# Incubation Success...



## mantid_mike

My first ooth hatched this morning. This is from my first breeding attempt with my my female ghost and Paradoxica's male, who was unfortunately eaten. Luckily, his legacy lives on because I have 24 nymphs to show for it, and 4 more ooths to go. ^_^


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## agent A

yay!!!


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## ShieldMantid1997

Woot woot!


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## Mime454

Great!


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## fleurdejoo

YAY!!


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## Danny.

Damn B! You're Ghosts pack a punch! What do you feed them??  

Hopefully I'll have Ghostie overload.  

Congrats Mike!


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## Paradoxica

Awesome, glad he finished the job before being finished himself.

Shhhhh... don't tell anyone but all my males are fed on Human Growth Hormone


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## mantid_mike

Danny. said:


> Damn B! You're Ghosts pack a punch! What do you feed them??
> 
> Hopefully I'll have Ghostie overload.
> 
> Congrats Mike!


Thanks. It's crazy how active they are on the first day of hatching. They can't stop moving. Surprisingly though, it wasn't much of a hassle to transfer them into new containers.


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## mantid_mike

Paradoxica said:


> Awesome, glad he finished the job before being finished himself.
> 
> Shhhhh... don't tell anyone but all my males are fed on Human Growth Hormone


Lol, maybe a little viagra as well? That male was a champ.


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## twolfe

Congratulations on your first hatch and wishing you many more....


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## sueb4653

congrats


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## agent A

mantid_mike said:


> Lol, maybe a little viagra as well? That male was a champ.


speaking of males, my female creo was layin an ooth this morning

your male should be here later, but now i gotta fill her back up :lol:


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## mantid_mike

The second ghost ooth hatched this morning, so 8 days after the first. This one gave me 32 nymphs and more mouths to feed:






Kinda hard to see them all in this pic.


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## agent A

i'll feed some of those mouths for u...


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## brancsikia339

Yay!!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:


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## alan2296

congratz!! XD


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## mantid_mike

alan2296 said:


> congratz!! XD


Thanks!


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## ShieldMantid1997

NIce!! Nymphs everywhere!


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## mantid_mike

ShieldMantid1997 said:


> NIce!! Nymphs everywhere!


Thanks. Yep, I think I'll have another swarm hatch out somewhere between this wednesday and friday.


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## aNisip

I always love seeing ooths hatch with a bunch of little babies running around, it's exciting! Congratz! :clap: Nice job Mike!

All the best,

Andrew


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## ShieldMantid1997

You are going to be drowning in nymphs!


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## Reptiliatus

mantid_mike said:


> The second ghost ooth hatched this morning, so 8 days after the first. This one gave me 32 nymphs and more mouths to feed:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kinda hard to see them all in this pic.


May I ask, how long where your ooths incubating before they hatched?

Thanks, Dayyan


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## mantid_mike

Reptiliatus said:


> May I ask, how long where your ooths incubating before they hatched?
> 
> Thanks, Dayyan


They only incubate for a little over a month so pretty fast. I just had another ooth hatch this morning, this time bearing another 32 nymphs (same number as the last ooth):


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## alan2296

how are you handling all of these nymphs??


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## mantid_mike

alan2296 said:


> how are you handling all of these nymphs??


It's not too bad. I usually separate them into two different containers with excelsior and just throw hydei in a couple days after with daily misting. If I had more deli cups, I'd split them into even smaller groups. I'm sending some off to a couple people on Monday and going to throw in a few extras for them. B)


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## mantid_mike

This last ooth that hatched gave me 4 more nymphs the next day, so it was 36 total, not 32. Hope I get the same results on the next one.


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## MantidBro

mantid_mike said:


> My first ooth hatched this morning. This is from my first breeding attempt with my my female ghost and Paradoxica's male, who was unfortunately eaten. Luckily, his legacy lives on because I have 24 nymphs to show for it, and 4 more ooths to go. ^_^


Nice nymphs you got there.


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## mantid_mike

This morning I woke up with my hands full. Both a creo ooth and a ghost ooth hatched simultaneously. There are too many creo nymphs to count, but its somewhere around 60ish. The ghost ooth beared me another 35 nymphs (I accidentally smashed one during transfer so I only have 34 now).

Ghosts:






Creos. They kinda look like tiny shrimp/brine:


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## kotomi

nothing more exciting than new babies!


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## angelofdeathzz

Nice job, now we can call you "breeder Mike", hope you have a few booming ff cultures going?


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## Zoe

I'll feed some of those mouths for you ;D


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## mantid_mike

angelofdeathzz said:


> Nice job, now we can call you "breeder Mike", hope you have a few booming ff cultures going?


hahah! Too much work @ school right now to want to be a breeder. I have a couple FF cultures, but I'm going to need more ASAP.


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## mantid_mike

Zoe said:


> I'll feed some of those mouths for you ;D


lol sounds like Agent_A


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## angelofdeathzz

mantid_mike said:


> lol sounds like like Agent_A


Lol... I know right, thats the first thing I thought too.


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## Zoe

mantid_mike said:


> lol sounds like like Agent_A





angelofdeathzz said:


> Lol... I know right, thats the first thing I thought too.


I snort-laughed. It was very attractive.


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## mantid_mike

creo nymphs have too much energy. they're crawling and falling all over the deli containers and I didn't even mist them with Red Bull.


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## angelofdeathzz

mantid_mike said:


> creo nymphs have too much energy. they're crawling and falling all over the deli containers and I didn't even mist them with Red Bull.


Well don't try expresso then :wacko:


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## heylookitscaps

Congratulations!!! How do you incubate your ooths? I live in southern california and just had my Limbata lay eggs. I was going to leave it in the tank which gets lightly misted twice a week. it is about 6 inches off the subtrate hanging under a branch. Should I move it to a deli cup? my tank is an exo terra 12x12x18


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## mantid_mike

heylookitscaps said:


> Congratulations!!! How do you incubate your ooths? I live in southern california and just had my Limbata lay eggs. I was going to leave it in the tank which gets lightly misted twice a week. it is about 6 inches off the subtrate hanging under a branch. Should I move it to a deli cup? my tank is an exo terra 12x12x18


Thanks. I just lightly glue them to the lid of a deli cup with a wet paper towel at the bottom and mist once or twice daily (no misting on the ooth, just the bottom and sides of the container). It seems like all the ooths that I've been incubating are partial to the Cali weather because they've been hatching in only 4 weeks. The creo ooth that hatched this morning was laid on 9/28 so it was almost exactly one month of incubation.

Since you have a limbata ooth and live in SoCal, you can probably just leave that exo terra in your backyard and it will hatch naturally w/out having to mist it.


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## heylookitscaps

So I should take it outside? I have it in a ambient temp room with no drafts with a light on it that mimics outside light


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## mantid_mike

You can leave it inside if you want, no light necessary. All you have to do is mist the container daily. Might help to set it next to an open window to ventilate it.


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## Reptiliatus

mantid_mike said:


> Since you have a limbata ooth and live in SoCal, you can probably just leave that exo terra in your backyard and it will hatch naturally w/out having to mist it.


Careful with that though... If the glass enclosure gets exposed to direct sunlight we won't be talking about SoCal weather anymore... :helpsmilie:


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## mantid_mike

Reptiliatus said:


> Careful with that though... If the glass enclosure gets exposed to direct sunlight we won't be talking about SoCal weather anymore... :helpsmilie:


That's actually a good point! haha..stick to incubating indoors :1eye:


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## mantid_mike

My creo laid her 6th ooth yesterday morning:







and my ghost has laid her 12th today:


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## twolfe

Mike, congratulations on your success. I'm pretty sure that ghosts and creos were my first ooths that hatched. I hope you are able to add orchid and blepharopsis mendica ooths to your hatch list!


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## hierodula

I like the shield in the first pic, hes like ooooooh wats that :clown:


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## mantid_mike

Tammy Wolfe said:


> Mike, congratulations on your success. I'm pretty sure that ghosts and creos were my first ooths that hatched. I hope you are able to add orchid and blepharopsis mendica ooths to your hatch list!


Thanks, Tammy! I hope so too! We'll have some nymphs to split if that orchid ooth hatches. 2-3 more weeks and we find out.


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## mantid_mike

hierodula said:


> I like the shield in the first pic, hes like ooooooh wats that :clown:


Lol...shield mantids are always so curious/nosy. I notice they always turn their heads to see what I'm doing whenever I'm in their area.


