# When do wild mantids start laying ooths?



## themann42 (Apr 15, 2006)

i'm thinking trying to find some ooths or young mantids around here to raise. anybody know when's a good time to start looking? i live in michigan. we just had our first warm week (60s 70s) this past week.


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## Rick (Apr 15, 2006)

In the fall. That time of year you will see many adult mantids as they are breeding and starting to lay ooths. But really the best time to look is in the winter. All the leaves will be down then so the ooths will be easier to find. You might be able to get out right now and find some ooths before they start hatching.


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## yen_saw (Apr 16, 2006)

Young mantis nymphs can be found around this time, but they are small so it is difficult to find. If you find an ootheca, it is probably hatched by now. This is probably not a good time to look for one. IMO, the best time to look for praying mantis are:

Early Summer (April-July) ----&gt; small nymphs (need good eyes)

Late Summer (August-September)----&gt; Adult mantis

Winter (November January) ----&gt; Ootheca (As Rick stated)

Good luck in your praying mantis hunt.


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## Rick (Apr 16, 2006)

Due to his location the ooths probably have not hatched yet for this year. We've been in the 80's lately and ooths outside are just starting to hatch.


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## robo mantis (Apr 16, 2006)

i live in indiana and it just started to get warm last week so i think they should be half way incubated by now


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## Lukony (Apr 16, 2006)

What about in california? Is there any easy way to attract them?


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## themann42 (Apr 19, 2006)

well my girlfriend and i just took a walk by a nearby creek, and i think i found two ooths! so now i just want to make sure i try hatch them right. right now they're in 32oz containers, and i'm going to put a screen lid on top. it's really not that humid in michigan, so i wonder how ofter i should mist. also, when i do mist, are you supposed to spray the ooth or no? what about orientation in the container, does that matter? you can see in the picture the way they are now. should they be oriented with the stick straight up?


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## Rick (Apr 19, 2006)

The one on the right needs to be turned over like the one on the left. I personally would use a bigger container. A lot of nymphs will come otu of those. I use a ten gallon tank for chinese ooths. You don't have to but you may want to. Mist it every other day lightly on the insides of the container. I just put a layer of moist spagnum moss in the bottom of the enclosure instead of misting. I just mist the moss when it starts drying out. Or you can put a thin layer of paper towel on the bottom and keep it moist.


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## themann42 (Apr 19, 2006)

thanks. i have an extra 10 gallon so i'll put them in there. i just figured that would be too large for them to find prey at that size. it's already set up with moss and a backround so i'm sure that should help keep some moisture. should i put twigs and stuff in there or leave it kinda bare? any idea how long these things take to hatch?


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## Yosei (Apr 19, 2006)

Well from my experience with Chinese mantids.....if the ooths hatch, it probably won't be too large because most of the tank will be covered with baby mantids. I had a problem feeding them because the bigger nymphs always took the fruit flies first or ended up eating their smaller siblings...... :?

Hatching may take sooner or longer than you thing, just don't give up!! And, ask the experts on foliage as I didn't use foliage and don't know what difference that would make.

You must have like 20/20 eyesight to get those ooths, Im blind I think....


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## julian camilo (Apr 19, 2006)

i'm no expert but foliage is deffinitely a good idea, it increases the surface area mantids can be perched on, meaning they dont all have to crowd on the lid or the tank sides, usually meaning they wont come into quite as much contact with each other and get a bit more space to themselves, with the aim of reducing cannibalism. this could be twigs or branches or whatnot, or even just crumpled tissue i find works well, and will help with retaining moisture and keeping humidity at a good level.


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