest of the first hatched ootheca (egg case). About 67 days old. He is perched on a catnip plant and seemed irritated at me for making him change poses for the camera. I was to busy with the camera to notice if he was affected by the catnip.

I had to make another cage recently to divide the mantids into smaller groupings. They were getting very aggressive all of a sudden and I am not sure why. I found two with there abdomen's chewed in half, dead, but still clinging to the side of the cage(so it had been recent), but their was no sign of a struggle. It was as if they had just stood there and let there selves be eaten. Usually they attack each other from the front and the winner eats the others head off or they will bite the neck area and just drop the dead body to the bottom of the cage. So this was really weird.

Oh, before I forget, they will eat ants, which I had never seen before, as one of the free mantids out in the yard was eating a medium size one, although he must have been very hungry as the caged mantid will completely ignore them.

I have seen some strange things while raising these mantids. Sometimes they will steal food from each other, but other times they will share a fly and eat it together. I have found them sitting on top of the cage the next day when I would have sworn none had gotten out, and the cage was absolutely sealed.
Posted by Hello

2005-06-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

Cut hole in top to fit tennis ball can lid or pvc pipe for easy feeding opening.
Posted by Hello

2005-06-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

Cut three equally sided openings in 5 gallon bucket and glue in nylon screening with spray adhesive or use duct tape.
Posted by Hello

2005-06-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

Free cages
Posted by Hello

Rainy Spell

2005-05-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Had a tough time keeping the mantids feed through that last rainy spell. The vinegar flies were getting scarcefor a while.
I have noticed a color difference between the mantids. They are a light brown before molting and green right after they are done molting. There is also a distinct difference in their eye colors. Some are black and some are green, but I haven't determined why.
Their is one who has grown noticeably larger than all the rest but they are still not large enough to change cage situation.

Mantid update

2005-05-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Mantids are finally getting larger, some more than others, and I have started feeding them just vinegar flies. For some reason the mantids prefer them to aphids even though the flies have better defenses. I have also discovered that I can trigger a feeding response by spinning the cage. The flies will move towards the light so as I slowly spin the cage I force them to walk past the awaiting mantids which remain stationary. After several revolutions many of the mantids have had the opportunity to catch their dinner. It also seems to excite them triggering a desire to feed.
They still occasionally eat each other but more often they test each others abilities in mock confrontation, toeing the line, each taking turns striking and grabbing the other but releasing before any damage is done. They will then stand facing each other about one body length apart in a stare down, neither willing to be the first to walk away.
I am also preparing to release some live mosquitoes in the cage to vary their diet a bit more
.

Who Nose

2005-05-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have way to many mantids relative to the amount of soft bodied prey for them to eat. I had more hatch in the second cage and they have become over crowded. I wanted to release some in the yard today but it's windy and raining, so maybe I'll wait one more day, but then that would be there natural enviorment if they had been born in the wild, maybe I'll just open the top of the cage and give them the option to escape if they please.
One thing that I have noticed though is that dispite what I have read, they do seem to be social, at least in the closed enviornment of a cage. They tend to gather together rather than distancing themselves from each other except for the rare individual.

Day in the Cage or Mantid on Prozac

2005-05-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

The mantids are finally showing signs of growth and they are shedding their exoskeletons. I was afraid they weren't getting enough nutrients from just the aphids so I started feeding them more vinegar flies with a few fruit flies. My home-made fly trap has begun producing quite well, although I may need to build a second one when the mantids require a larger supply. I have also started to raise the humidity, misting them more frequently as the temperature has been rising, hoping it will help them molt easier. I have also obtained a large aquarium for breeding purposes to use later this summer.
Their have been many casualties and the bottom of the cage looks like a battle field, dead bodies spread unevenly about. When I looked into the cage this morning I saw one headless mantid perched from a branch still holding on while his abdomen still pulsed with life. Standing near was a larger mantid who seemed to be watching it prosaically, just another day in the cage for him. Still the survival rate seems high but they move so fast I could never count them.

