Diary of a Ghost Ooth

[cloud jaguar]

My wife received her ghost ooth yesterday and is excited about raising it. Will post a pic later. Wife and I are new to ooth raising and welcome comments and advice.

Ooth is about an inch big and light brown in color. Ooth was laid 9/26.

Here is what we did so far.

c. 11 pm 093008 setup 32 oz plastic mantis cup with fine mesh lid - ooth attached to center of lid, moistened small sponge in bottom, excelsior for when nymphs hatch, added thermometer and hydrometer. Place cup atop computer monitor (warm area).

11:31 pm 093008 Temp (T) -88 Humidity (H) -79

c. 11:45 083008 placeed temp barrier between computer and ooth cup

12:49 am 100108 T-85 H-75

8:04 am 100108 T-85 H-79

8:12 am 100108 we think H too moist in mantis cup so wrung out moist sponge in bottom of ooth cup to prevent mold - then removed it entirely at 9:00 am - at 9:40 H still 80 - i expect it will drop throughout the day.

Based on what I have read from a post by Mr. Blue, it should take about 4 weeks if at 30c (86f?) to hatch these. Does that sound about right?

Initially we planned to raise the ooth in a 12"x12" butterfly cube but we did a humidity test after spraying the heck out of the cube and got a dismally low humidity reading. So we will hatch the ooth in the cup it came with.

QUESION ABOUT MISTING - seems people say mist nymphs every day or every other day. Some say directly spray ooth, some say spray sides of ooth cup. What is best?

I cannot find anything that states a good Humidity level to keep the ooth at - I expect 80% may be too high and cause mold over time - is there any opinion about what safe humidity level is?

~Arkanis

 

[hibiscusmile]

:blink: Goodness, you are now scareing me! I spray mine every other or every other two day. Time is short here in OHIO! The cup is fine to hatch them in, when they hatch and have sat for a good day and a half, take and set them inside the cube or better yet, turn it on its side so the opening is facing up and just dump them into it, they will be ok, then take a little stick and capture the ones who dont want out and put them in there too. The ghost babies are bad! They are nosey, they want to hang around at the top of the cup and wave their little arms at you when u get near, nothing like haveing a dozen little black arms waving at you... mama ,,,,mama....! :lol: , Then give them a good misting of water around the net and they will be happy if u give them their first meal in there, do the ffs the same way, just lift the lid and dump some in there, not too many, u don't want to give them the willies with their first meal!

 

[The_Asa]

I think that some of that might not be absolutely necessary. If it is too humid, don't spray until it reads about 60% then you can try to mantain that humidity or 10% in either direction, it's not necessary to have a perfect reading on the gauge (which in itself may be slightly inaccurate). It requires little effort really. And if you can't leave it for more than 8 hours, wait until you have the nymphs! :lol:

BTW, your wife sounds awesome!

 

[Rick]

Your're making something that is so easy so complicated. I more or less just put them in a container and aside from misting them every few days I forget about them until they hatch. The cube you mentioned is fine. THere is no need to worry yourself to death over humidity readings. You won't find anything in my house to measure humidity. Remember, both me and Rebecca said the cube was fine.

 

[hibiscusmile]

:lol: ha ha, Rick, what about your hair? Don't you get the frizzies when humid, I do!

 

[cloud jaguar]

Hey thanks everyone for replies - i am glad to learn that we are making it more complicated than it really is! lol

We will just spray them every couple of days then.

It has been not as hades here in so cal - upper 90s. What is the safest upper temp for ghost ooth? I am asking since most of the mantidforum people seem to be from cooler and more humid climes.

~Arkanis

 

[hibiscusmile]

If it is that hot there, thank God I am here and don't put it on the pc, the room temp is just fine.

 

[Rick]

Normal room temps are fine for most. My office room is where I keep mantids and the heat from the computers raises it to high 70's and sometimes low 80's depending on outside temps.

 

[cloud jaguar]

Thanks Rick, Hibiscussmile and Asa!

~Arkanis

 

[yeatzee]

dude it read 104 F at one point here in socal yesterday......