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## garin33

Congratulations!

Great pictures and thanks for all the updates on the time frames, number of nymphs, etc. Very informative.

I have a Creo that has laid 3 ooths so far and it is kept at room temperature. I also live in So Calif. Do you think the ooths will hatch in about the same about of time? 4 to 6 weeks?

Thanks and keep up the good work!


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## mantid_mike

garin33 said:


> Congratulations!
> 
> Great pictures and thanks for all the updates on the time frames, number of nymphs, etc. Very informative.
> 
> I have a Creo that has laid 3 ooths so far and it is kept at room temperature. I also live in So Calif. Do you think the ooths will hatch in about the same about of time? 4 to 6 weeks?
> 
> Thanks and keep up the good work!


Thanks, and glad you like it. :cowboy: I think my creos hatched in exactly one month, so keep an eye on your first ooth on the fourth week. I also keep mine at room temperature. Good luck and feel free to post pics/# of nymphs here when it happens.


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## mantid_mike

I got a couple Oxiopsis Gracilis ooths from Precarious a while back. One of them hatched today w/ 28 nymphs:


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## garin33

Thanks Mike, I'll be sure to keep a close eye on them as the time approaches.

I'll update date you on the progress. Your setups are really cool. I like your custom acrylic containers with the mesh.

You mentioned misting the container daily and that you don't mist the ooth itself. I have read some posts where some people mist the ooth. Have you found it better to not mist the ooth? I guess the ooth could possibly get mold.

I would also be interested to see what the survival rate is to L2, etc on the Creos and Ghosts. I know you plan to give some away but on the ones that you will keep.

Thanks again,

Garin


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## mantid_mike

garin33 said:


> Thanks Mike, I'll be sure to keep a close eye on them as the time approaches.
> 
> I'll update date you on the progress. Your setups are really cool. I like your custom acrylic containers with the mesh.
> 
> You mentioned misting the container daily and that you don't mist the ooth itself. I have read some posts where some people mist the ooth. Have you found it better to not mist the ooth? I guess the ooth could possibly get mold.
> 
> I would also be interested to see what the survival rate is to L2, etc on the Creos and Ghosts. I know you plan to give some away but on the ones that you will keep.
> 
> Thanks again,
> 
> Garin


I avoid misting the ooths directly to prevent mold. You can probably get away with it if you have enough ventilation, but I wouldn't risk it. I noticed my you get a high survival rate if you simply just split the nymphs up into several containers. I noticed a few of my creos died in a small deli container, but no fatalities in the larger one. Same applies for ghosts.


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## mantid_mike

The morning after they hatch, my oxyopsis g. are already taking down hydei and not a single fatality yet. I like this species even more already:


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## SilentDeviL

Wow 12th Ooth for the Ghost .. did know they can laid so many ...


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## mantid_mike

Another creo ooth hatched this morning. Not too sure how many nymphs there are this time, but it's a lot. EDIT: I counted the nymphs as best as I could and there's 75 total:


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## aNisip

Congratz! :clap: :clap: Boy Mike, youre having a lot of success with all of your mantids!  Keep it up! woot woot!  

All the best,

Andrew


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## Paradoxica

Yes! I had an incubation success of my own yesterday.






I know they look like ghosts, but they are a bit longer and skinnier.

Phyllothelys Werneri


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## agent A

Paradoxica said:


> Yes! I had an incubation success of my own yesterday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know they look like ghosts, but they are a bit longer and skinnier.
> 
> Phyllothelys Werneri


 :clap: very well done!! good luck with those cutie pies! :wub:


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## mantid_mike

Paradoxica said:


> Yes! I had an incubation success of my own yesterday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know they look like ghosts, but they are a bit longer and skinnier.
> 
> Phyllothelys Werneri


Nice! Is this the texas unicorn? How many nymphs total?

I have a hymenopus ooth that's gotten darker over the last week and looks to be kinda reddish in color where the egg cells are. I hope that's a good sign.


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## mantid_mike

AndrewNisip said:


> Congratz! :clap: :clap: Boy Mike, youre having a lot of success with all of your mantids!  Keep it up! woot woot!
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Andrew


Thanks, Andrew! I really have to start ordering a few exo terras to keep up with all these nymphs.


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## mantid_mike

Here's another shot of my last creo hatch. Funny how most of them like hanging on the lid:


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## Paradoxica

mantid_mike said:


> Nice! Is this the texas unicorn? How many nymphs total?
> 
> I have a hymenopus ooth that's gotten darker over the last week and looks to be kinda reddish in color where the egg cells are. I hope that's a good sign.


It's Phyllothelys werneri, which to me looks like a cross between a ghost and a unicorn. Only 12 hatched it but I was told to hold onto the ooth cause more might come out.


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## mantid_mike

My creo laid her 7th ooth a couple days ago. Iphone is for size reference:


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## aNisip

For a second, i thought she laid it ON the iPhone...that wouldve been so cool!  ....creos are really productive! Seventh ooth, nice!


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## angelofdeathzz

Whats a iphone? It looks cool enough...


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## aNisip

angelofdeathzz said:


> Whats a iphone? It looks cool enough...


Ohh Nick...  

Hey mike, what temps are u incubating all those ooths at? All at one temp? (Like your setup for them also)


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## mantid_mike

AndrewNisip said:


> For a second, i thought she laid it ON the iPhone...that wouldve been so cool!  ....creos are really productive! Seventh ooth, nice!


hahahahh...i figured people might think that. She laid it on the the exact same spot as the last ooth was laid, so it didn't stick for long on the acrylic and just fell off a few hours after she laid it. As far as temps go for incubation, I've kept them all at room temp, so 75-80F in the day time and probably about 65-70F at night. I'm a little confused about how to incubate Blepharopsis ooths though. Since they're a desert species, do you think it's best if I use a heat lamp? I don't want to screw them up...


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## garin33

Congrats Mike, you are cranking them out.

When I first saw the pic I was thinking "wow, you are so generous to your mantids, they even get their own smart phone! That is one lucky Creo".


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## mantid_mike

garin33 said:


> Congrats Mike, you are cranking them out.
> 
> When I first saw the pic I was thinking "wow, you are so generous to your mantids, they even get their own smart phone! That is one lucky Creo".


Lol, they'd probably facetime and threat-pose with other mantids if that were the case. Btw, have any of your creo ooths hatched? If they haven't, it should be soon.


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## aNisip

Mike, for any mantis ooth, I never put it direct light, I don't want it to dry out and or bake...however like u said, them being a desert species...incubate at around 85-90 Fº during day and 75-80 Fº @ night...(it is what I would assume would be best for Mendica, I have no experience with them, just what I would do for that desert specie...


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## garin33

mantid_mike said:


> Lol, they'd probably facetime and threat-pose with other mantids if that were the case. Btw, have any of your creo ooths hatched? If they haven't, it should be soon.


haha, mantids and facebook, not a good combo.

The creo ooth that was laid on 9/15/12 hatched 3 nymphs on 10/28/12. I posted about it on another thread and others gave advice that sometimes more will hatch later so be patient. So far no more has hatched as of this morning. It was the first ooth and there are 2 others, so maybe the others will produce more. The first ooth was laid one day after the female was mated so maybe that affected it? I don't know. Maybe I don't have the magic touch like you.  .


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## mantid_mike

garin33 said:


> haha, mantids and facebook, not a good combo.
> 
> The creo ooth that was laid on 9/15/12 hatched 3 nymphs on 10/28/12. I posted about it on another thread and others gave advice that sometimes more will hatch later so be patient. So far no more has hatched as of this morning. It was the first ooth and there are 2 others, so maybe the others will produce more. The first ooth was laid one day after the female was mated so maybe that affected it? I don't know. Maybe I don't have the magic touch like you.  .


oh yeah, that's right. forgot that you posted that. I'm pretty sure you'll have plenty more on your 2nd ooth. Like you said, it was probably because it was laid the day after mating that you only got 3. I think my creo waited a week after mating before she laid her first. I won't feel like I have a magic touch unless I have an orchid ooth hatch lol :donatello:


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## mantid_mike

RIP to my adult female ghost as of this morning. First mantis of mine to bear me an ooth. Yesterday she laid her 13th or 14 ooth and I guess that took all her energy. Btw, the last batch of ooths that she has laid have not hatched, so I'm guessing she was out of sperm. I'm still going to incubate them just in case and see what happens.

