# Continuing story of a Chinese Mantis



## lionsden112002 (Sep 27, 2007)

If you recall I captured a male chinese mantid and kept him for breeding with my female chinese.

Turns out badly for the male. I released Lu onto the kitchen back door screen and then released the male behind her and within about 6 to 8 inches away. They stayed in this position for about an hour and a half swaying back and forth. The male at one point extended his lower abdomen to the side. At this point I went to get my digital camera and when I came back the male was captured and being eaten!

Dang. Well I wanted the female to have a chance to breed cause thats what bugs do so I opended the screen and was going to release her into the back yard. This was a tuff choice but bugs gotta do what bugs ought to do and I had no options for her.

She stayed on the screen door for about three days. Crawled up into the eave of the house but never left and was always easy to find by just looking out the window. Even after I started the weber grill to cook one evening, she stayed. The fire scared her and she moved futrther up into the eve of the roof but she didn't fly away.

Then one night about two in the AM I was in the kitchen and looked out after turning on the porch light and that little female had attracted a male and was doing what bugs do. When I got up that next morning I went and looked again thinking she would be long gone. The male was gone but LU was still there. I looked for wings or debris from the male but didn't find any so maybe he got away!

Well now that Lu has been visited by a male I decided to capture her again and so she is back as a family pet and we are awaiting our ooth.

I do have pictures and will post them for your entertainment but they are at home on my digital camera.

I think it is a funny story.


----------



## hibiscusmile (Sep 27, 2007)

Well good to hear about you and Lu, I missed her, So the stranger that visited her that did not stay! Poor Lu. Don't forget to keep us updated!


----------



## lionsden112002 (Sep 27, 2007)

Well at 2 AM I didn't want to disturb the mating pair because I only assumed the male would get eaten if I tried to capture them both. He was physically superior to the little male I had tried to mate her with.

Pictures soon...


----------



## lionsden112002 (Sep 27, 2007)




----------



## lionsden112002 (Sep 27, 2007)

When I got home to feed my Chinese mantis I noticed a brand new oothaca in her critter keeper - but there is a problem. She has cast it on the lid and the wall of the cage - effectively gluing the lid in place!!!!

What do I do?! If I take the lid off the cage and distrurb a portion of the oothaca will it still be okay or should I just keep it and hope for the best?

This is a perdicament!


----------



## Rick (Sep 27, 2007)

Just leave it in there or if you can get a razor blade in there you can ease it off.


----------



## lionsden112002 (Sep 27, 2007)

Thanks Rick. Is there a waiting period for the ootheca to "dry" or "set"? The portion oozing through the lid vents is pretty firm.

Now I want these to hatch in the spring in missouri. Should I store the egg casing in my garage fridge all winter?

Thanks for your help. I am becoming more involved in this as I go....


----------



## Rick (Sep 27, 2007)

> Thanks Rick. Is there a waiting period for the ootheca to "dry" or "set"? The portion oozing through the lid vents is pretty firm.Now I want these to hatch in the spring in missouri. Should I store the egg casing in my garage fridge all winter?
> 
> Thanks for your help. I am becoming more involved in this as I go....


Let it dry a couple days first. I would just leave it outside. Attach it to a bush or something. Fridges tend to dry them out.


----------



## Precious (Sep 27, 2007)

That was a great story. Thanks.


----------



## OGIGA (Sep 27, 2007)

Great story! You're going to have so much fun when it hatches.


----------



## AFK (Sep 27, 2007)

i think ellroy may have just found his giant killer mantis too


----------



## critterguy (Sep 27, 2007)

One thing commonly reccomended is it to put it in a window behind the screen. That way, it is exposed to the outdoors but protected from some predators/parasites. When the baby mantids hatch just pop the screen open and let them free.


----------



## lionsden112002 (Sep 29, 2007)

Very cool hobby


----------



## lionsden112002 (Sep 29, 2007)

My mantid has oothecad herself into the critter keeper. I think I can razor this off the plastic - hope they hatch!

Cheers to all on this site and thanks for fascinating exchange of ideas.


