# Hatching on Desk Shelf



## Katnapper (Feb 18, 2009)

I was in the bug room earlier for about 1/2 hour, puttering around checking on everyone, misting, feeding, etc. I went to grab the 2 _Rhombodera basalis _ooths off the desk shelf that I had them sitting on to mist them (hadn't gotten around to glueing them up in a container yet), and I suddenly noticed one of them had already started hatching! When I held it up to see, one little guy was hanging upside down by his back legs from the exuvia. There were a couple of dried-up looking ones on the paper towel I'd had the ooths sitting on. And a couple that hadn't even stretched out yet (but I'm concerned that they look like they may not now... after taking and viewing pics of them). And there appeared to be evidence of a few others hatching maybe... but not too many.

I grabbed my camera and took a few shots, then sped the ooth downstairs and glued it on to a deli-container lid and got the container set up. Has anyone else been caught glueing an ooth while it was hatching? Lol. It has been probably 1/2 hour since this all happened.... but there has been no further developments with the hatching. It appears to have stopped. Do you think it will continue hatching? Surely it's not done yet!??

Here's one of the pics I took... look at that little acrobat!


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## ismart (Feb 18, 2009)

I would think that ooth is not done yet. I would deffinetly up the humidity if some appear to be getting stuck coming out of the ooth. Good luck!


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## Katnapper (Feb 18, 2009)

Thanks, Paul!  Two more nymphs came out/down from their "strings." When they had stretched out and come "undone" I took the ooth and cut the little acrobat guy from his tether. He couldn't go anywhere because his back legs were stuck to the exuvia. I then put some paper towel in the bottom of the cup, misted the ooth, and dampened the paper towel. When I was done doing all of this, I looked around where the ooth had lain... and I ended up finding about 10 babies hanging out on the undersides of 2 of the shelves! So I collected them all up and put in another cup, lol. The little acrobat ended up getting caught in a water droplet. He wasn't moving very well anyway... and he didn't survive. But the rest appear to be getting along just fine so far! Waiting for some more to hatch hopefully!


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## robelgado (Feb 18, 2009)

Do you spray your ootheca directly?


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## Katnapper (Feb 18, 2009)

robelgado said:


> Do you spray your ootheca directly?


Yes, I do.


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## robelgado (Feb 18, 2009)

How often do you mist your ootheca?

I have an orchid ootheca that I spray indirectly every other day, give it a little mist the next time?


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## Rick (Feb 18, 2009)

robelgado said:


> How often do you mist your ootheca?I have an orchid ootheca that I spray indirectly every other day, give it a little mist the next time?


You are fine with what you are doing as we discussed before. Misting directly offers no benefit but won't hurt anything.


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## robelgado (Feb 18, 2009)

Allright good to know.

Down to 4 weeks and counting. Maybe as little as 3


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## Katnapper (Feb 18, 2009)

No worries about more hatching... IT'S taking place!  I'm finally witnessing a hatching live in progress... seeing the nymphs wiggle their way out of the ooth! hehe!!! I took a ton of pics... but had to take them through the plastic cup (not the best photo conditions). Hope at least some come out well. Will post some hopefully when I upload them.  All I can think of is OMG... I'm soooo lucky and glad I noticed it at the beginning and got it glued up in a cup before they really started to unload!  :lol: I had no idea it was that close to hatching!


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## kamakiri (Feb 18, 2009)

Fun shot! B) 

...too bad he didn't make it  

You were smart to take the ooth out of the cup...I always hate shooting through plastic!


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## hibiscusmile (Feb 18, 2009)

Hooray! hope u have lots!


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## nasty bugger (Feb 18, 2009)

Where's my cigar?

I had an ooth of chinese hatching when I bought it, in a cup of shavings. Some made it, and some didn't. All I've had seem to be chinese, unless I'm just not aware and they're really european mantis' disguised as chinese. Clever buggers.


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## revmdn (Feb 18, 2009)

Concrats! :lol:


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## Emile.Wilson (Feb 18, 2009)

Loving the acrobat!


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## yen_saw (Feb 19, 2009)

Great timing Becky  by now there should be swarm of these little buggers running around looking for food. This species feed more often than other species. When food source is limited they will not hesitate eating her sibling eye balls as snack


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## Katnapper (Feb 19, 2009)

Thank you all very much for the congratulations and wishes!!  I'm pretty excited and happy with how it turned out.  



yen_saw said:


> Great timing Becky  by now there should be swarm of these little buggers running around looking for food. This species feed more often than other species. When food source is limited they will not hesitate eating her sibling eye balls as snack


Yen, your comment made me stop reading the posts  , run upstairs, and give the little boogers their first meal with no further delay! :lol: Thank you for the advice on the feeding... I really appreciate it.


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## Katnapper (Feb 19, 2009)

Got some pics uploaded of the hatching....  

(now if I could just catch up on all the things I need to upload and update my blog!)


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## revmdn (Feb 19, 2009)

Very cool. Good luck!


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## kamakiri (Feb 19, 2009)

Very interesting! Looks like the exuvium(sp?) has a little black skull cap! :lol:


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## Katnapper (Feb 19, 2009)

kamakiri said:


> Very interesting! Looks like the exuvium(sp?) has a little black skull cap! :lol:


Yes... I was thinking the same thing! :lol: Looks like each one has a little black disposable helmet for knocking out/sliding through the ooth to the outside.


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## robelgado (Feb 19, 2009)

They almost look like shrimp  

very cool


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## Katnapper (Feb 19, 2009)

robelgado said:


> They almost look like shrimp  very cool


I agree... or little squid, lol.


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## kamakiri (Feb 19, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> I agree... or little squid, lol.


haha...yeah, I always think 'Little squids!' :lol: 

That should be a song...'Little squids with black caps'!


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## robelgado (Feb 20, 2009)

Im dying for these little shrimp or "squids" to come out of my orchid ootheca!

I still have 3-4 weeks of waiting to do.....

Its about 2 months for an orchid right?


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## Katnapper (Feb 20, 2009)

robelgado said:


> Im dying for these little shrimp or "squids" to come out of my orchid ootheca!I still have 3-4 weeks of waiting to do.....
> 
> Its about 2 months for an orchid right?


I've never kept Orchids. But from what I've read it's the standard 4-6 weeks incubation period. Hope the time goes fast for you!


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## hibiscusmile (Feb 20, 2009)

five or six weeks mine are hatching so that should be it, well lets see, one I dated jan 7 an it hatched on the 16 of feb, to tire to count!


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## robelgado (Feb 21, 2009)

Well this ooth was laid on the 19th of Jan. So maybe I have less waiting to do than I previously thought?


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## yen_saw (Feb 25, 2009)

Glad to see many are doing well with the shield mantis in this part of the world.


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## Gurd (Feb 26, 2009)

I've had this with a gongy ooth  

It took a while to round them up as there is plenty of escaped ff's my the shed and they kept turning up every where, had to careful opening the door tho or the poor little buggers would have frozen


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## nasty bugger (Feb 26, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Yes... I was thinking the same thing! :lol: Looks like each one has a little black disposable helmet for knocking out/sliding through the ooth to the outside.


Biker bugs. The only hatch out with the 'helmets' in mandatory helmet law states. In arizona they don't need to hatch with the helmets on, but they may hatch with them strapped to the ooth, in case they enter a mandatory state...

Decent pics


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## Katnapper (Feb 26, 2009)

LOL @ Gurd and NB... :lol:


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