After several attempts to try to find some chinese nymphs from where I placed 5 ooths and had placed t hem in several wood piles and came to some conclusions as since I released them which was in june several factors could of came into play to prevent the nymphs maybe from survivng. Could be that there is a large population of predators such as birds,bees,snakes and spiders and such which maybe either erradicated the survivng population if any or lessening their numbers. Also it did rain quite a bit a few days after the ooths hatched and another conclusion is the rainfall may or may not have flooded the nymphs out but I just am not sure. I wanted to just see if any survived but the only mantis species that is dominant is the european mantis. I think my theories could associate themselves on any species that is released and also if a species is released in a area where there never a population of the species then the species may have to learn to adapt to that area or perish!
My mantis release theories
- Thread starter massaman
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actually the wood pile was just a place to hatch the ooths but I was a little protective and used a plastic salad lid and like some metal screen and glued the screen underside the salad lid and glued the ooths to the screen and placed the lid in the wood pile in spots where nothing could disturb them and they seemed to hatch out just fine but I thought I would at least see a few in the grass since there is like meadowy area near the piles and there is plenty of vegetation and what not and lots of tall weeds and grass and maybe they are in there somewhere but I just hope I can see some there someday!
suzy_qu3
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In other words, there's a reason there aren't any there in the first place. I wonder about this. I was just talking to my mom, and she was saying she used to keep one or more naturalized Chinese mantises every summer as a kid (must be in the genes). But she hasn't seen one in years, and neither have I - I used to find at least one every year in the field behind my friends house. We both realized that we've seen more stick bugs than mantises, which seems odd to me considering how hard it is to find a stick bug. In fact, I have seen at least 2 stick bug nymphs in the last few years, no mantises.
well I think I did not look far enough as today in very tall weeds I managed to find two chinese male nymphs that were prob l4-l5 and both were green and just think after a good rain like it did earlier today it brings out alot of insects as well as the chinese that hatched from ooths I placed in around wood piles!
Peter Clausen
Well-known member
It's not a good idea to test your theories out with any species exotic to your state/country. I don't personally even like to release Chinese mantises. My few native backyard bugs struggle enough in a neighborhood plagued with pretty, but non-native ornamentals, grass, decks, concrete, houses, not to mention the idiotic pest control people that canvas the neighborhood, scaring my neighbors into authorizing a blanket of chemicals in their yards that supposedly kill "dangerous" (but non-existent in Oregon-) spiders.
Species don't "learn" to adapt. Individuals just live or die, reproduce or don't, and populations follow suit. Chinese Mantises have advantages in some niches where similar-sized and similar-behaving predators are maybe scarce or under-represented (and where weather is favorable). In cities, big bugs tend to get squished by people and eaten by hungry birds, etc. There are usually fewer top predators in the food webs, at least in balanced systems. Think of lions vs. their more abundant prey. Introduction of Chinese mantises into your yard may help to reduce the overabundance of city bugs (AKA "pests") that maybe make a living off feeding on your non-native ornamental plants, but it's just one more thing that upsets your local ecosystem, in my opinion. It's almost a losing war anyway, though, when it comes to urban landscapes. And still, I see a new species in my yard each time I look.
Here's a very interesting question to think about--why is the Chinese Mantis sold in the gardening industry?
Species don't "learn" to adapt. Individuals just live or die, reproduce or don't, and populations follow suit. Chinese Mantises have advantages in some niches where similar-sized and similar-behaving predators are maybe scarce or under-represented (and where weather is favorable). In cities, big bugs tend to get squished by people and eaten by hungry birds, etc. There are usually fewer top predators in the food webs, at least in balanced systems. Think of lions vs. their more abundant prey. Introduction of Chinese mantises into your yard may help to reduce the overabundance of city bugs (AKA "pests") that maybe make a living off feeding on your non-native ornamental plants, but it's just one more thing that upsets your local ecosystem, in my opinion. It's almost a losing war anyway, though, when it comes to urban landscapes. And still, I see a new species in my yard each time I look.
Here's a very interesting question to think about--why is the Chinese Mantis sold in the gardening industry?
PhilinYuma
Well-known member
This.
I think that the reason why gardening stores sell Chinese ooths is economic rather than biological. Like the railroad builders of old and the outsourcers of today, they have learned that Chinese are abundant and cost effective.
yeatzee
Well-known member
I feel quite blessed, as my backyard (live in the suburbs) is a stagmomantis haven. My family and I have watched hundreds of nymphs molt, catch food, and eventually reach adult since moving here 15 years ago. I can't go outside without seeing atleast a couple L2's at this time of the year 
