My mantis just laid an ootheca! Now what?

[mrsbos]

My wild caught female mantis just laid an ootheca! I was so excited to watch the process. Now what? I'm in Eastern WA. In the wild the ootheca would be dealing with a long, cold winter before things warmed up in April. Should I put the ootheca in the fridge for several months? The garage? I don't want a bunch of babies hatching in the middle of January or February when we'll likely still be dealing with snow. Realistically, they probably couldn't be released outside and not freeze to death until at least April. I wished 'Marvetta' would have laid the egg case on one of the nice twigs I provided, but alas, she chose the top of the mesh cover. Guess I'll just cut that piece out. Also, any idea what species of mantis she is? I raised a male Chinese mantis for 6 months that I got from a friend who bought an egg case from the feed store. He was amazing and huge! This is my first ootheca experience!

 

[sbugir]

Diapause! You can put it in a ventilated container in the fridge or leave it outside.

 

[Deacon]

Mrsbos, I'm new at this, but it looks like a European mantis (Mantis religiosa). Does she have a yellow and black oval (looks like a cat's eye) on the inside of her front arms? The book, Keeping The Praying Mantis by Orin McMonigle says this mantis comes in green or brown, but a neighbor found a straw-colored one here in Tacoma, WA a few weeks ago.

My Chinese mantis (female) that came from a grandson's 3rd-grade class just passed away before she got her ooth laid (she had health issues.) I still have the male.

Good luck with your mantis

Nancy