Last night I had a different female ghost molt to adult, so I guess she's taking charge now. :clover:


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## aNisip

Sorry to hear that Mike :/ , 13/14 is a good number...nice long lived girl...  ....Alpha Female steppin' up...


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## mantid_mike

One of the better mornings so far...I just posted yesterday that I thought that the last batch of ghost ooths were infertile, but woke up this morning to the biggest hatch thus far--41 nymphs from a medium-sized ooth!:


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## Paradoxica

Wow 41! My Biggest hatch was around 33, also from a much smaller ooth. It's weird how the ooth size seems to have no bearing on the hatch rate.

My second to last remaining female also laid a final ooth just a few hours before dying. I hope she went out with a big bang too!

Congrats!


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## garin33

Wow, very nice! You are the man. I guess that's why they call you Mantid Mike.

The numbers keep growing and your containers keep getting fancier.

I can't wait to see the next batch.


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## mantid_mike

Paradoxica said:


> Wow 41! My Biggest hatch was around 33, also from a much smaller ooth. It's weird how the ooth size seems to have no bearing on the hatch rate.
> 
> My second to last remaining female also laid a final ooth just a few hours before dying. I hope she went out with a big bang too!
> 
> hahah, went out with a bang! exactly what I was thinking this morning. Before mine died, she laid a series of small ooths measuring 1/2" to 3/4". I have 5 of those in the container, waiting to hatch (hypothetically). Looks like the male you gave me put in some real work. Good luck with that final ooth! How are your Werneri doing??
> 
> Congrats!





garin33 said:


> Wow, very nice! You are the man. I guess that's why they call you Mantid Mike.
> 
> The numbers keep growing and your containers keep getting fancier.
> 
> I can't wait to see the next batch.


Thanks.  I didn't realize that, but it seems like the hatches more less subsequently have gotten bigger: 24, 32, 36, 34, 41. The next batch that i'm expecting is another Creo ooth. It should hatch in the next couple of days. After that, maybe my hymenopus ooth? :clover: :clover: :clover:


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## mantid_mike

@paradoxica...I think i screwed up on the multiquoting, but my response is in there with ya ^^^


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## garin33

Hey Mike,

Since you are cranking out these nymphs like a machine, I wanted to get yours and other's thoughts on humidity and temperature for these newborn nymphs. I've read some websites that say that Creos should have temps of about 85 degrees and humidity of 60 to 80% and others that say lower temps are ok. I also have read that some people mist the mantis itself as well the enclosure. Now that we are starting to near the winter season, I would assume that would mean that supplemental heating would be required.

Do you mist the mantis itself or just the container? In the winter, most of our house will be 68 degrees or below, would you recommend supplemental heating to get temps closer to 80? Would this be the same for the ghosts?

Thanks!


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## mantid_mike

garin33 said:


> Hey Mike,
> 
> Since you are cranking out these nymphs like a machine, I wanted to get yours and other's thoughts on humidity and temperature for these newborn nymphs. I've read some websites that say that Creos should have temps of about 85 degrees and humidity of 60 to 80% and others that say lower temps are ok. I also have read that some people mist the mantis itself as well the enclosure. Now that we are starting to near the winter season, I would assume that would mean that supplemental heating would be required.
> 
> Do you mist the mantis itself or just the container? In the winter, most of our house will be 68 degrees or below, would you recommend supplemental heating to get temps closer to 80? Would this be the same for the ghosts?
> 
> Thanks!


I keep them all at ambient temp, which is probably 75. The last couple days I've began using my heatlamp for my Idolos/Blepharopsis, so I'm sure some of the heat that the lamp is emitting affects the surrounding area as well..maybe raises it up about 5 degrees?
When I mist, I hit both enclosure and my mantids, but I always make sure to open up the window that's adjacent to my mantid shelf so that everything gets ventilated. I mist every other day, except for my Parymenopus and Idolos, which get daily misting. If you mist too much, make sure you get everything ventilated properly. Another key thing I've learned to have less fatalities is to give all these little guys some space, so spread them out into smaller groups in a bunch of containers.
If your household temps are 68, then yeah, I'd definitely use a heat lamp. What part of LA do you live in? I live on the 7th floor on the SW corner of my building, so I get direct sunlight the whole day, hence warmer temps on my side. hope this helps...


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## garin33

Hi Mike

Thanks for sharing your methods.

I live in Rancho Palos Verdes on a hill that faces Catalina Island. It's a beautiful ocean view but it can get quite cold in the winter with the wind blowing off the ocean water. Now when I say quite cold, I'm talking highs in the low 60's and lows near 50. Now I know other folks who live in other areas are thinking we are total wimps calling that weather cold. I guess they are right, haha.


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## mantid_mike

garin33 said:


> Hi Mike
> 
> Thanks for sharing your methods.
> 
> I live in Rancho Palos Verdes on a hill that faces Catalina Island. It's a beautiful ocean view but it can get quite cold in the winter with the wind blowing off the ocean water. Now when I say quite cold, I'm talking highs in the low 60's and lows near 50. Now I know other folks who live in other areas are thinking we are total wimps calling that weather cold. I guess they are right, haha.


blah blah blah blah Rancho Palos Verdes. That's all I read LOL...PV is such a beautiful/baller area. I hope to reside there some day in the future. One of my best friends lives close by in San Pedro and the PV hills are visible from his place.


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## garin33

Well, I forgot to mention that I live in a cardboard box in PV. So it's really not as good as you think.

However, I never have to worry about the mantids being well ventilated and opening a window.


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## Digger

Perhaps BOOOOO! is more appropriate than YAY! for your newborn Ghosties. :happybday:


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## mantid_mike

Digger said:


> Perhaps BOOOOO! is more appropriate than YAY! for your newborn Ghosties. :happybday:


Lol, i get it. 41 bdays to celebrate on the 2nd of each month. Booooooooooooooooooooo..


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## drolkp84

What changes do u tend to notice when ur creo is about to hatch if any?


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## mantid_mike

drolkp84 said:


> What changes do u tend to notice when ur creo is about to hatch if any?


The ooths get darker (reddish tone) and as you mentioned in your other thread, the black dots begin to form, which are the formation of the eyes. Alex posted a pic of that somewhere. I have an ooth that should be hatching any day now, and I'm basing it on those changes alone. It's taking my ooths longer to hatch nowadays and I think it's primarily because of the recent drops in temps the last couple weeks here in LA. If you get a chance, post a pic of your ooth in here.


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## agent A

mantid_mike said:


> The ooths get darker (reddish tone) and as you mentioned in your other thread, the black dots begin to form, which are the formation of the eyes. Alex posted a pic of that somewhere. I have an ooth that should be hatching any day now, and I'm basing it on those changes alone. It's taking my ooths longer to hatch nowadays and I think it's primarily because of the recent drops in temps the last couple weeks here in LA. If you get a chance, post a pic of your ooth in here.


as a matter of fact:












will take a recent soon


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## mantid_mike

My creo laid her 8th ooth 2 days ago, but it seems to be a little deformed. I noticed that when she was laying it against the wall of her container, there was a twig that was in her way so I guess it kinda screwed up her flow. You can see that two eggs are protruding from the ooth. It will be interesting to see if it continues to develop outside of the ootheca (it's the one all the way on the left):






In other news, one of my smaller ghost ooths which was about a 1/2" hatched this morning. 12 nymphs total:


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## agent A

recent creo ooth pic


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## Ckowsky

I received a Creo p. ooth from Mantid_Mike and the outcome?

A total of 77 Nymphs!!! :clap: 









Good thing I made extra fruit fly cultures,


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## Reptiliatus

awesome! Congrats on all the newly hatched nymphs guys


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## agent A

my creo ooth hatched over the weekend

only abt 42 nymphs

not too bad though...


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## mantid_mike

Reptiliatus said:


> awesome! Congrats on all the newly hatched nymphs guys


Thanks!


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## mantid_mike

agent A said:


> my creo ooth hatched over the weekend
> 
> only abt 42 nymphs
> 
> not too bad though...


Not bad at all. You have plenty of L4s to look after anyway.I noticed another of my creo ooths hatched this morning but I didn't get a chance to count them before I left.


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## mantid_mike

Counted the most recent ooth that hatched...79 nymphs!:


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## preying mantis

Awesome! I hope my Chinese ooth hatches.


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## garin33

Thanks for all the updates on the ooth hatchings, it's very informative and the pictures are great. I feel like I'm watching it "live".

