Attracting a male outside with a female

[Ocelotbren]

First of all, I just acquired a wild-caught adult female Chinese mantid from a friend that had been on the lookout for mantids for me.  However, she found it in a bug box hanging from the neck of a child at a book fair at her kid's school. :lol:   She asked the child about it and he said he found it on his driveway and was just showing people before letting it go again.  So she told him she knew of a place where it might like to live, and he agreed to let her take it to give to me.  My first wild-caught (not that I caught it).   I am very happy because I started in the hobby with a male and a female Chinese, but the female didn't make it to adult, so this is my chance to experience an adult female.  My male died last month of old age.

Now on to my question - is it too late in the season, here in Michigan, to put her out in a mesh enclosure in the evening to try and attract a male?  The highs for the next couple weeks are anywhere from 49 - 73 F and the lows range from 31 - 55 F.  I wouldn't leave her out overnight.  I am not sure what time in the evening is ideal though, especially given that it is chillier in the evenings now.

I'm not positive I even want to try, but I was thinking that if I could get a male, I could breed her to know for sure that the ooths will be fertile, vs having no idea at this point if she mated before being caught.

Any thoughts on attracting a male at this time of year?  Is it too late in the season and cold here?  If not too late, roughly what time in the evening is best to try?

Thanks everyone, and here is a picture of her with spooky black eyes from last night.

 

[Aristalochia]

Congrats on the new mantis Love those big, beady, black eyes. I hope you can find her a mate. It sure would be nice if we could ultrasound mantids to see if they are they are fertile..

 

[Connor]

Congrats on the beautiful lady! I'm in Ohio, it's still pretty cold here, and I just found a lady Carolina outside still alive and thriving so I'm sure there are still some males outside for you. There is a good chance that yours is already mated though. The one I found outside refused to mate with my male and ended up killing him . She wasn't calling so it was mostly my fault on forcing it. But imo the fact that she wasn't calling probably meant she had mated fairly recently. So basically, if you see your girl calling then it would be completely fine and a good idea. Good luck! 

 

[bugboymark]

I'd go out on a limb and guess the chances that she's still calling, AND that a male is in close enough proximity to pick up the pheromone trail, are pretty slim.  I was seeing a lot of male/females around my neighborhood (mating and laying) a 3 or 4 weeks ago.  Since then, I've seen virtually no males at all...and only a few females.  I'd guess if she was caught recently that she maybe already mated. Either way it can't hurt to keep her outdoors if it's nice out. That's what I do with mine.  It's probably just me, but by the time you get to the end of October in the upper midwest...the females are the last ones around and I think they love spending their final days in the warm sunshine. 

Hopefully you keep her warm, well-fed, extend her life...and get an ooth or two out of her before her clock runs out.  Might be surprised with nymphs come spring!

 

[Rick]

Getting cool there. Why don't you just go look for a male? Mantids (especially Chinese) are not difficult to find. 

 

[Krissim Klaw]

If she was an adult when she was caught I honestly wouldn't even bother trying to find a mate as there is a high chance she already mated prior to you getting her.

 

[Ocelotbren]

Congrats on the new mantis Love those big, beady, black eyes. I hope you can find her a mate. It sure would be nice if we could ultrasound mantids to see if they are they are fertile..

Yes, this is so true!  And thank you. 

@Connor Sorry to hear you lost your male.  Also, thanks!

@Rick I suppose I hadn't actually considered going out and actively looking for a male, haha.  The idea of having one come to me just seemed appealing.

I might go mantis hunting to see if I can find one if I have time.  But if not, it sounds like the general consensus is that she most likely is already mated, based on when she was found.  It's not like I actually need nymphs, I would just prefer to know for sure!  But I'll probably leave the ooths out for the winter and decide in the spring if I want to hatch any indoors or not.

Thank you everyone for the quick and helpful answers.  It sounds like even if I don't find a male (passively or actively), there's a good chance I won't need to.

 

[bugboymark]

Forget about what I said.  This one to two day warm spell could make a liar out of me.  So far this morning folks in my neighborhood have sent me cell phone photos of 2 different females and two different male mantids that are enjoying the weather as well.  Plus, I actually heard a cicada in my backyard.  Never heard a cicada this late in the year.  Crazy! 

So anything is possible with your female chinese mantis being outside in this warm weather!  Could be some desperate male still out and about.....

 

[Ocelotbren]

Haha wow.  It is a beautiful day though, and the weekend is supposed to be warm too.

 

[Rick]

If she was an adult when she was caught I honestly wouldn't even bother trying to find a mate as there is a high chance she already mated prior to you getting her.

This.