Adult Female Carolina Mantis Found

[MantisD]

A close friend of mine lives near a wooded area and park and the last two times I visited I found mantids. I wasn't even looking. I was catching bugs for my ghosts. Earlier this month I found a grass mantis nymph (female) and she has molted twice since then.

On Saturday, I found the Carolina mantis. We had about two freezes so far so I was shocked when I found her outside on the wall. It was 40 degrees Farenheit! She was on the slender side but not famished. The only wear and tear I see is on her antenna where one is very short. She is also ravenous and aggressive. I hope I can get an ooth or two out of her. She is of the grayish color morph and marbled. I was lucky to find her when I did because there was another freeze later that night. And yes, this part of Florida (Tallahassee) gets some freezes every year.

 

[macro junkie]

so mantis can survive very cold conditions?

 

[joossa]

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?sh...ic=8830&hl=

 

[Rick]

I've found a few over the years like that.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Last year while checking on my mantis field I found them still laying ooths in freezing rain, so they must hide under the weeds near the earth where it is warmer and come out when they have to

 

[jplelito]

Yeah, that happens. Mantids can probably survive a light freeze because of their size, compared to other insects. They might even know enough to hide, I don't know.

When I was working on a field study with mantids several years ago south of Buffalo, NY, I found a Tenodera sinensis female one of my fields on November 5th. Granted, it was a warm fall, and she was in pretty bad shape, but still... not bad for the frozen north! Most if not all of the males die long before that, though. If you got her outside, she's probably mated, and she should be good for an ooth or two. Good luck!