----------



## the mantinator (Sep 29, 2007)

i thought chinese didn't need an incubation period?


----------



## sk8erkho (Oct 2, 2007)

Wow!! Really cool story!! She is even larger than the Chinese mantid I caught a few weeks ago on my neighbor's window screen!! I tried to keep her but she would not eat. I knew she was full grown and in her last stages where she should be ready to mate. So after keeping her for two weeks without her eating we decided to let her free so that she too, could do what bugs do,too!!! We (my boys and I) really hated having to let her go, but it was more important to us that she be able to leave behind her own little ones, than for us to have her as our new addition to the fam! It really would have been cool to have been able to rear those new babies, though!!  

Oh yeah, and sa far as the ooths being connected to the top of tha tank lid. Our first captive Chinese female laid SIX ooths all attached to the lid like yours and everything turned out fine. Except that we had to put a stock over the lid itself because when the first ooth hatched the little hatchlings were all over the place. Lesson well learned! We were finding hatchlings in different parts of the apartment for up to two weeks!!! :blink:


----------



## lionsden112002 (Oct 3, 2007)

GIANT MANTIS Attacks the Castle!!

I cleaned Lu's cage and the oothaca can off the wall of the plastic critter keeper immediatley. I gently pushed the ooth off of the grilled lid and was able to get it completely undistrubed off of the cage.

I am thinking of putting it in my kitchen window that faces north until spring. It won't hatch until next spring right? If nature takes it's course dosn't it have to go through a period of cold before it will mature?

Regards


----------



## lionsden112002 (Oct 3, 2007)

sk8erkho said:


> Wow!! Really cool story!! She is even larger than the Chinese mantid I caught a few weeks ago on my neighbor's window screen!! I tried to keep her but she would not eat. I knew she was full grown and in her last stages where she should be ready to mate. So after keeping her for two weeks without her eating we decided to let her free so that she too, could do what bugs do,too!!! We (my boys and I) really hated having to let her go, but it was more important to us that she be able to leave behind her own little ones, than for us to have her as our new addition to the fam! It really would have been cool to have been able to rear those new babies, though!!  Oh yeah, and sa far as the ooths being connected to the top of tha tank lid. Our first captive Chinese female laid SIX ooths all attached to the lid like yours and everything turned out fine. Except that we had to put a stock over the lid itself because when the first ooth hatched the little hatchlings were all over the place. Lesson well learned! We were finding hatchlings in different parts of the apartment for up to two weeks!!! :blink:


SIX ooths  This is my second Chinese and I have only had one ooth the first time and I am hoping for more on this critter. We have so much fun with her. I am taking her to a school today to see a teacher interested in entymology. Hopefully we will have more ooths for next year. I am wondering if the misting is the answer. I didn't know about it the first time I kept a captured Chinese Mantis. This time I do so maybe better conditions? Glad you liked the story.


----------



## Mantis_Whisper (Oct 7, 2007)

AWWW! She's queen of the castle.

That's an amzing story, she really must love you guys.  

I'm awaiting my third ooth from my darling Yang but the only thing is she lives in a fabric mesh cages and it's nearly imposible to get the ooth off so I have to cut it away. My cages are gonna be full of holes. OwO

Good luck with your babies and your lovley Lu.


----------



## lionsden112002 (Oct 17, 2007)

Lu has cast her second oothecae. I say "cast" because to me it is like a spider casting a web or is it spinning an ooth? or laying eggs?

Got my copy of "Keeping Aliens" book from Elytra and Antenna.

I am thinking of keeping to the Chinese Mantids because of the local availability.

I have made a few inquiries about other mantids available (people on this site are very helpful and for that I am thankful). If I am to sink any amounts of money into another hobby I want to do it right. I would be apprehensive about the more exotic species in case I just outright fail.

Where do oothecae that sell in garden centers come from? Is there a "big" breeder that packages these?