Mosquitoes

2005-05-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

March 23,2005

You Say Tomato, I say Mosquito
(By Jim Burnell)

Gathering tomatoes or other fruits of the garden might not sound like a dangerous occupation, but with terrorism running rampant these days, even a walk thru the garden can require pre-emptive measures. In fact if you left the screen door open for a minute or so and heard a whiny frequency accompanied by a slight tickle it may already be too late, if that slight tickle was the allergic reaction of your skin cells to the Culex, Aedes or Anopheles mosquito, one of the several species that prefer humans, and are capable of transmitting microbial organisms to living cells.
Every year two million people die of malaria, which is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito, but most of those deaths occur in Africa. In the U.S. malaria is considered rare, but the West Nile Virus is on the move and has reached all the states except Alaska and Hawaii.
The West Nile Virus is two millionths of an inch wide, smaller than most viruses. Viruses occupy a special taxonomy position in that they are not plant, animal or prokaryotic bacteria, and should not even be considered organisms because they are not free-living. (They cannot reproduce with out a host cell.)
The West Nile Virus has been studied for decades but did not arrive in the US until 1999. It is most similarly assocciated with other viruses that cause encephalitis, (inflammation of the brain), and it is highly fatal to avian species, corvids, mostly non-migratory birds distinguished by same sex characteristics. The West Nile Virus is also fatal to horses although there is a two-dose vaccine available for horses. It is not known when a vaccine will be discovered for humans or birds, so the best method of dealing with the virus is through avoidance. The West Nile Virus is past on to its animal host through the saliva of the female mosquito at the time of injection. The female mosquito needs a blood meal to complete reproduction, and pass on proteins to her offspring. The male mosquito does not eat blood but lives only on nectar and fruit juices.
Avoiding mosquitoes can be a big problem if you’re an outdoors person unless your companion is more susceptible to mosquito bites than you are. Some people attract more mosquitoes than others. (They must have a better bloodline.) Mosquitoes can lay their eggs in as little as one tablespoon of water which hatch and become adults in as little as seven to ten days. Finding all the water sources in which they can breed is next to impossible, but eliminating the obvious places will help. (Rain gutters, bird baths, flower pots etc.) In order to avoid mosquitoes it helps to know how they find you. They use sensors on their antenna to pick up body heat, odor and carbon-dioxide from exhaled breath to find their meal. That’s why black-light traps do not really work well, (mosquitoes use thermal imaging, not ultra violet). The female mosquito will work her way upwind zigzagging back and forth to the sources of these bodily cues. As she gets closer she uses colors and moisture in the air to close in on her target. British researchers found that mosquitoes would respond to animal bodies up to forty-five feet away. Mosquitoes become inactive when temperatures drop below forty-five degrees F or above eighty-two degrees F or when wind speeds are higher than six meters per second.
Some repellents are very effective at binding the mosquito sensory antenna. Repellants composed of heavy irregular shaped molecules work best. They block the pores of the sensory hairs of the mosquito antenna forcefully changing the mosquitoes point of view, causing her to fly past a living target. Area repellants like candles and incense with citronella have been proven effective at averting mosquitoes and even a plain wax candle can work as a decoy to trick mosquitoes. One of the best and most familiar repellents is a chemical product called Deet, which was developed by the USDA and patented by the US Army in 1946 and then registered in 57 for use by the general public. It is a broad spectrum repellent targeting many different insect pests, however one thing that might not be so well known is that Deet should not be used in conjunction with any other insecticide containing Permethrin as it can cause severe cellular damage according to Duke Universities Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health.
One of the most interesting, and recent repellants I have discovered while researching this article is the use of a common perennial herb or weed called catnip. Researchers at Iowa State University and the US Forest Service released information in 2001 on the effectiveness of nepetalactone, an essential oil found in catnip that works 10 times more efficiently than Deet although they say nothing about its duration comparison. Iowa State had submitted a patent application for the use of catnip compounds for insect repellents and commercial products are already available to the general public, (although I do not know if that means that thorough testing on humans or animals were completed). Caveat Emptor. Obviously cats will be meowing all over the neighborhood once these products become popular. (Skeeter-free, Natures Herbal, Natural Herbal Shield are a few). Some companies may be cheating the law by not calling there products a “Repellant”, so as to bypass FDA regulations.
You may want to try mixing your own concoction of catnip repellant. It’s available at nurseries and in the wild if you know what it looks like. Catnip was introduced to the US from Europe in the late 18th Century, and has been used for seasoning and teas for years. It is thought to have many healing properties among them help for (inducing sleep, migraine headaches, fevers, sedative, fatigue, restlessness, pain killers, improving circulation and symptoms associated with the flu.) It is also high in vitamin C. Catnip was also called the “Hang-mans Root” and was used by early American colonial executioners to put them in the mood before an execution. In England it was used to flavor beer because it cost less than hops. Over the years their have been many other plant-derived repellants to combat insects such as lavender extract, cedar wood, neem oil, Rosemary, peppermint geranium, lemongrass and others.
As far as electronic devises sold to repel insects, be sure the experts who tested these devices were not on the companies payroll, or be careful of which expert you listen to. Some of these products do more damage than good. In May 2001 the FTC sent warning letters to 60 companies selling these devises, warning them not to make claims without scientific evidence. In August 2002, Lentek International was charged by the FTC, for making false claims that their electronic mosquito repelling devices, repel mosquitoes. (WWW.ftc.gov/opa/2002/08/lentek.htm)
One proven method that partially worked for my dad when I was growing up, was the nightly mosquito hunt. Each night before bedtime the five of us kids were assigned a rolled up newspaper and a room, and we could not go to bed until every mosquito in the house was extinguished. It worked 90% of the time and gave the walls and ceilings that natured texture look. The funny thing bout it was the other 10% of the time the mosquitoes only got dad.
Mosquitoes play an important role in the food chain, mostly in their larvae and pupae stages, transforming algae, bacteria and organic matter into meals for fish and other aquatic creatures and wading birds etc. and it would not be beneficial to eliminate all of them.
So far this year in Ca there have been no human cases of the West Nile Virus reported. Last year out of 830 reported human infections, 27 were fatal. In November 2003 a bio Technology Company called Acambis started the first human clinical trial of a West Nile Virus vaccine. So far it has performed well in hamster, mice, monkeys and horses. Most cases of the disease occurs in the elderly and others with impaired immune systems, there have been cases of transmission through blood transfusions, and organ transplants. In most cases those who have West Nile Virus do not even know they have it. A few will develop flu like symptoms 4 to 10 days after the infection, and a rare few will develop encephalitis.