 

[cloud jaguar]

WIFE’S OOTHECA #1: “ Phyllocrania Paradoxa – Ghost Mantis 1” long

c. 11 pm 093008 setup: 32 oz cup, fine mesh lid, fine excelsior, therm-hydrometer, ooth glued to lid top. From mantisplace.com. We were going to raise this in a net but it came already in a nice pre-prepared ooth cup and was glued on ventilated lid. We decided it was best to leave it in there and transfer nymphs after born to 12” butterfly cube.

11:31 pm 093008 T-88 H-79 received ootheca place atop monitor

c. 11:45 093008 place temp barrier between atop monitor and ooth cup

12:49 am 100108 T-85 H-75

08:04 am 100108 T-85 H-79

08:12 am 100108 wrung out sponge in bottom to prevent mold

10:35 am 100108 T-86 H-63

12:23 pm 100108 T-90 H-47

02:09 pm 100108 T-95 H-45 move to printer

c. 5:20 pm 100108 added 5 drops of water to cup, return to atop monitor.

06:38 pm 100108 T-90 H-70 move to printer

08:08 pm 100108 T-88 H-55

07:52 pm 100208 T-80 H-60

04:18 pm 100208 T-85 H-57

08:12 am 100308 T-75 H-65

03:19 am 100308 T-81 H-62

05:41 am 100308 T-80 H-64

11:19 am 100408 T-76 H-76

05:44 pm 100408 T-76 H-72

MELANOGASTER COLONY #1 “The Fruity Freaks” Prepared medium producing many flies. From mantisplace.com

MELANOGASTER COLONY #2 “The Oatmealies” Home made experimental medium of banana, bit of fruit juice, oats, vinegar. Before I introduced melanogaster in here, I trapped some of what I thought were super small fruit flies but they do not have black eyes like melanogaster – perhaps they are gnats or something. I think I need to ventilate it more because it smells like captain morgan spiced rum – it has a sponge stopper but no other airholes. Medium is fermenting into banana rotgut wine.

HOUSEFLY HATCHERY #1 – to hatch houseflies for adult Stagmomantids

STAGMOMANTIS CALIFORNICA #1 “Zinnia” Female. This one was wildcaught about 2.5 weeks ago. At one point I went with family on holiday and released it back to the flowering Zinnia plant where I found her. Upon my return I recaptured her. During my absence she lost an antennae – probably bitten off by a yellow jacket hornet, apparently her favorite food from what I have seen. She resisted recapture vigorously, and later attacked my wife’s Chihuahua. She plumped up on crickets, hornets, honey-fed houseflies, bit of wax worm. She is very tame, alert, fat and healthy seeming. Hopefully she will lay an ooth

STAGMOMANTIS CALIFORNICA #2 “Cinderella” Female. This one is my wife’s and was wildcaught about 1.5 weeks ago outside my office under the stairs amid cigarette ash and Japanese grass. Lost both front feet, seemed weak when caught. Very thirsty and dirty when found. Not excellent climber. Very tame, sips bit of hone once in while, likes honey flies! Hangs upside down near ground. She plumped up on crickets, one hornet, honey-fed houseflies, bit of wax worm. She is very tame, observant, plump. Recently transferred her from a 1 gallon plastic home with fake flower and plants and a stick with screen lid to fall scheme home with many sticks and a bit of green foliage fake plants. Hopefully she will lay an ooth.

 

[idolomantis]

you scare me.....

 

[cloud jaguar]

Lol, i scare myself sometimes to, so you are in good company

SSHE LAID AN OOTH LAST NIGHT! ZINNIA DID! AFTER I SPRAYED HER WITH MISTER. WE AWOKE TODAY TO SEE HER PERCHED ON A FAKE PLANT THAT LOOKS LIKE A BROWN THIN LIMB WITH SMALLISH WHITE FLOWERS. I WILL POST IN BREEDING FORUM A QUESTION ABOUT DIAPAUISNG THE OOTH.

 

[idolomantis]

Congratz on the ooth.