Fertilization timing?

[Walker Jones]

my ghost mantids bred this weekend (Friday/Saturday night) and the female laid an ooth this morning, I was wondering if they are able to fertilize their eggs that fast or if I’ll have to wait for my next batch for babies?

 

[Mystymantis]

As long as the breeding was successful, that is they actually connected for a period of time and sperm was transferred, then the eggs will be fertilized. It does not matter how long or short after a successful mating for the ootheca to be viable. It will be fertilized because female insects store the sperm in a special place called the spermetheca and can fertilize every egg case they make from just one mating. As long as the mating was a success the egg should be fertilized. Though sometimes you can't tell for sure if they actually mated but that's a different issue.

So I would assume it was a success and that you will have baby ghosts sometime soon from that first egg case.

 

[Walker Jones]

awesome, I don't know if it's an indication of successfully mating or more food but this ooth is a bit thicker so i'm hoping it means there is babies

 

[Mystymantis]

Possibly, but there is no real way to know if an ooth is fertile by looking at it from the outside. But I am guessing it does have babies.