Getting my first oothecae

[packer43064]

Do you think if I found a laser somehow and bore a whole through it with the spoken laser in hand it'll help those poor mantids stuck in there? :blink:

They get stared at often, nothing happens of course. My GF decided to put one of those sticky labels that you can make with a sticky label printer machine on the FF cups so everyone knows what they are. It says....little ooth ooth on the label. She often jokes around and calls me little ooth ooth, she get's the evil eye across from the couch as I stop typing on mantidforum....about my "little ooth ooth". She wins that battle for now...within time these "little ooths ooths" though will attack her when she least knows it.

 

[hibiscusmile]

haha, nothing like letting a few sit in her hair when she is not looking, they will stay there, and when she goes out, she will have people staring at her and u can then say " who's the little ooth ooth now"! :tt2:

 

[packer43064]

It's sooo happening. <_<

What happens if the ooths hatched when I'm on vacation? We'll be gone for a week in a few weeks time. I guess I could always bring them and bring some FF cups. My brother is staying over, but he won't mess with them besides misting. Scaredy cat.

 

[hibiscusmile]

They will die without some water, At least it will weaken them and then they will die, take baby ooth with you papa

 

[packer43064]

Well they hatched today. A full week after we got back from vacation. Phew! I just put some new moss in and gave the ooths a good soaking last night before they hatched. I'm sure the other one will hatch in a few days.

Now the fun part...separating them! Would it be ideal to wait till Monday to separate or does it not matter. I'm off today, so if it doesn't matter It's happening!

 

[dgerndt]

Congratulations, new daddy!

 

[Entomo-logic]

you could try a little humidity to get the ooth to pop. Sometimes a little mist is all it takes to get the conditions JUUUUUSt right for things to start happening, or you try the sure fire way of getting the ooth to hatch whish is leave the container slightly open (that is a joke) but really it seems to never fail and tracking down 100s of L1s is quite challenging.

 

[packer43064]

Thanks!

I forgot here's pics.

 

[packer43064]

Well I separated them last night. There's between 5-7 per cup. Some a few more, some a few less. There 21 FF cups now filled with mantids! I fed them earlier tonight, they all were trying to catch the wingless mels.

How long until they start to cannabalize?

 

[packer43064]

Well the second ooth hatched. Of course when I have 200 nymphs to take care of now, the second one hatches out. For some reason only 5 hatched out. It's going on 2 days now, and only 5. Makes it easier for me separate, but kind of a bummer.

 

[Schloaty]

Hey Jeff,

Don't toss that second ooth - I had a similar experience with a wild collected ooth that I kept over the winter. It hatched out 3 numphs...sheesh...but every day 2 or 3 more for about 4 or five days. Not really what I hoped for froma chinese ooth, but at least it's easier to keep track of them. And I only have so many aphids in the greenhouse!

now I'm worried about them other two Chinese ooths and my Carolina ooth (e-bay)..whatever am I going to feed everyone?

 

[Katnapper]

I love imagining the part when you take the lid off that deli cup!

 

[packer43064]

Hey Jeff,

Don't toss that second ooth - I had a similar experience with a wild collected ooth that I kept over the winter. It hatched out 3 numphs...sheesh...but every day 2 or 3 more for about 4 or five days. Not really what I hoped for froma chinese ooth, but at least it's easier to keep track of them. And I only have so many aphids in the greenhouse!

now I'm worried about them other two Chinese ooths and my Carolina ooth (e-bay)..whatever am I going to feed everyone?

No more ever hatched out! :blink:

I love imagining the part when you take the lid off that deli cup!

I did it in another bin, and they were rather still actually. It's far more trickier to open a FF cup with 5 L2 nymphs then it was to open the FF cup after hatching.

Most are still alive. I lost a few to cannabalism which was to be expected. I now have 40+ FF cups of nymphs. Having 5-6 per cup was too much of a hassle to open and feed.