I have a question regarding the Creo hatches. What on average make it to L2? 50%, 75% etc.

Thanks again.


----------



## Termite48

If you want more to make it to L-2 in my experience, it means developing a good way to separate the many nymphs into smaller groups. This gives them more space for each one. The less they are in very close proximity to each other and the more food they have, the less there is cannibalism and injuries. The secret is finding a good way for you to open up their incubation container and not have them scatter like the leaves of autumn all over your house. You can invent something that will contain them. I found that rounding up loose mantids is a pain and needs to be done in such a way as to not smush them. I use a feather that I had from my Natice American crafts. There are other things, but it needs to be gentle so they have a chance to be scooted into the desired container without injuring the mantid. For the new enclosure, I use excelsior at the younger instars so that they have nice perches available in a small space.


----------



## garin33

Good info. I remember Mike mentioning the same thing regarding over crowding the nymphs. He noticed that some died when there was too many in a small container.

I also read that one person bought one of those parts organizers and actually had a separate compartment for each nymph.

Thanks for the info.



Rich S said:


> If you want more to make it to L-2 in my epxerience, it means developing a good way to separate the many nymphs into smaller groups. This gives them more space for each one. The less they are in very close proximity to each other and the more food they have, the less there is cannibalism and injuries. The secret is finding a good way for you to open up their incubation container and not have them scatter like the leaves of autumn all over your house. You can invent something that will contain them. I found that rounding up loose mantids is a pain and needs to be done in such a way as to not smush them. I use a feather that I had from my Natice American crafts. There are other things, but it needs to be gentle so they have a chance to be scooted into the desired container without injuring the mantid. For the new enclosure, I use excelsior at the younger instars so that they have nice perches available in a small space.


----------



## angelofdeathzz

So true Rich, you know what I use as a secret weapon to open the main deli and deal with all the little crazies running amuck, 2 people Lol.


----------



## lancaster1313

When I deal with a container full of nymphs, I try to have my husband and daughter around to round up any stragglers. When we are finished transferring nymphs, we check eachother's bodies.


----------



## angelofdeathzz

Lol same, well but mine is a wife. ^_^


----------



## lancaster1313

Spouses can come in handy. :shifty: I like that my husband doesn't mess around with the nymphs as he just wants to get it over with. My daughter can make a nymph transfer take a bit longer.


----------



## angelofdeathzz

I know right, she'll be like look its on my nose. :lol:


----------



## mantid_mike

preying mantis said:


> Awesome! I hope my Chinese ooth hatches.


Thanks. Good luck! I hope it hatches for you as well.


----------



## mantid_mike

Rich S said:


> If you want more to make it to L-2 in my experience, it means developing a good way to separate the many nymphs into smaller groups. This gives them more space for each one. The less they are in very close proximity to each other and the more food they have, the less there is cannibalism and injuries. The secret is finding a good way for you to open up their incubation container and not have them scatter like the leaves of autumn all over your house. You can invent something that will contain them. I found that rounding up loose mantids is a pain and needs to be done in such a way as to not smush them. I use a feather that I had from my Natice American crafts. There are other things, but it needs to be gentle so they have a chance to be scooted into the desired container without injuring the mantid. For the new enclosure, I use excelsior at the younger instars so that they have nice perches available in a small space.


+1

Ever since I began implementing the nymph separation upon hatching, I've had little to no deaths. I noticed I lost quite a number of ghosts due to overcrowding with my first couple ooths. Another mistake I made was over misting their enclosures.

Now I have more nymphs than I know what to do with, especially Creos. I'm sure India is crowded with them.


----------



## garin33

This is where agent A chimes in with "too many Creos? I'll take em", haha.

Interesting point about over misting. I never thought that would be bad as long there wasn't mold growing. I've been misting like crazy because I'm always worried that it's not enough. I guess too much of a good thing is bad.

So maybe like 10 per 32oz deli cup is good?



mantid_mike said:


> +1
> 
> Ever since I began implementing the nymph separation upon hatching, I've had little to no deaths. I noticed I lost quite a number of ghosts due to overcrowding with my first couple ooths. Another mistake I made was over misting their enclosures.
> 
> Now I have more nymphs than I know what to do with, especially Creos. I'm sure India is crowded with them.


----------



## mantid_mike

garin33 said:


> This is where agent A chimes in with "too many Creos? I'll take em", haha.
> 
> Interesting point about over misting. I never thought that would be bad as long there wasn't mold growing. I've been misting like crazy because I'm always worried that it's not enough. I guess too much of a good thing is bad.
> 
> So maybe like 10 per 32oz deli cup is good?


Lol I swear I was thinking the same thing about Agent A when I was posting that.

Anyway...10 per 32oz container sounds about right. What type of mantid nymphs do you have right now?


----------



## garin33

I have one creo ooth that hatched a couple of weeks ago. I had about 50 nymphs but now I have about 35. I lost 15 because of something so dumb that I hate to mention it but I will anyway, haha.

I separated the 50 into a few different containers. I was feeding and misting in the morning and I was late for work and I left one of those containers out in direct sunlight next to a window. That day ended up being 80 and the container got toasted. I came home and almost all of them in that one container were dead. Fortunately, I could not find my harakiri knife so I'm still able to post.

The female has laid 3 ooths and the ooths were laid about 2 weeks apart. It's been about 5 weeks since the last ooth so I'm wondering why she hasn't laid another. Is there something that I can do to help with that? Sing a song or something? Of course, I am feeding and misting, etc. I need some suggestions Dr. Mike. You are the Creo breeding king.

I'm waiting on a couple of S. Lineola ooths. I know those guys are a lot more cannilbalistic so I'll probably have to separate them individually by L3?


----------



## agent A

garin33 said:


> The female has laid 3 ooths and the ooths were laid about 2 weeks apart. It's been about 5 weeks since the last ooth so I'm wondering why she hasn't laid another. Is there something that I can do to help with that? Sing a song or something? Of course, I am feeding and misting, etc. I need some suggestions Dr. Mike. You are the Creo breeding king.


hey! u shoulda seen all the creo gems i produced 2 years ago! :lol: 

sometimes as females get older they lay less frequently. i would give her new perches and offer a better food variety but NO crix!!


----------



## mantid_mike

garin33 said:


> I have one creo ooth that hatched a couple of weeks ago. I had about 50 nymphs but now I have about 35. I lost 15 because of something so dumb that I hate to mention it but I will anyway, haha.
> 
> I separated the 50 into a few different containers. I was feeding and misting in the morning and I was late for work and I left one of those containers out in direct sunlight next to a window. That day ended up being 80 and the container got toasted. I came home and almost all of them in that one container were dead. Fortunately, I could not find my harakiri knife so I'm still able to post.
> 
> The female has laid 3 ooths and the ooths were laid about 2 weeks apart. It's been about 5 weeks since the last ooth so I'm wondering why she hasn't laid another. Is there something that I can do to help with that? Sing a song or something? Of course, I am feeding and misting, etc. I need some suggestions Dr. Mike. You are the Creo breeding king.
> 
> I'm waiting on a couple of S. Lineola ooths. I know those guys are a lot more cannilbalistic so I'll probably have to separate them individually by L3?


If I really was the Creo breeding king, I'd have the answer to that lol, but I don't. My female creo just laid her 10th ooth about 3 days ago. I don't overfeed her though. Some days I give her 1 or 2 flies, and other days I give her as much as she can eat, which is usually close to 10 BB. I mist her every other day and she's doing fine. You can try doing what Agent A suggested and place her in a new environment. Also, you might want to raise the temps as well. I just moved to a new place and this house significantly cooler than the last. I noticed that all my mantids seem a bit lethargic now.


----------



## garin33

agent A said:


> hey! u shoulda seen all the creo gems i produced 2 years ago! :lol:
> 
> sometimes as females get older they lay less frequently. i would give her new perches and offer a better food variety but NO crix!!


Sorry, Agent A is the Creo King!



mantid_mike said:


> If I really was the Creo breeding king, I'd have the answer to that lol, but I don't. My female creo just laid her 10th ooth about 3 days ago. I don't overfeed her though. Some days I give her 1 or 2 flies, and other days I give her as much as she can eat, which is usually close to 10 BB. I mist her every other day and she's doing fine. You can try doing what Agent A suggested and place her in a new environment. Also, you might want to raise the temps as well. I just moved to a new place and this house significantly cooler than the last. I noticed that all my mantids seem a bit lethargic now.


