# Stagmomantis carolina diapause required?



## CosbyArt (Nov 12, 2014)

As my Stagmomantis carolina mantis has laid two ooths (so far) I have been frantically reading up on hatching the ooths and raising the nymphs. I assume they are fertile as she was caught in the wild, and due to the low winter temperatures here now I have no chance of buying a mantis till spring -- so I'll be left without a mantis when she passes.

Anyway I have read that a diapause (cooling period) is not required at all, or is absolutely required, and diapause times ranging from 3 weeks to 3 months of 50 degree Fahrenheit. Seems the little bit of information I can find is conflicting with each article.

The Stagmomantis carolina is one, if not the most, common mantis around yet there seems to be the least amount of information about it that I can find. Even in the Dedicated Caresheets here at the forum the mantis is not found.

So I am hoping other Stagmomantis carolina owners who hatched ooths can help. Is the diapause stage required, if so how long, and how soon must it start after the ooth is laid? I ask as the two ooths I have at the moment are 2 weeks and 1 week old.

I have been misting the habitat and they have been kept moist, and have not shown any signs of mold.


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## Rick (Nov 12, 2014)

No. Care for the ooth like you do the adult. Most importantly, wait.


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## happy1892 (Nov 12, 2014)

Diapause is not needed. I wonder if there even is a mantis species that needs diapause (I doubt it).



Rick said:


> No. Care for the ooth like you do the adult. Most importantly, wait.


Yes, you should probably keep the oothecae like the adult. The S. carolina take a long time to hatch compared to Chinese Mantis oothecae.


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## CosbyArt (Nov 12, 2014)

Rick said:


> No. Care for the ooth like you do the adult. Most importantly, wait.





happy1892 said:


> Diapause is not needed. I wonder if there even is a mantis species that needs diapause (I doubt it).
> 
> Yes, you should probably keep the oothecae like the adult. The S. carolina take a long time to hatch compared to Chinese Mantis oothecae.


Many thanks for the help guys, it's very much appreciated. Glad to see there is no diapause needed, that's great news. No problem waiting, just got my fingers crossed it will be worth it in the end - when they hatch (as long as it's fertile).

I heard it takes 4 to 6 weeks to hatch the carolina, is that about right?


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## happy1892 (Nov 12, 2014)

CosbyArt said:


> I heard it takes 4 to 6 weeks to hatch the carolina, is that about right?


I think it takes longer than that, but I do not quite remember how long it has taken my S. carolina oothecae to hatch. Where did you read that it takes 4 to 6 weeks for S. carolina oothecae to hatch?


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## CosbyArt (Nov 12, 2014)

happy1892 said:


> I think it takes longer than that, but I do not quite remember how long it has taken my S. carolina oothecae to hatch. Where did you read that it takes 4 to 6 weeks for S. carolina oothecae to hatch?


One of the many articles I was reading earlier, more than likely it was a generic time frame, as specific details for the carolina are sparse.


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## Vespertino (Apr 6, 2015)

I was also a bit surprised to find so little info on the "interweb" on one of the more common native mantids when it comes to care and hatch time. I've got 3 carolina wild ooths (purchased) that I just took out of the fridge and placed in a cozy terrarium to hatch. From the sound of it I'm looking at a 2 month hatching window  I don't mind, I just wish I had taken the ooths out of the fridge sooner.


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## CosbyArt (Apr 6, 2015)

Vespertino said:


> I was also a bit surprised to find so little info on the "interweb" on one of the more common native mantids when it comes to care and hatch time. I've got 3 carolina wild ooths (purchased) that I just took out of the fridge and placed in a cozy terrarium to hatch. From the sound of it I'm looking at a 2 month hatching window  I don't mind, I just wish I had taken the ooths out of the fridge sooner.


If you bought them from ebay or such do you have any photos of them? As the sellers will often labelled them a wrong species as they have no idea, nor care as long as they can sell it. Hopefully though you'll have no problems have several nymphs soon though.  

If they didn't dry out, and have diapaused at least 3 weeks, you should see hatch in about a month and a half at room temperature (high temps just seem to dry them out and kill many eggs... I tried).

Yeah it is true through no diapause is required on Carolina ooths.

I hatched some ooths from my female Susanna - I put them into incubating containers within a few days of being laid. On average they hatched in about 80 days without any cooling/fridge/diapause, so it just takes longer. Currently I have 5 I did diapause and have been incubating about 30 days now, so I could compare the difference in time from the same mother (and have several to release back in my yard now that winter is over).  

With the other Carolina ooth's I had, I found a few in backyard, they were diapaused naturally about 3 weeks and then hatched in about 40 days.


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## Vespertino (Apr 10, 2015)

Hi Thomas,

Hehe well, as you know from the other thread I've been duped and they weren't carolina ooths. I've been looking around in some overgrown areas for ooths but no luck. Now that it's been warm all the green leaves have sprouted so I don't think it will be too easy to spot an unhatched ooth anymore. The carolina in my yard last year didn't seem to have left me an ooth anywhere, but I'm crossing my fingers that there's more where she came from and that I might get a few in the garden this year.

Thanks for the info on the hatch time with and without the diapause, that's pretty interesting info.


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## CosbyArt (Apr 10, 2015)

Vespertino said:


> Hi Thomas,
> 
> Hehe well, as you know from the other thread I've been duped and they weren't carolina ooths. I've been looking around in some overgrown areas for ooths but no luck. Now that it's been warm all the green leaves have sprouted so I don't think it will be too easy to spot an unhatched ooth anymore. The carolina in my yard last year didn't seem to have left me an ooth anywhere, but I'm crossing my fingers that there's more where she came from and that I might get a few in the garden this year.
> 
> Thanks for the info on the hatch time with and without the diapause, that's pretty interesting info.


Your welcome, glad it helps. Just sorry to see you were duped, it happens all to often on ebay. I posted on your topic too. Not sure when mantises hatch in your area, but it likely is very soon or might have already happened. I know in my area with the current temps any wild ones should be hatching probably at the end of this month.

If I find any or a place to pick some up for a decent price I'll keep you in mind.


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