I am a retired singer, voice teacher and medical transcriptionist. I ordered egg cases from Hirt's so I don't know what kind of mantid they are.

[saraconr]

My name is Sharon Bach and I live in Brevard, NC. I am new at this so I am making mistakes! I ordered a couple of habitats and 25 dessert cups with dome lids. I poked holes in the tops of the cups with a needle. I put the nymphs in these because I was unprepared when the eggs hatched. I thought it would take longer! I wanted to separate them from each other as much as possible. I also ordered flightless fruit flies, but these arrived after they hatched. I find this hobby fascinating! I've wanted to do it for years. I have also ordered butterfly and moth pupae in the past. I had a butterfly collection as a child, but I would rather raise live creatures and photograph them than kill them. I hope to learn a lot before ordering any more egg cases!!! I have ordered them in the past and attached the egg cases to a branch in the garden. I don't think the nymphs survived as I never saw any adults after doing this. I will probably release some of these in the garden when they get bigger since they were sold as garden helper insects and not exotics.

 

[TheWolven]

Can you send us some pictures of the nymphs so we can help you identify them? Also welcome!

 

[AutumnIvy]

Hey there, and welcome! Raising mantids is a really fun hobby, I just got into it last year myself. I also would really love to raise butterflies/moths at some point in the future! I did some looking around on the Hirt's site, and from what I saw/read and what you described, the ooths you ordered are probably either Chinese or Carolina mantids. Both are great species to begin with, and are pretty hardy.

 

[introvert77]

Welcome!

 

[hibiscusmile]

Welcome, most egg cases sold are the chinese, Just because you do not see them does not mean they did not make it. They fit into nature so well we miss them a lot of times.

 

[Mantis Lady]

Welcome

 

[Minyassa]

My name is Sharon Bach and I live in Brevard, NC. I am new at this so I am making mistakes! I ordered a couple of habitats and 25 dessert cups with dome lids. I poked holes in the tops of the cups with a needle. I put the nymphs in these because I was unprepared when the eggs hatched. I thought it would take longer! I wanted to separate them from each other as much as possible. I also ordered flightless fruit flies, but these arrived after they hatched. I find this hobby fascinating! I've wanted to do it for years. I have also ordered butterfly and moth pupae in the past. I had a butterfly collection as a child, but I would rather raise live creatures and photograph them than kill them. I hope to learn a lot before ordering any more egg cases!!! I have ordered them in the past and attached the egg cases to a branch in the garden. I don't think the nymphs survived as I never saw any adults after doing this. I will probably release some of these in the garden when they get bigger since they were sold as garden helper insects and not exotics.

Hi, Sharon. I live in Winston-Salem & like to vacation in Asheville/Black Mountain. I'm a 2nd year classical voice student getting ready for my second recital. I used to work as a medical transcriptionist. Maybe there's something about musical NC transcriptionists that just makes us like bugs. ;D

 

[saraconr]

Hi, Sharon. I live in Winston-Salem & like to vacation in Asheville/Black Mountain. I'm a 2nd year classical voice student getting ready for my second recital. I used to work as a medical transcriptionist. Maybe there's something about musical NC transcriptionists that just makes us like bugs. ;D

Could be!!!