oothecae advice

[Graz73]

Last year I raised a wild-caught carolina mantis and she laid an egg sac. I used the directions from this forum to care for the sac:

I glued it so that it was hanging from the lid of a small container and kept it refrigerated for a while with damp paper towels in the container.

It never hatched, but I'm pretty sure that it was unfertilized so I'm not surprised.

BUT, it also became moldy, so that could have been the problem too.

This year, I raised another female carolina mantis that was caught much later in the fall, right near the first frost. She laid a MUCH bigger oothecae.

So, I'm looking to take better care of this one. Maybe its fertilized!

Right now the eggs are just hanging from a stick on an indoor potted plant.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I'm in Ohio where it is frozen with ice and snow right now. My house is pretty dry, but warm.

Should I put it outsides somewhere? Put it in the fridge again?

Thanks!

 

[CoolMantid]

Its simple. Get a cup/cage/terrarium and glue it to the lid. NO KRITTER KEEPERS! The babies can get through the holes in the lid. Set it outside in a garage until feburary then take it in. Mist the cage every other day. WHen the babies emerge keep them in a net cage until they are L3 (molted 2 times) htne release the majority of them in your garden or yard and keep about 10-15. Feed them fruit flies 2-4 days after emerging. Keep your cage humikd for molting if you dont want any mismolts. THey are cannibalistic so after L3 keep them in seperate cages. As the grow older feed them sized food thats is no bigger than 1/3 of the mantis. WHen they are adults ( they have wings) you can then mate them after 3 weeks. She will lay multiple ootheca.

 

[Precarious]

Its simple...

ALl good advice. Thanks for helping him out.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Cant release them here in Ohio till late may or early june, still to cold for them babies and last time I cked, none had fur coats! :kiss:

 

[CoolMantid]

Sorry. I was thinking about the weather here in CA! Nice and sunny!

 

[Graz73]

Thanks!

 

[Graz73]

Sorry to resurrect an old topic...

I had that egg case in my garage all last winter, in a plastic container hanging from its branch. I brought it inside and kept it by my desk all spring and nothing happened. Eventually it started to get moldy so I thought it was a dud, so I put it back in the garage in case I was wrong. Then, in july or august, I took a look and was shocked. 7 little mantises had actually hatched! BUT they had dried out in the dry/hot garage. THey were probably dead right after hatching. One was still hanging from the egg sac in a little web looking thing that was probably just the dried out birth goo.

So, it was fertilized! but I blew it I guess?!

 

[MandellaMandy123]

Be sure to mist it occasionally next time and don't let it get too hot

 

[Graz73]

After chopping down a Christmas tree this weekend, i found a big mantis Ooth on another customer's tree! I saved it, so now I've gotta figure out what to do with it. Put it in a terrarium in the garage until spring, then bring it in the house and mist it daily?

ANy way to prevent mold? I've had mold form on my past egg cases.

 

[lancaster1313]

I have had good luck with a Christmas tree ootheca.

Ventilation can help to prevent mold.

If you plan to release some nymphs, incubate outdoors.

Or, in outdoor temps.

 

[CoolMantid]

Congrats on finding one on a christmas tree!

Put them in a net cage. Its is very well ventilated

 

[Graz73]

I've got my mantis ooth in a net container out in my garage for the winter. I expect that it'll hatch in the next 1 -3 months.

What do I feed them when they hatch? Do they just eat each other?

I dont want to buy fly larvae until they hatch, but if I wait too long, they could die before the flies arrive.

-LOU

 

[glock34girl]

I am new and still getting my head screwed on straight so hopefully someone else will come along and answer your question but I wonder if flies might be too big for L1 nymphs? Not sure. the others will give you a definite answer. I was thinking more around D. melanogastar or D. hydei.

 

[hibiscusmile]

yes, to big!

 

[Graz73]

OK, so what do I do to feed the hatch-lings?

 

[lancaster1313]

OK, so what do I do to feed the hatch-lings?

Drosophila melanogaster. A good culture can produce for a few weeks.

 

[Graz73]

This seems complicated. Is there some post somewhere to break it down for first timers?

I just buy this dormant culture and add water when the mantises hatch and I need food?

 

[lancaster1313]

This seems complicated. Is there some post somewhere to break it down for first timers?

I just buy this dormant culture and add water when the mantises hatch and I need food?

There is no "add water" dormant culture, (It would be cool if there were ).

Just order a culture about a week before you expect the hatching to take place. Or, pick a large one up from the store when you see the nymphs hatching. New nymphs don't want to eat for a couple of days after they hatch.

 

[Graz73]

Which store do you people recommend? Who can get me the right kind of flies to Ohio cheaply?