<p>This art student has created detailed mini apartments for her three praying mantises to live in featuring mini posters, tint fake bongs and a Henri Mant-isse painting.<br /></p><p>Amy Igri, 23, began caring for the insects after receiving a call to action from a college friend after a Californian mantis landed on her window.</p><p>She took it in and, after naming her Rosacea, Amy researched how to take care of the insect and found a huge community of hobbyists online with a wealth of information.</p><p>The idea for her mini-mantis apartment came from her years as an art student, taking inspiration from dollhouses, online apartment tours and her own college housing experiences.</p><p>Amy, from Florida, who is studying at Pomona College in Claremont, CA, said: “Raising and caring for praying mantises isn’t seen as very ‘glam’ online.</p><p>“The world of insects is a very male-orientated space, so I wanted to add some creativity and femininity to it.</p><p>“I’ve loved bugs since I was a child, but I eventually grew out of the phase, so it’s been great to come back to them and really learn and understand these amazing creatures.”</p><p>The mini-apartments took Amy a few weeks to create, finding the perfect items and arrange them inside their 17cm acrylic enclosures, which are completely safe for her beloved bugs. </p><p>They feature decorations inspired by Amy’s own room.</p><p>The shelves have a mini fake bong and various cleaning products, whilst the floor features discarded takeaway packaging, water bottles and even a mini tub of peanut butter.</p><p>Amy emphasised that her mantises really like them and enjoy exploring their new apartments, just as much as she loves watching them.</p><p>Taking care of mantises has allowed Amy to see how interesting and perceptive they are, leading to her get three more, Purse, Prosciutto and Caper, after beloved Roseacea died.</p><p>She added: “I told my art teacher that I had a huge funeral for her when she died, and she remarked on how it was such a radical act of love for something so small.</p><p>“When I first got her I would camp out by a compost bin on campus to catch crickets for her.</p><p>“I would get so many weird looks for it and my siblings thought it was totally gross, but I absolutely loved her.”</p><p>The online reaction to her unconventional pets has taken Amy by surprise, as she didn’t expect so many people to resonate with her mini mantis apartment.</p><p>Amy added: “I can’t believe the amount of people it has reached and just how much people relate to my crazy project.</p><p>“It feels surreal to know that where my mantises live is loved by people around the world, but it is also so human.</p><p>“I’m going to keep posting all my weird art projects as my stuff seems to really affect people.</p><p>“I hope I can open people up to the possibility of loving something so small and separate from our world.”<br /></p>
