Outdoor Temps ideal for Carolina Mantids

[Vespertino]

I'm thinking of making a portable outdoor enclosure for Carolina mantids, does anyone know what the minimum outdoor temps would be acceptable for them to thrive?

 

[jrh3]

Down here in alabama they are hatching out now in the wild. The temp last night was 48f. Im sure 48 will hurt if it was a constant but they survive here. I would say average 65f

 

[hibiscusmile]

ditto, they need some warmth, an freezing is not over for the sping, 29F here last night, snow yesterday, give them a fighting chance to live, the bugs around them

to eat, need to develope too.

 

[Sticky]

What are the lowest temps thier ooths can take and still hatch?

 

[Vespertino]

Here's a link to temperatures for Dallas/ Fort Worth for the month of April, things are warming up and we've been getting a high/low of 70's to 50's. Hopefully the cold weather is behind us here.

 

[jrh3]

For the lowest temps for a ooth. They sit over winter here in alabama and sometimes it drops in the teens.

 

[Rick]

What are the lowest temps thier ooths can take and still hatch?

That species is common in some very cold regions of the county. Aside from the arctic they are probably fine with most temperatures.

As far as the mantids themselves, temperatures in the mid 40's at night shouldn't harm them but you probably would want warmer than that for the long term.

 

[hibiscusmile]

;Yes, they have to be able to find food, whats the hurry to put them out?

 

[Vespertino]

No Hurry at all, just wanted to know what temps were "ideal" rather than "sufficient". I wouldn't want to have them outside it it was too cold, I'm just new to this so I wanted to find out.

 

[Bugmankeith]

They are rare, but present in New York so the ootheca must survive below zero temps in winter.

The trouble for me is most mantids hatch in June here, by that time most wild ootheca in the south hatched so I've been unable to time it right to order them. I was told to order then store them in the fridge until fall here then put them outside, cause by late summer here that's when they are laying ootheca in the south and they would just hatch if I put them out right away and not be able to reach maturity.

 

[Vespertino]

A friend of mine found a Carolina nymph in his backyard last weekend and took a video of it, from the size it was either L1 or L2, so I guess the temperature has been right in North Texas for them to start hatching. It's been a cool/wet spring so far.