Thanks for the advice guys. It's interesting because just 2 days ago I upped the heat and was able to feed her some moths and flies and this morning she finally laid another ooth! I'm not sure if it was just coincidental and she was just due or it was the heat and food. However, I do think that all the stuff you mentioned about food variety, temps, new perches can make a big difference. It's a lot cooler now and like Mike mentioned, I definitely have noticed that the ooths are hatching slower, activity is much less, etc compared to the summer. Patrick mentioned the same thing to me regarding his ooths and he lives in same area as Mike and I. So I'm going to try to keep things at a more constant heat and closer to 80.

Have any of you guys used flexwatt heat tape? I was thinking that would use less energy and you could line your shelves with the stuff for pretty cheap and that way you could keep all your containers heated.

Oh, I probably should post this on a new thread but since Agent A mentioned it...I have an older T. Sinensis and she laid a really funky ooth yesterday. Basically, most of the eggs are exposed and sitting on the bottom of cage. Somehow the spongy stuff did not come out properly. I know Mike mentioned he had a Creo ooth where a couple of the eggs were exposed. Did those ever hatch? Do these "exposed" eggs ever hatch or most likely they are not good?

Thanks again.


----------



## agent A

exposed eggs turn weird color and dont hatch but the ooth still will hatch


----------



## garin33

agent A said:


> exposed eggs turn weird color and dont hatch but the ooth still will hatch


Well, all these eggs are exposed. Somehow the spongy stuff just didn't come out right and the eggs fell out.

thanks for the info.


----------



## garin33

agent A said:


> exposed eggs turn weird color and dont hatch but the ooth still will hatch


By the way, why aren't you in school!


----------



## agent A

garin33 said:


> By the way, why aren't you in school!


thanksgiving break


----------



## garin33

ah ok, I thought that you were ditching class so you could mist and feed your thousands of mantids.

I'm sure it takes awhile.


----------



## agent A

garin33 said:


> ah ok, I thought that you were ditching class so you could mist and feed your thousands of mantids.
> 
> I'm sure it takes awhile.


i dont even have 100 :lol:


----------



## mantid_mike

It's been a while since I updated this thread. I had one of my older creo ooths hatch a couple days ago and I honestly wasn't expecting that. Thought it was a dud since it was laid on November 7th. There's about 53 nymphs in these 2 cups:







On another note, my rhombodera stalli girl FINALLY laid an ooth. She's been holding out for a long time, but now I see why. This ooth is HUGE:






I really hope it hatches when I get back from my trip!


----------



## garin33

Hi Mike

Thanks for the update and it gives me hope for a Creo ooth that was laid on Oct. 17th that hasn't hatched yet. However, my house has been pretty cold lately especially in the evenings. Around 67 degrees. So I figured that was probably the reason. I recently put some heat on it to keep it around 80 so hopefully that will help it hatch.

Have a great trip!


----------



## aNisip

Congrats on both events! :clap: :clap: :clap:


----------



## mantid_mike

garin33 said:


> Hi MikeThanks for the update and it gives me hope for a Creo ooth that was laid on Oct. 17th that hasn't hatched yet. However, my house has been pretty cold lately especially in the evenings. Around 67 degrees. So I figured that was probably the reason. I recently put some heat on it to keep it around 80 so hopefully that will help it hatch.
> 
> Have a great trip!


I'm pretty sure it has everything to do with the temps. My house has also been really cold but I've been leaving the heater on longer lately. I'm pretty sure you'll have a hatch very soon! Just don't let it dry out.


----------



## mantid_mike

AndrewNisip said:


> Congrats on both events! :clap: :clap: :clap:


Thanks!


----------



## sally

mantid_mike said:


> Thanks. http://mantidforum.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/smile.png I didn't realize that, but it seems like the hatches more less subsequently have gotten bigger: 24, 32, 36, 34, 41. The next batch that i'm expecting is another Creo ooth. It should hatch in the next couple of days. After that, maybe my hymenopus ooth? http://mantidforum.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/clover.gif http://mantidforum.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/clover.gif http://mantidforum.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/clover.gif


----------



## sally

Ooops. Messed up the quote, sorry I was just gonna say those hatch numbers would be good lottery picks


----------



## mantid_mike

Been a while since I last updated. I had to part with a few mantids before my trip so I have a much more manageable collection now. A couple days after I came back I had another creo ooth hatch from my original female. Don't have any pics since I sent them off to another member.

Before I left for my trip, my female ghosts had laid 3 ooths. They must have been incubated for at least 3 weeks before I left. I came back from my trip and still nothing hatched so I was almost positive they were all duds since I had never seen my ghosts mating. A few days ago (Jan. 29th) the first ooth hatched!  Good thing I didn't throw them away:






Only 17 nymphs.

Today I had one male hymenopus coronatus molt to adult. I wanted to take a picture of him but from past experiences I know they tend to fly off. Here's my fat sub-adult female instead:






This morning I also had an H. Bipapilla molt to adult sent to me by Rich recently:






Here's my female Popa Spurca that molted to adult on Jan 30th. Lighting wasn't so great and looks more like a silhouette, so I just made this a black&amp;white photo:






...and finally, here's a couple of Oxyopsis Gracilis. This is my first time with this species and I never realized they're so small. I don't really know how much bigger they're going to get and lost track of their instar but they seem a little slow to molt:


----------



## mantid_mike

My female Hymenopus Coronatus molted to adult last night successfully. She's a pretty big girl compared to the female I had a few months back. I'd like to feed her some natural honey for a change. Should I wipe some honey on the BB flies or just feed it to her via a toothpick?? I haven't been so lucky with my adult female orchids. I always screw something up in their diet.


----------



## Ranitomeya

Oxyopsis gracilis aren't very big mantids.

You can either let the flies eat the honey and then feed the flies to her or you can kill/paralyze the flies before dipping them in some honey and offering them to her. Dipping would give her more honey than if you gave her flies that fed on honey.


----------



## mantid_mike

Ranitomeya said:


> Oxyopsis gracilis aren't very big mantids.
> 
> You can either let the flies eat the honey and then feed the flies to her or you can kill/paralyze the flies before dipping them in some honey and offering them to her. Dipping would give her more honey than if you gave her flies that fed on honey.


Yeah, oxys are pretty small. Maybe a tad-bit smaller than ghosts.

I'll try feeding her some honey-dipped flies today. I was going to go to Vons to buy the honey, but now i'm thinking Trader Joe's will be a better option.


----------



## mantid_mike

This morning I found my H. Patellifera girl laying her first ooth. Not sure if it's fertile since I never witnessed her mating wit the male. He was mounted on her for a couple days and then eaten. This happened about a month ago, so that's a pretty long wait for a first ooth.


----------



## mantid_mike

Just another update..I had 13 ghosts hatch out a little over a week ago and another 17 ghosts this morning. Yesterday, I went down to Orange County to visit my parents and decided to scavenge their entire yard for some Stagmomantis Californica ooths. I found way more than I expected:






Some ooths I found felt so dry and airy so I opened them up a little to find some developing nymphs inside. Can't judge an ooth by its cover I guess.

I also found a medium-sized grasshopper so I bottled it up and brought it home with me. It was fed to my H. Bipapilla (H. Patellifera) girl this morning:


----------



## mantid_mike

Awesome day today. Came home to find that two ooths of two different species hatched today...pseudoharpax viriscens and stagmomantis Californica. I'll be posting pics and nymph counts soon.


----------



## sally

I wish I could find such treasures in my yard... The mountain of snow is almost all melted...yay!


----------



## mantid_mike

sally said:


> I wish I could find such treasures in my yard... The mountain of snow is almost all melted...yay!


I wish there was more snow out here! Didn't get to snowboard too much this season.


----------



## mantid_mike

*Pseudoharpax Viriscens (14 nymphs):*

*



*

*Stagmomantis Californica (around 40ish nymphs):*

*



*


----------



## Paradoxica

Nice, I'm still waiting for my pseudoharpax to hatch.


----------



## mantid_mike

Paradoxica said:


> Nice, I'm still waiting for my pseudoharpax to hatch.


I was getting all skeptical about mine haha. It was supposed to hatch about two weeks ago so I was beginning to think it was a dud. Don't mist the container too much.


