Fairly new to this...

[pondscum]

Hey everyone,

I am fairly new to this, I have hatched one ootheca several years ago in school, we later released the nymphs. I found an ootheca late last year and am trying to hatch it. I assume it is the eggsack of one of those big Chinese mantises, because those are very common around here. (I live in Pennsylvania.) It is a fair size, nearly an inch long and very round. I left it in a jar (without a lid) in my screened in porch until now, so it went through a cold period. The temperature in my house is always 60-70 degrees, around 65 recently. I am wondering how long it would take to hatch at this temperature, or if maybe I should put it in a slightly warmer spot. I love preying mantises, and I really hope nothing goes wrong and I will have many healthy baby mantises soon.

I am also wondering if there are any specific conditions I should provide for the nymphs. I am assuming 65 degrees with an occasional squirt of water from a spray bottle should be fine.

Thanks!

 

[Malnra]

If you want it to hatch sooner, bring it inside and keep it in the 70's ... mid would be good as a guess ....

Have you thougth about food for them ? you may wish to get a culture started of fruit flys

 

[OGIGA]

Hmm, if you found it last year and kept it indoors ever since, then I think it should have hatched a few months ago. It seems like you're taking care of it just fine but I don't know if it will still hatch.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Its been cold on your porch? I am assumming so, it will take 5 to 6 weeks for it to hatch, Bring it inside and put a screen on it or coffee filter with rubber band, just cause it still gets pretty cold up there at night. You could also put some thin branches or something for them to hang onto once they hatch, mist it every other day with warm water and if it is a good ooth in no time you will have babies. And welcome to the forum if I missed you in the other section!

 

[darkspeed]

Welcome to the board.

If it was in a screened in porch (as opposed to a glassed porch) then actually you still have some time to wait. If it is a viable ooth then as Rebecca stated for about 6 weeks you should put it somewhere warm positioned perpendicular to the ground and either mist it daily or put some wadded toilet paper in the bottom and thoroughly moisten the TP. Place some sort of structure inside such as sticks or drinking straws up to an inch below the ooth and then wait. You will definitely want to get a fruit fly culture, and it would be a good idea to round up the containers you will need when it is time to seperate them. Otherwise it may be rather dificult to find 50+ small containers in a pinch.

Please go through the registration process and formally introduce yourself.

Otherwise, my "Welcome to the board" will remain unofficial lol.

 

[bugzilla]

Is there any way to tell whether an ooth will hatch or is fertile in the first place ie are there any morphological changes that may occur through the gestation period?

 

[mrblue]

i have only ever hatched g.gongylodes, p.wahlbergii and a.formosana so can only speak for these, but the onli difference i have noticed was in a.formosana. obviously when oothecas are laid they are usually white, and later darken as they dry. however i noticed the ootheca gradually continue to darken week by week, until just before hatching it was pretty dark, assuming because the casing/foam is pretty thin so the mantids inside the eggs were more visible as they became more developed. i also noticed this slightly with p.wahlbergii, though not as pronounced, as the ootheca is fairly dark from the start. g.gongylodes hatch out very pale, im assuming this is why their development inside the ootheca was not really evident from the outside. i don't know for sure but i would assume other species which lay foamy mass around the eggs will not be as easy to tell, without cutting into them. i think i remember reading posts of people who have cut open a small section of an ootheca to check fertilty, and the rest of the ootheca hatches out fine in the end. though i guess maybe this is not as reccommended as patience and just waiting and see.

 

[bugzilla]

I've got 2 little gambian ooths that I'm trying to hatch (courtesy of Macrojunkie); way too small to cut into

 

[pondscum]

Thank you for your avice, everyone! I am planning on setting up a culture of fruit flies soon. I have noticed the egg sack darkening slightly since I found it, and also it looks very full and round, so I'm pretty sure it's fertilized. Anyway, I can't wait! I will remember what you guys have said.

Thanks again!