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I've had both Tenodera species, and while females can fly briefly they rarely do. Mantis religiosa though I have not kept or captured, so I can't say. The T. sinensis females outdoors will quickly drop down from their perches and hide on the ground, and sometimes run, when threatened. I haven't...

Yes that alone will kill them, you have found the problem, and were misinformed. All the pupae you have kept that cold are not going to eclosion (emerge as flies) - they are dead. The pupae should be kept in the refrigerator, not the freezer, and temps of 34-40F are fine. Freezing temps of 32F...

I've been searching for a more conclusive response on the sexual maturity delay, but even the best scientific articles I've found only hint at the reasons. Such as the mantids ovaries and testes taking time to develop, and switching gears from molting to reproducing. Looking for a more definite...

@Jessie Nice, and glad you had fun. :) Painting is a great relaxing hobby, and can lead to extra money or a career too. I enjoy both oil and acrylic painting, but in my various university classes I can tell you they know how to zap the joy out of it. A nice alternative to costly paints...

Nope. Even if he attempted she is not sexually mature and nothing will result from it. Sometimes mantids can be a bit younger than the 2 week mark, in the neighborhood of 10-12 days; however, it's more common for females to take longer than 2 weeks rather than mature sooner. For basic mantid...

Honestly few use anything besides tap water. ;) The real advantage to using "spring" and other filtered water (such as RO) is to prevent hard water spotting the habitats walls from tap water - which looks bad and makes photographing even more so. For chlorine you can do the old aquarium...

@cwebster Nothing to really do besides put them in a container at room temperature and wait 2-3 days typically. If that is what you have been doing they are likely too old, pupae are only good about 3 weeks in the fridge (and if you had them less time it could be bad batch). See Peter's page...

Sure some have luck with mealworms, mine though refused them (but my tarantulas love them). Try the mealworms whole, cut in half, and such to see which works for you. Sometimes cutting one in half and offering the mantid the soft mealworm insides at the cut will incise them into eating. If you...

Congrats, the first is always the roughest - it gets much easier though. :) Nope, the glue doesn't hurt anything (being grip-able by mantids), and will keep the bond stronger.

I got lucky choosing it then. :) That they do, and is a good excuse to have more mantids if you need a excuse. :D At least if you release some of their nymphs/ooths back to keep the population largely unaffected - if not improved. Thanks for the details, interesting to hear the mantid...

@ginah91395 Getting their legs caught in the mesh, and falling, are sometimes common as they loose their finer motor controls during old age. It can lead to broken or amputated limbs in the process too, besides the forces of stuck limbs/falls they become more brittle with age. I've experienced...

@bio25 After waiting on some flies to freeze and digging out my USB microscope I have some photos and sizes for you. In my photos you can see a flightless variety Drosophila hydei (larger and darker - on top) and Melanogaster wingless variety along with a hand sewing needle. In the second...

Further up north geographically than me, you likely do have a smaller mantid lifespan in the wild. If the May hatch time is right that would put them at October/November range for adults, meaning they likely have just over a month to lay ooths before a earlier winter gets them too. I'm not sure...

Hello and welcome to the forum

@Ocelotbren Your welcome, but it came too late. The color of their frass (poop) can vary but if it is solid, slightly liquid, or diarrhea is more of a indicator. Sorry to hear she had deteriorated so rapidly and a decision was necessary, it never does get any easier. The only way to know a...

@Rofufus Yes wings only appear in adult mantids, and unfurl in the final molt. The final few instars before an adult, wing buds become visible, but those are not body covering wings. Mantids after a molt are hungry from the process, and once their exoskeleton is fully hardened (24 hours) are...

She could have, and very possible to do at a correct range of angles. Judging by the dark "stain" she was climbing vertically (facing upwards) on a surface with a incline (60-70 degree angle) facing her head to the left when she vomited. If it was a thick viscosity vomit it flows slowly, and...

With the new photo it shows the shine better, color variations, and overall size which makes it appear as dried vomit. Indeed with the black coloration I would be thinking the same. Is there any areas in the habitat that have a dark substance on them? Do you notice a strong odor from her or the...

The cats? See you did something different for sure. ;) While I do save mine, they are in mixed in a large container anymore. I had big plans to similar to what MantidBro did with his scrapbook style with instars and dates, but never found the time.

@DefyTheNorms Nice! Velma seems like a camera ham too. :D With her exuviae visible, I'm curious do you keep your mantid exuviae in a scrapbook, collection, or just dispose of them? Seems everyone deals with exuviae differently.