----------



## mantid_mike

My Stagmomantis Californica nymphs are very active today. They're just like ghost nymphs:







I had another 9 nymphs hatch out from the same ooth this morning. I managed to take a couple pics with my iPhone but it isn't the greatest:


----------



## jrh3

Very Nice Cant Wait Till Mine hatch


----------



## mantid_mike

I was helping a friend build a base for his thesis model today, so I had plenty of spare MDF to work with for a multi-mantis enclosure that I want to build. It's 32" long and will have four 8"x8"x8" chambers. I got the base and frame done today. I'll probably finish this sometime next week when I get some spare time again:






I came home to good news and bad news. The good news is that my Creobroter Pictipennis girl laid her first ooth today. Not the straightest ooth but I'm sure it takes plenty of effort to lay one w/out BOTH of her hind legs:






and for the bad news...I was in a rush this morning and forgot to remove my male H. Bipapilla from the net enclosure. Got home late and found him connected but the female had already eaten most of him. No telling how long he was connected for. I really hope it was successful:


----------



## mantid_mike

The same Stagmomantis Californica ooth that hatched a few days ago continues to ooze out nymphs. I don't know how they all fit in there. About 20 more nymphs this morning:


----------



## SilentDeviL

Nice Mike  post some pic once u finish the multi-mantis enclosure.


----------



## mantid_mike

SilentDeviL said:


> Nice Mike  post some pic once u finish the multi-mantis enclosure.


Thanks, Albert. I'll post it up in the Enclosure forum once it's completed. :donatello:


----------



## mantid_mike

I must have forgotten to upload pictures of my creos mating. This happened a little over a week ago. Thought I'd do a little sequence :stuart: :


----------



## glock34girl

I like that he looks to make sure there is a camera before taking the mount. Lol


----------



## Paradoxica

Ha! The first and second pic he's like, "Daaaaammmnnn! Are you seeing this?!"


----------



## glock34girl

Paradoxica said:


> Ha! The first and second pic he's like, "Daaaaammmnnn! Are you seeing this?!"


Hahahahaha!


----------



## mantid_mike

Paradoxica said:


> Ha! The first and second pic he's like, "Daaaaammmnnn! Are you seeing this?!"


Lmao!!


----------



## mantid_mike

4-11-13: Acromantis Formosana (Taiwan flower mantis) ooth hatched today. Approximately 25 nymphs:






They're such a neat-looking species. Hopefully I get most these to adult so I can breed them. Here's one of Damian's (Leviatan) picture of this species as adult:


----------



## Paradoxica

They are a really neat looking species. Good luck.


----------



## mantid_mike

Paradoxica said:


> They are a really neat looking species. Good luck.


Thanks. They kinda remind me of some of your Sybilla Pretiosas that are brown w/ green wings.


----------



## mantid_mike

My adult hymenopus died recently probably due to old age. I was beginning to think I was going to have no male but upon closer inspection of my other orchids, I think I have a pre-sub or sub-adult male. He's so pink and can camoflauge so well amongst the little pink flowers right outside my front door:


----------



## sally

So so sweet awww


----------



## ScienceGirl

Yay for nymphs! Love the creo second picture!


----------



## mantid_mike

ScienceGirl said:


> Yay for nymphs! Love the creo second picture!


Thanks!


----------



## mantid_mike

*Update 4-12-13:* My popa spurca female FINALLY laid her first ooth after a 2 month long wait. I significantly increased the humidity a couple days ago but I can't say for sure if that's what made her lay it. My fingers are crossed in hopes that it's fertile:


----------



## mantid_mike

Another update 4-12-13: Blepharopsis mendica ooth hatched earlier today. Approximately 40 nymphs.

Bleph nymphs:


----------



## mantid_mike

4-13-13: Looks like I'm getting nymphs every day now.  Another ghost ooth hatched today. Approximately 24 nymphs:






H. Bipapilla girl also laid her 2nd ooth today:


----------



## mantid_mike

*4-16-13: *I had more Stagmomantis nymphs hatch yesterday from a different ooth. 11 nymphs total:






Here's a pic of my bleph nymphs. They sit still all day now:






..and a couple sybilla pretiosa nymphs:


----------



## Danny.

Nymph overload! Lovin the pretiosa pic... Mine are L3 and hella quick!


----------



## mantid_mike

Danny. said:


> Nymph overload! Lovin the pretiosa pic... Mine are L3 and hella quick!


Thanks, Danny.

LOL. these guys used to run up and out the deli cup when I would open it but now they're a little more graceful and easier to handle. I think mine are L3 as well.


----------



## mantid_mike

I received some L2 deroplatys truncata nymphs today. They seem to have the same personality as lobatas and dessicatas..they're very curious little guys:


----------



## Danny.

mantid_mike said:


> Thanks, Danny.
> 
> LOL. these guys used to run up and out the deli cup when I would open it but now they're a little more graceful and easier to handle. I think mine are L3 as well.


Mine still go nuts lol... I have to be careful I don't smash they're long legs!


----------



## Danny.

Bad truncata. Hopefully I get some soon.


----------



## SilentDeviL

Congratz Mike u getting more and more mantis now lol watch out for ur GF lol ..


----------



## Danny.

SilentDeviL said:


> Congratz Mike u getting more and more mantis now lol watch out for ur GF lol ..


He'll be on skid row along with his containers lol... jk!


----------



## mantid_mike

SilentDeviL said:


> Congratz Mike u getting more and more mantis now lol watch out for ur GF lol ..


Thanks, Albert! I just received an ooth from Damian today and soon I'll have yours. Little does she know!!! :devil: 



Danny. said:


> He'll be on skid row along with his containers lol... jk!


LOL...last year I lived like 5 blocks away from skid row in DTLA. It would have been a short walk for me to a new home hahah


----------



## mantid_mike

The last two days I've had 2 more Stagmomantis Cali ooth hatch. One was from the last ooth that hatched and the other was new.











L2 nymph:


----------



## ScienceGirl

Congrats! They look very healthy!


----------



## mantid_mike

ScienceGirl said:


> Congrats! They look very healthy!


Thanks! I think Stagmomantis Californica has a high fatality rate..at least 50% from my experience so far. The remaining seem pretty strong.


----------



## SilentDeviL

Haha Mike U r ganna be loaded with Mantis lol ... Hope ur GF is oka with it lol ..


----------



## jamurfjr

SilentDeviL said:


> Haha Mike U r ganna be loaded with Mantis lol ... Hope ur GF is oka with it lol ..


Wait until his Griffin ootheca hatches.


----------



## SilentDeviL

jamurfjr said:


> Wait until his Griffin ootheca hatches.


LOL that's another 100+ Griffin Babies ...


----------



## jamurfjr

SilentDeviL said:


> LOL that's another 100+ Griffin Babies ...


I'm still waiting on my griff ooth to hatch...and I'm okay with that. It can take its sweet ol' time. After that stunt you pulled with the H. multispina ooth (hatching out 300 nymphs), I need a break. :sweatdrop: :surrender:


----------



## SilentDeviL

jamurfjr said:


> I'm still waiting on my griff ooth to hatch...and I'm okay with that. It can take its sweet ol' time. After that stunt you pulled with the H. multispina ooth (hatching out 300 nymphs), I need a break. :sweatdrop: :surrender:


LOL I still can't believe it hatch out 300 for you .... I did a good job mating her lol ..


----------



## mantid_mike

LOL. You guys are making me nervous. I'm incubating 8 different ooths right now and most of them are due to hatch during the first 2 weeks of May.

Albert, I showed my gf the ooth you sent me and she asked me how many nymphs I expect out of it since its so big. I looked her in the eye and said about 40 nymphs. Lol


----------



## SilentDeviL

mantid_mike said:


> LOL. You guys are making me nervous. I'm incubating 8 different ooths right now and most of them are due to hatch during the first 2 weeks of May.
> 
> Albert, I showed my gf the ooth you sent me and she asked me how many nymphs I expect out of it since its so big. I looked her in the eye and said about 40 nymphs. Lol


U kill me mike hahaha .. try 40 x 5 lol .....


----------



## mantid_mike

SilentDeviL said:


> U kill me mike hahaha .. try 40 x 5 lol .....


That's too many nline2long:


----------



## mantid_mike

She's almost 6 weeks old:


----------



## agent A

i mated my female at 5 weeks...


----------



## SilentDeviL

agent A said:


> i mated my female at 5 weeks...


Any Ooth yet ??? lol I'm waiting haha ..


