# T. sinensis Ooth Diapause



## SkittishMale (Feb 19, 2014)

I have read from a few different sources that diapause is not required for Chinese Mantis (Tenodera sinensis) oothecae. I know in the wild that they do go through a natural diapause so I am curious of how the ootheca can hatch in captivity if the winter diapause wasn't broken.

Is it true that the oothecae of this species does not require a winter diapause? If it is not given a diapause, would the nymphs still hatch out healthy or would they be weak? and what is the hatch rate of a non-diapaused T. sinensis ooth?


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## Rick (Feb 19, 2014)

They don't need a cold period. I have not seen any evidence of any difference between those that have had a cold period and those that haven't.


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## I_love_mantids (Feb 19, 2014)

look at my tread


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## HungryGhost (Feb 19, 2014)

I_love_mantids said:


> look at my tread


The tread on your tire, or are you treading on thin ice? Please make sense.


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## Extrememantid (Feb 19, 2014)

They are native to parts of Asia that do not get very cold in the winter.. Therefore they do not need diapause


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## SkittishMale (Feb 19, 2014)

That's pretty cool that I don't need to diapause them. That gives me the option with whether or not I want to store them for later or let them incubate and have them hatch as soon as possible.

Does anyone know if Mantis religiosa can be hatched healthy without diapause? I know this species is a more northern one so I would guess not but I would like some input about this species too. Currently, I diapause the oothecae for 6 weeks at minimum or more as suggested by Keepinginsects.com.


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## HungryGhost (Feb 19, 2014)

I would diapause mantis religiosa for 12 weeks minimum.


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## SkittishMale (Feb 19, 2014)

12 weeks eh? That probably is better because when I do it for 6 weeks, I only get like half of what normally hatches out under more natural conditions like when I collect oothecae in the Spring from the wild. Wild M. religiosa will hatch tons of nymphs from ooths collected from the wild but I think the varied diets of wild mantids probably also contribute to better egg-laying.


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## mantiseater (Feb 19, 2014)

All ooths that I keep warm do just fine


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## Extrememantid (Feb 19, 2014)

SkittishMale said:


> 12 weeks eh? That probably is better because when I do it for 6 weeks, I only get like half of what normally hatches out under more natural conditions like when I collect oothecae in the Spring from the wild. Wild M. religiosa will hatch tons of nymphs from ooths collected from the wild but I think the varied diets of wild mantids probably also contribute to better egg-laying.


I'll diapause mantis religiosa for around 8 weeks.. Seems just fine.. I just collected 10 ooths from a bush I found near 7-eleven. I'm gonna leave a few outside and warm a few up


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## peterandersen (Feb 19, 2014)

Diapause is somthing they can tolerate, but is not needed, they live wild here where I live and there is no days under 25 degrees


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## peterandersen (Feb 19, 2014)

Extrememantid said:


> I'll diapause mantis religiosa for around 8 weeks.. Seems just fine.. I just collected 10 ooths from a bush I found near 7-eleven. I'm gonna leave a few outside and warm a few up


Would you be interested in trading some? I can offer Statilia (Asian jumping mantis) I got 3 species maculata, nemoralis and apicalis


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## Extrememantid (Feb 20, 2014)

peterandersenph said:


> Would you be interested in trading some? I can offer Statilia (Asian jumping mantis) I got 3 species maculata, nemoralis and apicalis


Yes.. I would most likely trade a few


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## SkittishMale (Feb 20, 2014)

Keepinginsects.com states that if the ooths aren't diapaused for a minimum of 6-8 weeks, the nymphs will hatch out weak. That means that diapause is mandatory for Mantis religiosa. Maybe this applies only to mantids collected from an environment that experiences cold winters that drop well below 0 degrees Celsius. Maybe M. religiosa collected from places with milder winters are exempt from this rule. That is something I would like to find out for sure.

Here's the link to the species profile on that site. http://www.keepinginsects.com/praying-mantis/species/european-mantis/


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## Extrememantid (Feb 20, 2014)

SkittishMale said:


> Keepinginsects.com states that if the ooths aren't diapaused for a minimum of 6-8 weeks, the nymphs will hatch out weak. That means that diapause is mandatory for Mantis religiosa. Maybe this applies only to mantids collected from an environment that experiences cold winters that drop well below 0 degrees Celsius. Maybe M. religiosa collected from places with milder winters are exempt from this rule. That is something I would like to find out for sure.
> 
> Here's the link to the species profile on that site. http://www.keepinginsects.com/praying-mantis/species/european-mantis/


I think it's important to diapause the species no matter what if your keeping them in captivity.. But someone will have to test that theory of yours


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