2 Questions About those pesky Europeans!

[sbugir]

Arrgh, well I am happy that my female laid an ooth last night but I am curious if they do need a diapause/wintering period or if i keep em at room temp will they still hatch? Also, I found her mounted by a male in the wild, and they were connected; but i did cut the branch off and in the car the male jumped off. Now I'm not sure whether he jumped off because he was disturbed or interrupted, or whether he was finished. But will she most likely be fertile if they were connected? I'm gonna try to let him mount her again just to be sure, but i'm just wondering.

Thanks in advance.

 

[massaman]

Depends on how long they were linked if for less then a hour then odds are she prob is not but ever hurt to retry again put a male with her again and do it again and let them go at it and dont disturb them!I guess if you want to have it hatch then incubate it but if you think you rather have them hatch next year then just put it in a small container with wet towel in the bottom and spray it and put it in the fridge or in a dark and cool place that is below fifty degrees and make sure nothing will get at them so they wont be damaged if your going to hatch them in the spring or summer!

 

[kamakiri]

Jumped off = Done mating. Even with his head removed, he will not dismount due to disturbance. With his head on, he was certainly done.

 

[kamakiri]

but I am curious if they do need a diapause/wintering period or if i keep em at room temp will they still hatch?

Yes, they need diapause. Kept at room temp, it would probably not hatch.

 

[Ntsees]

Jumped off = Done mating. Even with his head removed, he will not dismount due to disturbance. With his head on, he was certainly done.

+1

 

[sbugir]

Alright, thanks very much. Will begin to put it in the fridge. How long do they need to be in there?

 

[mantidsaresweet]

Alright, thanks very much. Will begin to put it in the fridge. How long do they need to be in there?

I think a couple of months to make it seem like a winter there. You can just put them in now and wait until it starts to warm up again after winter.

 

[sbugir]

Okedokey, and they won't die in there ?

 

[massaman]

they will not hatch in the fridge so there is no need to worry but being in Colorado and if there is snow in your area then you would maybe best to keep then in the fridge till it gets warm again in spring or early summer

 

[PhilinYuma]

O.K. when placed in the refrigerator, the low temperature will break diapause and developement will begin again. But you can't break diapause if the ooth hasn't gone into it in the first place. In nature, the gradual reduction in daylight hours will have this effect. How are you going to make sure that your ooth is in diapause indoors?

 

[massaman]

I do not know all I do know is if I dont want a ooth to hatch and its like 3 months till winter begins then I would just stick the ooths in the fridge or some dark cool spot in my garage and where nothing can get at them and just not worry about them maybe till spring or early summer

so basiclly

1.get ooth

2.prepare container with wet towel in bottom and put ooth inside

3.stick ooth in container and put it in fridge or someplace cool and safe

4.wait early or middle to late spring or early summer

5.incubate ooth for 4-6 weeks or so in spring or early summer

6.when ooth hatches deal with the nymphs

7.feed and care for the nymphs

Is there anything I am missing in my plan of winterizing ooths?

 

[sbugir]

O.K. when placed in the refrigerator, the low temperature will break diapause and developement will begin again. But you can't break diapause if the ooth hasn't gone into it in the first place. In nature, the gradual reduction in daylight hours will have this effect. How are you going to make sure that your ooth is in diapause indoors?

I'm not sure wise Phil, please present an answer ?

 

[spicey]

I would think that you would want to just keep it at room temperature, or even placed safely outdoors (spot on your porch/patio maybe) for at least a few weeks so that it can gradually begin the diapause based on normal autumn temps and daylight hours, then put it in the fridge (mist occassionally) for a period of time to imitate the winter and then bring it out when you are ready to incubate and hatch (early spring perhaps). Good Luck and let us know how things turn out.

 

[PhilinYuma]

I would think that you would want to just keep it at room temperature, or even placed safely outdoors (spot on your porch/patio maybe) for at least a few weeks so that it can gradually begin the diapause based on normal autumn temps and daylight hours, then put it in the fridge (mist occassionally) for a period of time to imitate the winter and then bring it out when you are ready to incubate and hatch (early spring perhaps). Good Luck and let us know how things turn out.

Yeah, that would work for sure, but I think that a lot of people are just sticking the ooth in the fridge before it gets a chance to go into diapause. The only thing that I can think of is that at these slightly above freezing temperatures, the ooth becomes quiescent and developement just goes into low gear. Can you help us on this, Christian? I know that you mentioned quiescence in your post last December, but I don't think that you said that it could apply to mantis ooths.

 

[spicey]

Yeah, that would work for sure, but I think that a lot of people are just sticking the ooth in the fridge before it gets a chance to go into diapause. The only thing that I can think of is that at these slightly above freezing temperatures, the ooth becomes quiescent and developement just goes into low gear. Can you help us on this, Christian? I know that you mentioned quiescence in your post last December, but I don't think that you said that it could apply to mantis ooths.

My middle son, who is turning 22 this month, was fascinated with praying mantids as a child. When he was about 9 years old, he collected 13 ooths that he found in our neighborhood one autumn. He overwintered them on our picnic table. I had forgotten all about him even having them. When the snow melted and spring finally arrived, they were still there. One day, we were outside cleaning up the patio, and we noticed that the ooths were hatching. It was a really neat sight to see! It is a constant reminder to me that when we keep something captive, we should try to imitate the conditions that occur in nature for the "best results".

 

[sbugir]

Totally, agree. Thanks for the advice guys. I will be leaving the ooth in my kritter keeper outside, the only concern I have is that it's been 80 degreesF here. So i guess ill just leave it outside till it gets colder or?

 

[spicey]

Totally, agree. Thanks for the advice guys. I will be leaving the ooth in my kritter keeper outside, the only concern I have is that it's been 80 degreesF here. So i guess ill just leave it outside till it gets colder or?

Yep, just kind of keep it a little in the shade so you don't bake it. When a mantis lays an ooth outdoors at this time of year, it endures these hot days along with all other weather conditions for the season. The leaves of the plant (tree, bush) that it lays the ooth on protect it somewhat from the elements, but it still is exposed to all of them to a degree.