----------



## agent A

SilentDeviL said:


> Any Ooth yet ??? lol I'm waiting haha ..


not yet

the male mounted her again today so im hopin that maybe she'll lay ooths soom


----------



## mantid_mike

*4-24-13*: Thanks to all these Stagmomantis Californica ooths constantly hatching, my thread is beginning to get a bit monotonous. I don't even bother counting the nymphs for this species anymore because a single ooth can have 2-5 hatch dates from my experience. Anyway, here's a new ooth that hatched this morning:






A little over a week ago I FINALLY bought a 1 lb bag of Repashy so that I can try my hand at making some FF cultures. Looks like my first attempt is going well so far (It's been one week and 2 days since I made it):






I also made one for Hydei on the 4/18th, but no sign of any maggots or pupae yet. I'm assuming it takes more time?


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## SilentDeviL

Keep it up Bro .. Updating till they grow to Adults and Mating laying Ooth then we can close this post lol ...


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## sinensispsyched

> I'm assuming it takes more time?


It does. Hydei grow much slower.


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## mantid_mike

SilentDeviL said:


> Keep it up Bro .. Updating till they grow to Adults and Mating laying Ooth then we can close this post lol ...


Lol I will. It would be nice if I can have a macro lens to document all my mantids. Kinda sucks using the lenses that I have. Send me yours!!! :stuart:


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## mantid_mike

sinensispsyched said:


> It does. Hydei grow much slower.


Ok good to know! I'll keep waiting. :shifty:


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## TheOtherSpecies

mantid_mike said:


> H. Bipapilla girl also laid her 2nd ooth today:


Is that the same female that sucked down the male I sent you like a milkshake?


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## mantid_mike

TheOtherSpecies said:


> Is that the same female that sucked down the male I sent you like a milkshake?


Yep, that's the culprit right there. She has the strongest jaw that I've seen on a mantid. There have been times that I've pushed her with a basswood stick and she turned around and bit it. I could hear the wood crack when she took a bite. :wacko:


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## TheOtherSpecies

mantid_mike said:


> Yep, that's the culprit right there. She has the strongest jaw that I've seen on a mantid. There have been times that I've pushed her with a basswood stick and she turned around and bit it. I could hear the wood crack when she took a bite. :wacko:


Nice hopefully she's fertile!


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## glock34girl

mantid_mike said:


> LOL. You guys are making me nervous. I'm incubating 8 different ooths right now and most of them are due to hatch during the first 2 weeks of May.
> 
> Albert, I showed my gf the ooth you sent me and she asked me how many nymphs I expect out of it since its so big. I looked her in the eye and said about 40 nymphs. Lol


So she already knows to times that by at least two.


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## glock34girl

mantid_mike said:


> *4-24-13*: Thanks to all these Stagmomantis Californica ooths constantly hatching, my thread is beginning to get a bit monotonous. I don't even bother counting the nymphs for this species anymore because a single ooth can have 2-5 hatch dates from my experience. Anyway, here's a new ooth that hatched this morning:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A little over a week ago I FINALLY bought a 1 lb bag of Repashy so that I can try my hand at making some FF cultures. Looks like my first attempt is going well so far (It's been one week and 2 days since I made it):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I also made one for Hydei on the 4/18th, but no sign of any maggots or pupae yet. I'm assuming it takes more time?


Mike.... does the GF count the FF as an individual bug? That can be disasertous once these really get booming. You might just have to pack her bags and change the locks.


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## mantid_mike

TheOtherSpecies said:


> Nice hopefully she's fertile!


Same here! Time will tell.


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## mantid_mike

glock34girl said:


> So she already knows to times that by at least two.


Lol maybe. She used to get overwhelmed back when I had a major creo/ghost overload.


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## mantid_mike

glock34girl said:


> Mike.... does the GF count the FF as an individual bug? That can be disasertous once these really get booming. You might just have to pack her bags and change the locks.


It's more likely that I'll be locked outside with my dog and mantid. Sad truth.


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## glock34girl

mantid_mike said:


> It's more likely that I'll be locked outside with my dog and mantid. Sad truth.


Terrible. Just terrible.


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## mantid_mike

I forgot to mention and post a pic of my creo's 2nd ooth. It was laid on 4/19/13 but looked rather sloppy. She looks like she'll be laying her 3rd within the next couple of days. I'll post a pic of her 2nd ooth tonight.

My blepharopsis nymphs are beginning to molt to L2 today. They don't look much bigger than L1s so it's really hard to distinguish the two.

All my Acromantis Formosana nymphs are L2 and I haven't had a single fatality with that species yet. Very hardy so far.

I received some L2 Wahlbergii's recently. They're so awesome from L1 all the way to adult. Here's a pic of one of them:


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## mantid_mike

Here's the picture of my creo's 2nd ooth (on the left). She laid it in 2 sloppy clumps:


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## sally

My Creo Brandy laid some ooths spotty like that too. I am anxious to see if they hatch.


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## agent A

sally said:


> My Creo Brandy laid some ooths spotty like that too. I am anxious to see if they hatch.


my creo gal laid an ooth and idk if she mated, i doubt the ooth is fertile but i'm incubatin it just in case


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## mantid_mike

sally said:


> My Creo Brandy laid some ooths spotty like that too. I am anxious to see if they hatch.


I'm pretty certain that some nymphs will come out. I'd say about 15-20.

Maybe 50-60ish nymphs from the 1st ooth. Hopefully it hatches this weekend.


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## mantid_mike

*4-28-13:* H. Bipapilla laid her 3rd ooth and it's considerably smaller than the first and second ooth:


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## mantid_mike

All my Pseudoharpax Viriscens have molted to L3 and they're still very tiny (photo was taken with my iphone so it's a bit out of focus):


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## agent A

cute virescens :wub:


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## mantid_mike

*Update 5/2/13*: My second hymenopus coronatus girl has molted to adult:






*Other updates:*

-All Wahlbergii nymphs have molted to L3

-Some of my Acromantis Formosana appear to have molted to L3 as well. These are probably the ones that molted really early to L2.

-Oldest ghost colony have all molted to L4


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## jrh3

very cool. I just had a S. Carolina ooth hatch i had to take inside cause we had to waterseal our fence it was laid on. Over 40 nymphs,lol. They will go back in the yard At L2.


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## agent A

did u get that male orchid yet?


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## mantid_mike

Got some roaches from Alex on Saturday and I placed them in the lion's den (h. bipapilla girl). She's crazy fat now and continues to prey on them. No shame:


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## mantid_mike

Orchid male has been on her back since yesterday afternoon and still no connection. He seems a bit too small for this lady:


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## agent A

Didnt they just finish connecting?


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## mantid_mike

agent A said:


> Didnt they just finish connecting?


Yeah, i made that post before their connection. He was trying to go at it again earlier while she ate.


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## mantid_mike

Creo girl laid her 3rd ooth on *5-4-13.*

*5-8-13:* youngest orchid gal has molted to sub-adult.

-pseudoharpax viriscens are beginning to molt to L4


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## mantid_mike

Quick story: Shortly before my trip to the Philippines in January my dad found a limbata at his house in OC and brought it over to his other house in Hawthorne, CA. I told him I wouldn't be able to pick it up since I was planning to leave and looking for sitters for my mantids instead. He released the limbata female into the backyard in Hawthorne which is lush with all kinds of shrubs and plants (very poorly manicured yard). Anyway, today I brought my creo girl over since I wasn't able to feed her for the last two days and figured she could find something out in the wild backyard. I placed her on some flowers and proceeded to get my camera to take a few shots. I felt something crawling on my hand and it turned out to be an L1 limbata nymph. I know it has to be limbata because never in my entire life have I seen a mantis in that area. The female my dad must have found was probably gravid and laid a few ooths in that backyard. Pretty cool I think to move some mantids 25 miles north. Plenty of bugs for them to eat in that backyard.

Anyway, here's the shots of my creo girl in the "wild."


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## Canamantis

Nice shots  Very pretty girl you have there


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## sally

mantid_mike said:


> Creo girl laid her 3rd ooth on *5-4-13.*
> 
> *5-8-13:* youngest orchid gal has molted to sub-adult.
> 
> -pseudoharpax viriscens are begivnning to molt to L4


. How long usually for creo ooths to hatch?


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## mantid_mike

Canamantis said:


> Nice shots  Very pretty girl you have there


Thanks!


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## mantid_mike

sally said:


> . How long usually for creo ooths to hatch?


