Hi friends,
As my post count undoubtedly reveals, I'm quite new to the forum. I'm also quite new to the hobby of mantis breeding, and being the sensible person I am, I started out with two L2 Idolomantis Diabolica nymphs. Against all odds, the hardy pair grew to adulthood (with only a minor mismolt on the male's part) and mated. While the male has, by this point, passed away, the great matriarch Lady Flailington still lives on and to date has laid six ooths.
Herein lies the problem - it's been about four months since the first ooth was laid. The first ooth never even hatched, the second ooth spawned only three babies, and the third only brought fourth six. From what I've heard, the yield is supposed to be considerably higher.
Furthermore, I decided I had to know what was going wrong, and I performed a 'necropsy' on the first ooth to see if it was totally infertile or what had gone wrong. Inside, I found embryonic mantids - moist and certainly once viable, but now purplish-black as though asphyxiated. I don't want to cut up the two ooths that have partially hatched, but I suspect I'd find something similar inside them.
It seems as though the ooths are great, and that I'm doing something wrong that's decreasing their yield or viability. Can any of you experienced individuals help me so that my other ooths hatch to their full potential.
Yours,
GDFM
As my post count undoubtedly reveals, I'm quite new to the forum. I'm also quite new to the hobby of mantis breeding, and being the sensible person I am, I started out with two L2 Idolomantis Diabolica nymphs. Against all odds, the hardy pair grew to adulthood (with only a minor mismolt on the male's part) and mated. While the male has, by this point, passed away, the great matriarch Lady Flailington still lives on and to date has laid six ooths.
Herein lies the problem - it's been about four months since the first ooth was laid. The first ooth never even hatched, the second ooth spawned only three babies, and the third only brought fourth six. From what I've heard, the yield is supposed to be considerably higher.
Furthermore, I decided I had to know what was going wrong, and I performed a 'necropsy' on the first ooth to see if it was totally infertile or what had gone wrong. Inside, I found embryonic mantids - moist and certainly once viable, but now purplish-black as though asphyxiated. I don't want to cut up the two ooths that have partially hatched, but I suspect I'd find something similar inside them.
It seems as though the ooths are great, and that I'm doing something wrong that's decreasing their yield or viability. Can any of you experienced individuals help me so that my other ooths hatch to their full potential.
Yours,
GDFM