Sources:
University of Ca. Publication 7451
Author: Bruce Eldridge, Dept. of Entomology, UC Davis

Catnip as a Mosquito Repellent
Author: Jeffrey s. Hoard
National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy

Dept of Health and Human Services
Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Grow your own mosquito repellant
Author: Ann Lovejoy

Integrated Pest Management of Alaska

Iowa State University Extension Fact Sheet
Mosquito

Iowa State University
Joel Coats, Entomology
Brian Meyer, Agriculture Communications

Encyclopedia Britannica 2005

For Aaron

2005-05-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hi Aaron, Your dad says that you are collecting ladybugs but it is hard to find enough food for them to eat, and that you are putting roses in the cage so they will eat the aphids. If you can not find enough aphids you can also feed them raisins or other small pieces of cut fruit. If you use raisins you have to cut them in half and soak them in water for a few hour before you put them in the cage. You should also soak a cotton ball in water and put that in the cage so they can get a drink without drowning, and don't forget to LIGHTLY mist them with a spray bottle twice a day to keep the humidity high. If the temperature get over 70 degrees they will want to start flying and they won't be very happy in the cage. That's when its time to let them go.

More Mantids

2005-04-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Another ootheca ( egg case ) of baby mantids hatched two days ago, but for some reason it only seemed to contain about 20 nymphs. Perhaps the egg case got clogged by one that could not get out thereby blocking the exit for the rest. I will have two examine the egg case later to find out. I put them in a different cage learning from experience not to place a wet cotton ball in the cage for moisture as the tiny hooks on their feet get caught in the cotton and they fall forward struggling to get away and suffocate. In this batch brother ate brother on the second day at an unlikely time. It occurred while I was exchanging them from a gallon jar to their larger mesh cage. Feeding them is no longer a problem as I was able to find a major aphid infestation along the banks of Lake Oroville, (near Paradise, Ca.), among the new spring wildflowers. They seem to be mainly infesting a certain, plant with pea-like pod attachments. I heard lots of turkeys gobbling while I was gathering samples.
The first hatch still do not seem to be growing very rapidly and I am somewhat concerned that they are not eating enough. I am also wondering what species these are. They will have to get much larger before I can identify them. Such a stage creature they are to sometimes eat each other even when food is plentiful. Here is a link to some great information on preying mantids. Link

Kayak and canoe building

2005-04-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to my cusom made kayaks and canoes if you are interested in seeing some picutures of how they are built and some of my local expeditions. Link

Preying Mantis Seven Days Old

2005-04-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

The baby mantids are seven days old now, and growing much slower than I thought they would. The first cannibalism occurred on the fifth day, although there were plenty of aphids for them. It was possibly due to over crowded conditions. They are still learning how to catch there prey.
I also had a problem with a small spider who had stowed away in the cage and had captured several babes in it's web before I even found it in the cage. I had a hell of a time getting rid of that spider!
This is a link to my other blog (are-you-sleeping.blogspot).

