Female Mantis Will Not Allow Male To Mount (Hymenopus coronatus)

[bonsaimaster1]

Hey guys, getting pretty nervous here. My female mantises are now about 3 1/2 to 4 weeks old from their last molt while the males are almost at their limit. I have tried breeding them together about 4 or 5 times now. Each time, the males will not approach and if I push the males onto the females, the females turn around aggressively and stare at the males even though the females are currently eating. This is crazy, I don't think I'm going to be able to breed them. I am thinking my females are too young, what do you guys think? Plus, why won't the male mantises mount the females? Is it a pheromone thing and they know the females are not ready? Someone please help, I am at my wits end!!!

 

[Rick]

Ahh yes the joys of breeding that species. I always had the best luck just picking the males up by the thorax and placing them on the females back. Try to prevent her from reaching back. You could also try increasing the temperature or keeping them in separate rooms for a few days before trying again. It gets even more frustrating when the male mounts but just sits there for three days. 

 

[Ranitomeya]

I've had best luck placing them on the tip of my finger and then putting their faces against the end of the female's wings. They jump right on. I've had less luck picking them up by their thorax and placing them on the female since they tend to become very skittish from being manhandled. You'll have to be patient even after getting the male on--he'll drum a lot, fail to connect many times, and mostly just sit on the female doing nothing for very long periods of time before finally connecting. After that, I wish you luck with the fertility of the oothecae.

 

[bonsaimaster1]

How many weeks old should the female be before pairing?

 

[Starving Always]

3-5 weeks 

 

[Sarah K]

How many weeks old should the female be before pairing?

This is not an easy question to answer, as I think it depends on the individual mantises. Mine both seemed open to males (no aggressive attacking) at 2 or 3 weeks. I was able to leave the male and female together in the same cage with no issues, and they were both fully aware of the other. In fact, they were just hanging out like old friends, facing each other in the cage for days before the male finally mounted the female.  However, I tried to re-breed my one female a month later, and as soon as the male was in the cage, she looked at him like pray, and he almost lost his life! This is the same male who was her buddy at 3 weeks! 

On the other hand, my Gongy females have always seemed upset with the males whenever they mounted them, no matter how old they were! Mine have all been adults for several months now, and still the males and females don't ever seem to act interested in each other, even when living in the same cage for weeks at a time! I have one male who I have repeatedly put on the back of both females, and no matter what he just climbs right off. They drive me nuts! LOL. So even though I haven't had your same problem with my orchids (luck I suppose?) I can understand your frustration! 

 

[PIaf94]

I've never been able to force the male to mount the female. I've always had success with the males doing it on his own terms. In my expierince females are more active in the daytime while males are more active at night. The older the male (1-2 weeks after maturing) the more likely he is to breed. Night time is the best time to introduce them. Females are usually sluggish and males can usually be seen pacing their cage. Make sure the female is well fed and introduce them both to large cage. I usually place the male first then the female. At this point it's all about patience and watching them carefully. You have to let him do it on his own terms. Make sure he notices the female but the female doesn't notice him. This could take a loooooong time because the male won't really move unless the female does. He will start creeping towards her from the back. Again this takes patience and you must watch them carefully. If he noticed her but heads to the opposite direction chances are he's not interested now. Try again in a couple hours or the next day/night. Best of luck. Once he mounts he could stay there for weeks constantly tapping. 

 

[hibiscusmile]

Send them to me, I will breed them and send them back.