Praying Mantis Pagoda(R)

by Insect Lore

Product Features

• Meet the newest addition to Insect Lore's live-bug lineup!
• Kids will learn about the mantis life cycle as they watch 75 to 200 nymphs hatch from a live egg case.
• Special hanging mantis-hatching platform makes care easy.
• Release them all to forage, or keep one and feed her tiny insects (like aphids).

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11 x 11 x 4 inches ; 1.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• ASIN: B001SANL0W
• Item model number: 5170 IN
• Manufacturer recommended age: 4 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,035 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #97 in Toys & Games > Learning & Education > Habitats
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

Product Description

Observe the life cycle of the mantis as you watch from 75 to 200 nymphs hatch from a live egg case in the Asian-themed habitat. Special hanging mantis-hatching platform makes care easy. Egg cases available mid-January thru April with redeemable coupon (plus $3.00 shipping and handling). Ages 4 yrs. +.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars mantis mania, August 29, 2010

By 

Mrs. Andrea Yurko - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

I bought this for my six year old son on a whim. We had raised butterflies and he enjoyed the experience very much. The mantis kit was beyond expectation. It was an incredible hit. There is a learning curve involved, so be prepared.

When the pod hatches, you can be overrun with squirming baby mantises. We had over two hundred, and it's a tad shocking. I screamed out of shock... Oh my Goodness... look at all of them! But if you are creeped out, do not buy this kit. I let all but five go from our kit, as I had additional habitats and a butterfly pavillion to house them all in.

They became members of our family, and we loved our daily hunt for bugs. We used the cup the mantis pod came in as a bug catching jar- it's perfect. We'd sneak up on a fly on a leaf and close down the lid and release the fly in the habitat. It was easy. Our porch light was a beacon for moths which mantises eat. In the very beginning, when the babies are super tiny, they can be fed small morsels of wet cat food, tiny specks of food fed to them on the end of a paper clip. Yes it's time consuming, but they only need fed twice a day initially- no worse than a newborn.

Also be aware mantises need water. Do not put in a bottlecap of water- it is too big and they will drown. Simply mist their habitats with a spray bottle. They will drink the water that collects on the wall. Once they grow and molt, this will happen often, they will begin to eat live insects. You can feed the mantises aphids when the mantises are newborns but it is very challenging to find and collect aphids, so I used the cat food method. We kept our manitses until they were fully grown with wings. We even took our mantises on vacation with us.

We just let the last one go in the yard yesterday, and have taken great pride in being mommy to the mantises we've found in our yard this year.... Awww look.... there's another one. This is a kit we enjoyed beyond measure, and one we will repeat again and again. It is one that made a lasting impression, and brought joy to our summer. Thanks for the memories.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Praying Mantis Kit, December 31, 2009

By 

Debra L. Marshall "Debbie" (Taunton, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

Great little educational project. I was getting worried that the eggs were not going to hatch. It took about 6 weeks but they did hatch and there were over 100 praying mantis babies. I do have to say that they need to be set free within a day or two as they start to die and eat each other. I tried feeding them very small bugs but that did not work, so I let the rest go. my daughter loved it. I am going to buy a case of eggs and do it again this year.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Seasonal and supply is limited, June 16, 2010

By 

Nelson Grimes "Duelist" (West Bloomfield, MI United States) - See all my reviews

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Praying Mantis Pagoda(R) (Toy)

I bought this for my kids in May, thinking that they would have all summer to watch the mantids hatch and release them. When we sent away for the egg sack, we found that the supply was gone for the year and we would have to try again in January. I think that is an awful long time to wait for a child. When we sent the coupon in January we did get the egg sack, but I have heard other reports that these sell out as early as February or early March. Be prepared for long delays if you miss the window.