So, i found a mantis /ooth

[Learnphysics]

Species: Some kind of 3 inch, green mantis, not african mantis.

Location: Australia, syd

Around a year ago, i found some ootheacea's on wooden fence, i took them off the fence (and at points simply cut the portion of the fence the ootheaca was on, off. I stored these for roughly a month or so, eventually i realized they weren't going to hatch, so i discarded them.

Now 2 weeks ago or so, on the same fence, i saw a female mantis. I'v been looking for these things to keep as pets for almost a year now, so i caught it and put it in a container, fed it some cockroaches. About 3 days in, it layed an ooth on the celling of the container.

Eventually i released the adult mantis into a lemon tree, and im sure its moved on to other plants in my garden by now.

My questions are:

How long will it be till the ooth hatches?

Can the nymphs hunt for themselves, (eg, i have plants with terrible aphid problems, and am planning to just sic the nymphs on them.)

The container has holes in it (used for air holes), when i made them i accounted only for the size of an adult mantises, and the nymphs are surely small enough to get through. If i do hatch them in the same container: Will a large (more then 25%) number of them escape out of these holes?

Is putting a few drops of water on it daily, enough or too much to keep it moist?

Should i leave it in the sun for some period of time? As it has NO direct sunlight atm, as its in a plastic container.

 

[Rick]

Welcome to the site. Please introduce yourself in the introductions forum.

Try searching for the answers to your questions as they have all been answered before.

 

[Learnphysics]

Welcome to the site. Please introduce yourself in the introductions forum. Try searching for the answers to your questions as they have all been answered before.

oh, right...

 

[Mantida]

How long did you wait for those ooths to hatch? Some species will take up to 3 months of incubation before hatching, so they were most likely fertile. Also, 99.9% of wildcaught ooths are fertilized. Unless, of course, they're old oothecae that have already hatched previously.

Each species have their own incubation period, so unless you ID the mantis, it'll be impossible to tell. Usually it takes about 2-3 months of incubation for most species. A picture would be nice to help ID it.

Of course the nymphs can hunt by themselves, that's how they survive in nature after all. Aphids will be taken as food, don't worry.

Yes, most likely a large number will escape out of the holes.

Do not spray directly on the ootheca. Put a paper towel on the bottom of the jar and spray the paper towel to keep it moist, only a few droplets will be okay once a week.

Don't leave it in the sun, as it may cook the eggs inside.

Good luck with your ootheca! Make sure it is hanging or affixed to the side of the jar, otherwise it won't hatch properly, as the nymphs use gravity to exit the ooth.

 

[Learnphysics]

How long did you wait for those ooths to hatch? Some species will take up to 3 months of incubation before hatching, so they were most likely fertile. Also, 99.9% of wildcaught ooths are fertilized. Unless, of course, they're old oothecae that have already hatched previously.Each species have their own incubation period, so unless you ID the mantis, it'll be impossible to tell. Usually it takes about 2-3 months of incubation for most species. A picture would be nice to help ID it.

Of course the nymphs can hunt by themselves, that's how they survive in nature after all. Aphids will be taken as food, don't worry.

Yes, most likely a large number will escape out of the holes.

Do not spray directly on the ootheca. Put a paper towel on the bottom of the jar and spray the paper towel to keep it moist, only a few droplets will be okay once a week.

Don't leave it in the sun, as it may cook the eggs inside.

Good luck with your ootheca! Make sure it is hanging or affixed to the side of the jar, otherwise it won't hatch properly, as the nymphs use gravity to exit the ooth.

Thanks!, iv already released the mantis, but i can get pics of the ooth (il'l post them here asap).

Its affixed off the celling of the container. (I assume that has the same effect as hanging off the side.)