Ooth storage to delay hatching? Species specific?

[Kris]

Hi Everyone

I understand that Chinese mantis oothecae can be chilled/refrigerated to delay hatching. Does this method 'go across the board' as far as other species are concerned? For example, can/should an orchid ooth be refrigerated?

Are there any precautions I should take with this method, other than freezing, I assume?

Thanks for all your help in advance.

Cheers

Kris

 

[Asa]

Not all species need or should get an incubation period. Like species in the rainforest. I'm not much with ooths, so for more information check the search feature.

 

[joossa]

From what I have read no tropical or subtropical species ooths require a cold period (diapause). In fact, the lack of heat will kill the fertilized eggs in the ooth in these species. Only temperate species that naturally experience a cold winter benefit from a cold storage in the fridge.

The orchid mantid is a tropical species, BTW.

 

[Kris]

Thanks for the help so far--it is very appreciated.

I should have stated that my primary motivation for wanting to delay hatching is to avoid over-population of nymphs! lol! I have my hands full as it is--happily, of course.

Perhaps I should just sell the extra oothecae and/or allow hatching?

Cheers

Kris

 

[Hypoponera]

While you can sell extra ooth or nymphs, you can delay hatching in the native/introduced species of the US. They can all take some time in the refer.

European mantis- requires atleast 1 month of cold or it will not hatch. 2 months is actually better!

Chinese, Narrow-wing, Stegmomantis spp and Mediterranian mantids do not require a cold period. But they all can be placed in the fridge for a month or 2 without problem. Just make sure they do not freeze and that you mist them lightly atleast once a month.

I wouldn't recommend cold exposure for exotic, tropical mantid ooths. They may not be adapted to such low temps. To find out for sure, you need to know where each species comes from and the temps they would encounter in the wild.

 

[athicks]

I'm not sure if this is a bad idea, or if anyone has even tried it yet, but maybe you can dehydrate them in a desicating machine? If you can find a way to re-hydrate them well it could work, and there wouldn't be cell-wall damage from ice-spikes after freezing. Just an idea, maybe someone else has more background on that subject though.

 

[Hypoponera]

Sorry to say, that is not a good idea. Desicating the ooth leads to failure of the eggs. That is why I suggested a ligh misting every week. The ooths need some exposure to moisture to keep the eggs from drying out. Besides, the eggs of most temperate species in the US have to survive our winters. They get quite cold in Northern states. So I don't think ice spikes are too much concern.