Temperate mantis ooth care

[Tarkelson]

Hey so I breed European mantids which are a temperate species, temperate means full winter cycle in the year. In the wild where I live these mantids lay their ooth right before winter and then die. The nymphs then hatch out in spring. Last season I left them in my basement where it was 62 degrees and then just kept the other at 75 as suggested by a breeder I now understand doesn't know what he's talking about. A few other breeders say with their temperate species they throw the ooth in the fridge until spring and then warm them to 75 and they hatch I just wanted so,e feedback as to whether this is accurate.

 

[CosbyArt]

Hey so I breed European mantids which are a temperate species, temperate means full winter cycle in the year. In the wild where I live these mantids lay their ooth right before winter and then die. The nymphs then hatch out in spring...

Indeed that is the basics of the native/naturalized species in all colder regions, such as the most common mantid species Stagmomantis carolina, Tenodera sinensis, and Mantis religiosa.

Last season I left them in my basement where it was 62 degrees and then just kept the other at 75 as suggested by a breeder I now understand doesn't know what he's talking about. A few other breeders say with their temperate species they throw the ooth in the fridge until spring and then warm them to 75 and they hatch I just wanted so,e feedback as to whether this is accurate.

To keep a ooth in diapause once laid, it needs to be kept at 40 F (5 C) or colder. The higher temps you mention of 62 F (17 C) or higher would incubate the ooths, which is possible for such species even without a diapause period.

If a ooth is kept diapaused for two months or for the entire winter, the ooths typically hatch in about 40 days. Ooths can be kept diapaused for about 3 months longer than in nature safely, in my area that means about 9 to 10 months safely, before the eggs die. Without diapause and kept at room temperatures the ooths will hatch fine in about 90 days. At least those are the averages for the many Stagmomantis carolina and Tenodera sinensis ooths I've hatched with and without diapause.

I keep my ooths in my bug fridge at 35-37 F (2-3 C) just fine.