Greetings From a New Mantis Keeper!

[ChihuahuaCommander]

Hi, everyone! I'm ChihuahuaCommander. I work at a Nature Center and have 3 female Carolina mantids (natives) that I caught out here. Caring for them has been such an eye-opening experience into the world of insects and mantids in particular. This time of year, they are all adults busy laying oothecas. I'm collecting the oothecas and overwintering them in a caterpillar box at work. My girls (Gwen, Morgana, and Lady) are all so interesting and unique in their ways and I'm dreading the day they pass. I'm looking to the future though and planning to hatch the oothecas and raise the little mantids to a decent size before I release most of them. I'm really trying to research more into mantids and other insects so I can care for the ones I catch to use for education. Anyways, I'm looking forward to learning more about mantids from this community.

-ChihuahuaCommander

 

[callisto9]

Hello and welcome! I, too, became a new mantis owner/keeper when we found a female Carolina on our porch this summer. They are so cool! Barry Mantilow laid five ooths and we had her about two months before she passed. I've got the ooths in the basement for now... hoping to keep at least one mantis from the hatch next year. I love them!

 

[Connor]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[PrayingMantisPets]

Welcome!

 

[Rick]

Welcome.

Good on you for releasing natives. 

 

[Bathory]

Welcome! What a great idea to use mantids for education, they really are like the cats of the insect kingdom 

 

[Serle]

Hello & Welcome ... S

 

[Jessie]

Welcome to the group.

 

[hibiscusmile]

WElcome, nice you got girls to look after.

 

[CosbyArt]

Hello and welcome to the forum

The Carolina mantis is one of my favorites, it was what got me started too, finding a local one. If you haven't found the caresheet for them, take a look here. Releasing the nymphs is great, and will help the population too (and removes the problem with parasitic wasps). Just be sure to diapause though (indoors or outside for their ooths) otherwise they will hatch much too soon - see below