If anyone has seen this blog, please leave a comment so I will know if it has gone public.

Not Just Beetle Juice

2005-04-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

Please feel free to leave a comment or question

April 22, 2005
Not Just Beetle Juice

This year my yard will be aphid free, as I have a good supply of ladybugs, (aphid terminators), which I plan on letting loose in an organized schedule to eradicate the aphids in our maple trees and stop the constant sticking drippings they are leaving on my vehicles, not to mention the leaves curling up and falling while its still only springtime. I’m sure they will take care of the garden too, and the roses, although it will be my first experience using ladybugs as a biological pesticide.
From what I’ve read, ladybugs, ladybirds or ladybeetles, are one of the most voracious of the “beneficial insects” at least for aphid control. Another on the list of aphid eaters is the lacewing, but they are much more expensive and they only eat aphids while they are in their larvae stage, while ladybugs eat aphids while in their larvae and adult stages. They say the adult female will eat up to 75 aphids a day, while the adult male will eat 40 a day, and the larvae will eat 50 or 60.
Ladybugs have quite a history going back to medieval days in Europe when they seemed to have suddenly appeared in large numbers through-out the fields and vines, which were infested with parasitic bugs. They were appreciated so much that they were given the title “ lady bird,” in reference to the Virgin Mary, as it was thought that they were sent down from heaven to save the crops. From then on they were thought of as being a sign of good luck. It was in America the name ladybird was changed to ladybug by immigrants, while the name given them by the Cherokee meant “great beloved woman.” But don’t get the wrong idea, ladybugs are not all female. The males are a little bit smaller than the females as a general rule, and the reference to them being ladies couldn’t be more wrong, as they are very prolific and non-monogamous. In some urban areas of Europe, 90 to 95 percent of the ladybird population has been found to carry a sexually transmitted disease which fortunately is not fatal to the insect. In non-urban areas the disease only affects 2 percent of the population.
There are several species of ladybugs in California. The Vedalia beetle species was imported to save the failing citrus industry from cottony cushion scale. The mealy bug destroyer, ( red-yellow-black) was imported in 1928 from Australia. The Convergent ladybug, (Hippodamia Convergens,) or “Classic California” ladybug is native to California and the pacific coast and have been shipped nationally for the last 100 years. These are the type I plan on releasing, but there are many other native and non-native species in California.
One of the main complaints I have read about using ladybugs for pest management is that a large portion of them have the habit of wandering down to the neighbors yard instead of staying to finish the job before leaving, so releasing them must be well thought out and prepared, for the best results.
First you need them to establish themselves by creating an environment that will make them want to stay, called a farmscape. A farmscape can be easy or complex, depending on which and how diverse the beneficial insects are that you are trying to attract. It is basically providing certain plants that give food, “pollen and nectar,” year round by placing them in strategic locations for the selected predator . They are usually placed around the perimeter of the area you are working to provide nutrients after the aphids are gone while they are waiting for more aphids to show up. While ladybugs are feeding, they will travel no more than 50 feet after their prey, and the farmscape plants could be planted in pots so they could be moved around. The particular farmscape plants that attract the classic California ladybug are, wild carrot, fennel, cilantro, and dill. It is also a good idea to leave some of those weeds in the ground, which add to the farmscape environment. You should also know what and when your good bugs like to eat. The Classic California ladybug is mainly a carnivore, enjoying soft bodied insects pests. Aphids, mites, moth eggs, etc…. but they will also eat nectar, pollen, and if there are no pest to be found, they will eat some fruits, if the outer skin is damaged and the inner juices of the fruit is exposed. They will even turn to cannibalism, eating their own eggs when hungry. They do most of their feeding in the spring and summer months after the temperature stabilizes to between 65 and 85 degrees. They will eat less during the higher temperatures. In the late fall most will fly to the mountains and cluster together in large groups preparing for winter hibernation, when they can go for months without eating, living on their stored body fat.
I’ve gathered a list from many sources concerning the releasing of ladybugs to get optimal results, in case you would like to try this in your own yard or garden.
(1) Do not use any pesticides before releasing.
(2) Release a few before planting garden.
(3) Cool them down to between 33 and 40 degrees by leaving them in the refrigerator for a few minutes. (Do not freeze.)
(4) Spray them with a light mist of sugar/water mixture, 10% sugar to make their wings sticky so they can not fly without cleaning their wings, which should help keep them from flying till they get established.
(5) If you can, release them when the temperature is below 50 degrees.
(6) You may release a few before the aphids appear as a preventative measure. In that case you might want to feed them before release with a product called wheast. (A ladybug food, available where you purchase the ladybugs.)
(7) Study the garden and find shady areas that do not get any direct sunlight during the day. You do not want them to fly when released.
(8) Do not release in direct sunlight!
(9) Water down the area first and try to keep the humidity high after that.
(10) Do not release them all at once, but several times a week to maintain a biological balance. “They can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.”
(11) Wait until late evening when the sun is down.
(12) On some trees you may want to apply “Tanglefoot”, to keep ants from protecting the aphids. (Some ants will fight to protect the aphids for the honeydew they produce.)
(13) The idea is to get the ladybugs to reproduce and lay eggs. As soon as you see the little alligator shaped larvae crawling around, “start looking after about 10 days after release,” you should have ladybugs for the rest of the season.
(14) Supplement garden with wheast if needed when aphids are gone to help keep your bugs happy.
Classic California ladybugs, (Hippodamia Convergens,) are available at some nurseries, biological pest suppliers, or Email me at jimbkayak@yahoo.com for info on finding ladybugs or to see how my bug adventure is progressing.

