GreenBean
Well-known member
I had a very sweet bug freely living in my home atop a bonsai.She was getting on in age, ventured away from her perch, & fell to her death (burst ab).Heartbroken, I rescued what eggs I could. Waiting.
Eggs...withOUT ooth??
- Thread starter GreenBean
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LauraMG
Well-known member
Well, technically speaking the ootheca is to protect the eggs from the elements and predators, that being said whether or not the eggs have evolved to only hatch from the ootheca....I don't know. When the eggs hatch, it's in a pretty specific way, whatever way they were laid. That process is most definitely going to be messed with (and this is just an educated guess) in a fatal way. I don't think your chances are good to have anything living out of those eggs. Sorry for your loss. Was she mated?
GreenBean
Well-known member
I believe she was mated successfully. We'll wait and see. Here's what I did: I saved about 20 or so eggs and gently inserted them into the pores of a clean, new sea sponge, just enough inside to be completely encompassed by the sponge. I misted it with non-chlorinated water. Then, I surrounded the sponge with organic sphagnum moss and misted that to help retain moisture and provide another layer of insulation. Whole thing is kept in a breathable container away from would-be predators. Two days now and I swear some of the eggs look bigger and more opaque (they were translucent at first). Wishful thinking? Scientific breakthrough? Or just the denial phase of the grieving process....? Thanks for your condolences.
LauraMG
Well-known member
Stranger things have happened :tt2:
GreenOasis
Well-known member
Wait... are you saying that you've dissected the dead mantis to rescue any viable eggs? Mantis c-section?
That would be awesome if it works! Keep us updated!
That would be awesome if it works! Keep us updated!
GreenBean
Well-known member
GreenBean
Well-known member
Well, of sorts, except that she was decidedly deceased, so perhaps "autopsy" would be more applicable. Or "post mortem c-section"? I will DEFINITELY let you know what happened. Thanks for your interest!!
I thought they hung onto the sperm and combined it with the eggs at or near to the time of laying. A better entomologist than me could clear it up.
Of course, that alone wouldn't mean that they aren't fertilized. If they are obvious as eggs then maybe it means they are?
GreenBean
Well-known member
So far, after 3 days, they have not. They look plump, moist, opaque, soft (of course, I mist them vigilantly). I have seen desiccated ooths/eggs before, so I do know the difference. Keeping them misted and fingers crossed, but guessing Mother Nature has some other tricks up her sleeve that I'm not considering or able to duplicate.
GreenBean
Well-known member
Even if you manage to keep them moist with water they are most likely not going to hatch. I still say they will dry out.
geoff200
Member
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I tried a similar experiment with Orchid eggs though I did not insert them in a sponge. The problem I found was not the eggs drying out but the eggs going moldy. Interesting as I have never seen a regular Ooth go moldy no matter how humid it has been kept.
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PhilinYuma
Well-known member
We can make a pretty shrewd guess, though.
The egg needs to develop into an embryo and yolk has to be laid down inside the egg case before it can be laid. The fact that the female was dying of old age suggests that this was not happening. If removed from contact with the mother's hemolymph too early, i.e. before they are ready for an independent existence, the eggs will not hatch.
After being laid, the eggs are sheltered in a chamber made of an inert substance (a beta glucosidase of protocatechuic acid with an oxidase
Unhumidified, the eggs would dry out, as Rick said. Humidified, they will eventually develop mold. I wish that I could give you more optimistic news.
GreenBean
Well-known member
Yes, i am aware of the scientific process. This is more about to just plain see if it works. And to ease my pain.... However, if it DOES work, it would be pretty da*n amazing!
GreenBean
Well-known member
We can make a pretty shrewd guess, though.
The egg needs to develop into an embryo and yolk has to be laid down inside the egg case before it can be laid. The fact that the female was dying of old age suggests that this was not happening. If removed from contact with the mother's hemolymph too early, i.e. before they are ready for an independent existence, the eggs will not hatch.
After being laid, the eggs are sheltered in a chamber made of an inert substance (a beta glucosidase of protocatechuic acid with an oxidase). This protects the developing embryo not only from heat and cold, but also bacteria, mold and perhaps, the environmental pH. Without this protection its chances of survival are next to non existent. Every now and then a fertile female will lay eggs in such a position that she is unable to whip up the foam for the ootheca which is produced as just a smear. I have never seen eggs hatch from this.
Unhumidified, the eggs would dry out, as Rick said. Humidified, they will eventually develop mold. I wish that I could give you more optimistic news.Please keep us up to date, though. I think that you made a remarkable effort to preserve them.
Well, that pretty much clinches the deal then. I did wonder about things (natural chemicals) that I could not replicate. Thanks a ton, Philin, for your thorough and educated response...and your support despite the odds!