My first time breeding them it took only 4 weeks. I'm still waiting on the first ooth that this girl laid and it's been 4 weeks and 5 days so far. I thought it would hatch on May 4th.

How long has your ooth been incubating?


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## sally

mantid_mike said:


> My first time breeding them it took only 4 weeks. I'm still waiting on the first ooth that this girl laid and it's been 4 weeks and 5 days so far. I thought it would hatch on May 4th.
> 
> How long has your ooth been incubating?


 The 22 of march... I wonder if my male didn' t finish the job, lol. They mated 2 times but he was off in 4 hours. Oh well, I will just keep hoping


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## mantid_mike

sally said:


> The 22 of march... I wonder if my male didn' t finish the job, lol. They mated 2 times but he was off in 4 hours. Oh well, I will just keep hoping


That's a while back ago. I've had some random ooths hatch really late on me before though. Keep it incubating.


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## mantid_mike

*5-10-13:* Queen Amidala was introduced to a new male last night. They connected this morning and it lasted about 4 hours. Hopefully the mating coinciding with Mother's Day will make the magic happen this time :stuart: :


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## jrh3

congrats on the connection.


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## agent A

well lucky u


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## mantid_mike

*5-12-13:* Today I had a hatch exactly on the day it was supposed to based on what Damian told me. Total of 17 Ephestiasula pictipes (purple boxer) nymphs. I thought blepharopsis mendica nymphs were tiny but these guys are on a whole different scale of tiny. They're like little specks in the deli cup:


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## aychen222

I love boxers. So cool.


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## SilentDeviL

mantid_mike said:


> *5-12-13:* Today I had a hatch exactly on the day it was supposed to based on what Damian told me. Total of 17 Ephestiasula pictipes (purple boxer) nymphs. I thought blepharopsis mendica nymphs were tiny but these guys are on a whole different scale of tiny. They're like little specks in the deli cup:


Congratz Mike lucky you ... maybe when u breed this you can share to me haha .


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## jrh3

sooooo many mantids, lol.


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## mantid_mike

SilentDeviL said:


> Congratz Mike lucky you ... maybe when u breed this you can share to me haha .


I can definitely pass these on to you if i get some ooths. I owe you!!

btw, the griffinii ooth that you sent me should hatch any day now. Last night i had a dream that it hatched but my Bipapilla female was eating them all as they oozed out the ooth.


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## mantid_mike

jrh3 said:


> sooooo many mantids, lol.


lol not yet. by the end of this week i might agree with you! :stuart:


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## SilentDeviL

mantid_mike said:


> I can definitely pass these on to you if i get some ooths. I owe you!!
> 
> btw, the griffinii ooth that you sent me should hatch any day now. Last night i had a dream that it hatched but my Bipapilla female was eating them all as they oozed out the ooth.


lol Good luck hope u have happy hatching . Ya sucks I'm wait for some of my ooth to hatch too ...


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## ladygigi

mantid_mike said:


> *4-16-13: *I had more Stagmomantis nymphs hatch yesterday from a different ooth. 11 nymphs total:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a pic of my bleph nymphs. They sit still all day now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ..and a couple sybilla pretiosa nymphs:


I just happened to notice something really neat. If you look at the nymphs on the top, or on the lid or whatever, in the middle picture, you will see that amongst all of those little black nymphs is ONE, just ONE, little green one. The little guy stands out from the crowd. I'd be plucking it out and treating it all special! LOL


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## ladygigi

mantid_mike said:


> *Update 5/2/13*: My second hymenopus coronatus girl has molted to adult:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Other updates:*
> 
> -All Wahlbergii nymphs have molted to L3
> 
> -Some of my Acromantis Formosana appear to have molted to L3 as well. These are probably the ones that molted really early to L2.
> 
> -Oldest ghost colony have all molted to L4


She's not standing on her legs. Is that normal? I'm not familiar with this species at all so I don't know what's normal and what isn't. In some species that is a sign of a mis-molt, so I gotta ask. (Just trying to learn something here. :smarty: )


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## ladygigi

mantid_mike said:


> Got some roaches from Alex on Saturday and I placed them in the lion's den (h. bipapilla girl). She's crazy fat now and continues to prey on them. No shame:


I've read that some species will over eat and actually do so to the extent that their abdomen splits. This generally results in death for the mantis as they end up often developing an infection from the open wound. So, from what I've read, I would be careful to not let her over eat too much. I'm no expert, but have read about this happening on more than one occasion.


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## mantid_mike

ladygigi said:


> I've read that some species will over eat and actually do so to the extent that their abdomen splits. This generally results in death for the mantis as they end up often developing an infection from the open wound. So, from what I've read, I would be careful to not let her over eat too much. I'm no expert, but have read about this happening on more than one occasion.


I usually pull the mantids from a feeder-filled container if they're over-eating. Haven't had any type of death related to that...yet.

The 3rd H. Bipapilla ooth hatched today, exactly 45 days after it was laid. I'll post pics and nymph count later. I thought her ooths were duds all this time!!


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## SilentDeviL

Mike ur Griffin did not hatch yet? It should of hatched..hmm...cut the bottom check see if u see nymphs..


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## mantid_mike

SilentDeviL said:


> Mike ur Griffin did not hatch yet? It should of hatched..hmm...cut the bottom check see if u see nymphs..


No hatch yet, Albert.  

I'll cut it and see if there's any nymphs in there.


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## mantid_mike

SilentDeviL said:


> Mike ur Griffin did not hatch yet? It should of hatched..hmm...cut the bottom check see if u see nymphs..


No hatch yet, Albert.  

I'll cut it and see if there's any nymphs in there.


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## mantid_mike

I separated my H. Bipapilla nymphs into 2 containers but it's still hard to get a solid count since they move around quite a bit. I'm guessing there's about 70ish nymphs in this hatch:












The ooth that follows is twice as big as this one but from past experience, you can't really judge an ooth by its size. I'll just have to wait and see. :cowboy:


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## SilentDeviL

mantid_mike said:


> I separated my H. Bipapilla nymphs into 2 containers but it's still hard to get a solid count since they move around quite a bit. I'm guessing there's about 70ish nymphs in this hatch:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The ooth that follows is twice as big as this one but from past experience, you can't really judge an ooth by its size. I'll just have to wait and see. :cowboy:


Nice mike keep this sp going .... I'm dropping my after I mate them this will be my last gen ... only got 2 male 2 females left ..


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## mantid_mike

SilentDeviL said:


> Nice mike keep this sp going .... I'm dropping my after I mate them this will be my last gen ... only got 2 male 2 females left ..


I'll try my best. When I came home another 10 nymphs or so emerged from the ooth, so I have about 80 now.


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## mantid_mike

*6-29-13*: another Bipapilla ooth hatched. this ooth was about twice the size of the last but beared only about 30 nymphs. These guys move incredibly fast:






*7-1-13: *I received some Pseudoharpax ooths in the mail from Nico. When I untaped the bottle cap that he packed the ooths in, I discovered that one of the ooths had hatched...and they all survived in that tight space! Must have hatched in my mailbox or something to survive the heat wave that we've been having. It's about 17 or 18 nymphs:


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## sally

Glad they made it


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## wuwu

any update on your orchids? has she laid an ooth since mating?


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## mantid_mike

sally said:


> Glad they made it


haha me too! they were motionless at first so I assumed they were all dead.


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## mantid_mike

wuwu said:


> any update on your orchids? has she laid an ooth since mating?


sensitive subject, i'd rather not talk about it. lol. i think i'm officially done with orchids.


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## mantid_mike

*7-3-13*: Two ooths hatched this morning-- another pseudoharpax viriscens and polyspilota griffinii.

Pseudoharpax Viriscens (only 10 nymphs):






Polyspilota Griffinii (maybe 100 nymphs??...too many to count):


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## aychen222

Whoa is that one of Albert's?


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## SilentDeviL

aychen222 said:


> Whoa is that one of Albert's?


It sure is .lol .....


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## mantid_mike

aychen222 said:


> Whoa is that one of Albert's?


yeah! they wasted no time to hatch out on me. Looks like it's going to be a pain to separate them.


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## aychen222

lol must have been that heat wave, still nothing from mine


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## SilentDeviL

Congratz haha Every time my Ooth hatch I'm happy lol ..


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## jamurfjr

mantid_mike said:


> yeah! they wasted no time to hatch out on me. Looks like it's going to be a pain to separate them.


Yes, a major pain. I can relate. Gee thanks, Albert. Lol!


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