To the editor

2005-04-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I found blogger.com. What a cool way to reach the world. I no longer have to be angry at small time newspaper editors for not returning phone calls, e-mails and not responding to articles sent thru the mail, in short, I don't care if they are not doing their jobs and at least hiring a public relations person to respond to public inquries. I don't know how some of these small newspapers have been able to stay in business whith the policies they operate on and it's probably time for them two start counting backwards if they continue to try and dominate our thought processes in the editing room. Please alow me to start the countdown, 99, 98, 97....(Sorry, as you can see, I am still a little angry.) It will pass, I'm fairly certain that there will alway be a place for bird cage liners and kitty litter catchers.

Cannibals on the Porch

2005-04-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

August 14, 2005
Cannibals on the Porch
By Jim Burnell

No, ghosts of the Donner Party have not started haunting my porch, nor have others of the human type I may have reference to. I am speaking of cannibals in the insect world of which there are many, but two in particuIar that make me stop and wonder. The first is waxy black with a small red hourglass on her abdomen. She dangles on a thin thread late on warm summer nights in doorways or dark corners waiting for the what ever comes her way. I am sure you guessed, it is the female black widow spider, (Latrodectus Mactans) that I am referring to, and she is no stranger to many porches and gardens around the world . Her potent neurotoxic venom is more deadly than a rattle snake, although the actual bite is less noticeable. But she is only one of the many cannibals waiting outside.
If you are lucky, your porch may attract a less deadly, human friendly cannibal, with lightning strike reflexes and human like characteristics. The adult praying mantis, of whom its been said, is the only insect able to swivel its head around 180 degrees. Mantis is the Greek word for prophet, and if you see one of these on your porch you are immediately impressed by its show of awareness and seeming lack of fear as it turns its head and watches you walk by. The praying mantis, also commonly called mantids, like the black widow, have a reputation of sexual cannibalism, in that the females are known for eating the males head after and sometimes during mating, which in truth only happens some of the time, however in the case of the mantids, the young nymphs emerging from their egg cases will begin to eat each other if another food source is not found within one or two days and they are kept caged together with no means of escape. They emerge from their eggs as tiny strings, one attached to the next, through a row of pin-sized holes in the egg. As the string grows longer they individually begin to unfold into tiny little creatures looking just like their parents, only wingless, stringy and weak, but able to walk or run to high ground, or I should say elevated branches and leaves as they seem to have an instinct to climb, like tiny infantry soldiers searching for a safe place to lie in wait for any soft bodied insect they can over-power while avoiding any large ants or meat bees which can easily carry them of at this age.
As a gardener and amateur entomologist I am naturally drawn to these two insects. In the case of the black widow, it is the possibility of a nasty bite, and a trip to the emergency room, which has always concerned me. In the case of the praying mantis, besides its mysterious fascination and pre-historic looks, it is its reputation as a beneficial insect for pest control that got my attention. Then I got a crazy idea about using the talents of the mantis to control the black-widow population by setting them out as sentinels on the porch and in the yard and so I went about gathering mantid egg cases from neighboring areas, “oothecas”, as they are called, and began waiting for them to hatch, while I designed several cages which I thought appropriate. The first ootheca hatched in mid-April and I somehow missed it. I turned to look in the glass container as usual and there were over one-hundred little guys about five sixteenths of an inch long, running and jumping from branch to branch exploring the gallon container. They had all come from one egg case! Little did I know at that time what I was getting into as I tried to figure out how to get the other egg cases out of the container without half of the little guys escaping in the process. The first thing I realized was that I was going to need a good pair of glasses, and a lot of time and patience to journey into this insects world.