I am keeping a beetle that I am trying to figure out feeding etc. On a bug site they mention that it is nocturnal and eats insects but I have it in with a cricket and now the cricket is dead but doesn't seem to be consumed in any apreciable way...

cheers,


----------



## hibiscusmile (Oct 17, 2007)

I supply some of the places with Chinese and European ooths each year


----------



## lionsden112002 (Nov 2, 2007)

lionsden112002 said:


> Lu has cast her second oothecae. I say "cast" because to me it is like a spider casting a web or is it spinning an ooth? or laying eggs?Got my copy of "Keeping Aliens" book from Elytra and Antenna.
> 
> I am thinking of keeping to the Chinese Mantids because of the local availability.
> 
> cheers,


LU has cast her third oothecae and this one is much smaller than the previous two. Any ideas or experiences on Chinese ooth size and ability to deliver nymphs?

I attach for your viewing pleasure my photobucket homage to LU my pet:

http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z1/lion...nt=93c4695b.pbr

When you get to my photobucket feel free to look around at all my mantid stuff.

I was showing my boss the movie file in the post above and she reacted very much like the descriptions you all are sharing in the thread "Angry" her quote upon seeing the ooth in the picture was. "What is that?" .... "It's the mantids ooth" "it will hatch about 400 babies in the spring." "OH MY GOD! aren't you going to kill it!?"

I just laughed and said no. They begin to expect this sort of behavior from an art teacher.

Hope you enjoy the images on the movie. I really didn't like the mantid killing video on You tube - I can't access You Tube at work so I am real happy with photobucket. (and my new digital cannon 570).

Just prior to casting this ooth LU was repeatedly falling off the lid of her critter keeper. I took her out and placed her on a window screen for an evening. The next morning was funny because it was so hard to get her out. I had to remove the glass window from the window frame (not that hard) then as I picked her up she struck at me!! It is the first time I have ever let a mantid get that up close and personal.

Regards


----------



## lionsden112002 (Nov 4, 2007)

Lu has died

RIP

It was fun........


----------



## acerbity (Nov 5, 2007)

RIP

QQ


----------



## lionsden112002 (Nov 5, 2007)

lionsden112002 said:


> Lu has died
> 
> RIP


----------



## Malnra (Nov 5, 2007)

lionsden112002 said:


> Lu has diedRIP
> 
> It was fun........


At least she left you the next generation to remember her by.


----------



## sk8erkho (Nov 7, 2007)

B) 



lionsden112002 said:


> Lu has died
> 
> Sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, that's the down side to this as opposed to a keeping a cat or dog or whatever, the short life span. I felt the same way after Mother died but when those ooths began to hatch that was sort of the Recycling of life, as my nephew put it. It occurred pretty much the same as with your Chinese with our first refugee, so to speak. When we found our wayward Chinese, my dudes named "Mother!" She was clinging to the brick wall just above the doorway of our Apt. complex and the other neighbors were either too afraid to even venture through the door or they were in the process of finding weapons to crush her with due to her antagonistic size and threat posture. She only assumed the posture because the jackasses were throwing stuff at her. :angry: When my nephew, with his very tall self and lengthy arms walked up to her, plastic drinking cup in hand I believe and slowly and carefully scooped her up, she went willingly with him. He did not even need the cup all it took was him shielding her so that she could not see the jackasses and then with the other hand he coaxed her in. Anyway, that was last September, she laid 6 oothecae and died in, November I believe or so. In the next few months her offspring will be following the same path. I did set some free. And I believe this, that we caught a very large female on my neighbor's screen not far from where we caught the last one and not far from where some escaped when thrown out into the cold by my nephew. It seemed kind of like "full circle" as this September, a female we caught was the same size and looked exactly like the one from last Sept and was ready to mate just as the ones I have in my crib are. So, we kept her for three weeks and when she did not adjust well, we set her free to mate. She could very well have been one of the escaped offspring, at least that's what my boys and I like to believe!!! We hardly get many wild mantids around here at all. &lt;_&lt;


----------



## hibiscusmile (Nov 7, 2007)

I just had a chinese go like that too. She was scratching at the caqe all day, I finally took it down to see what she was up to and she did not seem right, I took her out and she just kept clawing at the lid, so I told her goodby and took her outside and put her on an evergreen bush, and within three minutes she died.


----------