Since then four months have passed and since this is not the place for a novel, I will only share information, as it would relate to gardening and pest control. As for the black widow, we will just have to wait and see, but for once I would say that the “little prophet”, lives up to the hype of its reputation as a good beneficial, provided certain procedures are taken.
Most beneficial insect companies recommend releasing your mantids immediately or just placing the egg cases out in the garden to hatch on their own. I would not recommend this as most of them will fall prey to other predatory insects at this age, as they do not get their wings till the end of their third month and their only defenses are camouflage and stealth during the first few days. If a colony of large ants track them down, the whole population from an egg case can become ant food in a few hours. It is better to wait three to four weeks before releasing them, letting them grow to between five eighths and three quarters of an inch, during this time they have learned a little self-defense from practicing with each other. This can be done very easily with a self-feeding ant proof cage that can be kept outdoors with very little maintenance and reused year after year. If this is done the survival rate will increase dramatically and many more mantids will be found protecting the garden later in the season. At this point you can release them strategically or randomly. If you want to target specific plants with a pest problem, you can release them every four inches apart or so and after they find a spot they like they will most likely stay in or near to that spot ranging no more than twelve inches or so contrary to popular belief. They will usually stay in that general area for several weeks until they can no longer find food, or until they become prey for meat bees, which constantly hover in search of a meal, and crafty spiders that sneak up from underneath and in a surprise attack inject their poison. Many times it may seem that they are gone and then several days later they are back again when all the time they were hiding right in front of you. Some of my outside mantids have stayed in the same place for two months. Do not expect miracles. If a pest infestation has already occurred it is most likely too late for these beneficials to be of much help. At this age they may eat only four or five aphids or small flies a day but they can survive on less and they will not eat if they are not hungry. They will also help control the mosquito population as I found out when I introduced a few mosquitoes into their cages. In fact there is the possibility of them being very effective for mosquito control if released in marshlands or around stagnant water.
As time goes by they will begin eating larger and more difficult prey. At about ninety days, give or take a day or two, after they have shed their last exoskeleton they will show their wings. It usually happens at night and in the morning, there they are, a beautiful set of wings. It seems like a small miracle the first time you see this happen. This is the easiest time to differentiate between the sexes and when the females start their domination although if you have the eyes of a child, or a good magnifying glass, the sexes can be determined by counting body segments at a very early age. This is also the point at which they start traveling about the yard, or flying over to the yard next door to look for a mate and search for larger prey like grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, moths, etc. They have now grown to between two and a half to three inches, and can no longer catch the smaller prey. Their hunting skills have developed into a form of art and they have reached their full potential The female now looks like a miniature version from the Jurassic period, with strong hooked arms and columns of sharp, tapered spikes. She can flare up her wings in defiance vibrating delicate webbing which extends to her body causing her to appear large and ferocious to any approaching threat. Most humans would step back upon seeing this display for the first time, kind of like hearing a rattlesnake when you are not expecting it. This is also the time when you might expect me to place them on the porch as sentinels to complete this experiment. Well I said in the beginning it was a crazy idea and I cannot find one black widow on the porch anyway, or in the yard. Besides, raising these wonderful creatures in captivity they have become like family pets some of which I have given names to and praise or scold according to their behavior. To subject one of my pets to a life or death battle with a black widow is no longer an option. I am sure they would not stay on the porch for more than a couple of days anyway, just long enough to say good bye and maybe scare off a few solicitors before flying off in the night to safely deposit their eggs and then face their deadliest of prey, the futile first frost.