Wild Caught T. Sinensis Lays Ooth

[shorty]

After recently discovering a vacant lot teeming with mantids and catching two Tenodera sinensis females, three males, as well as a female and male Mantis religiosa, I came home today to find the larger T. sinensis female had laid an ootheca on a fake plant in her enclosure! I had a feeling that she was pregnant due to her swollen abdomen. The ooth is large, well-formed, and I am quite pleased to know that I will have a large batch of nymphs coming my way in a few months. The female M. religiosa also looks like she may lay an ootheca soon as well.

Wish me luck!

 

[myzticalboi]

After recently discovering a vacant lot teeming with mantids and catching two Tenodera sinensis females, three males, as well as a female and male Mantis religiosa, I came home today to find the larger T. sinensis female had laid an ootheca on a fake plant in her enclosure! I had a feeling that she was pregnant due to her swollen abdomen. The ooth is large, well-formed, and I am quite pleased to know that I will have a large batch of nymphs coming my way in a few months. The female M. religiosa also looks like she may lay an ootheca soon as well.

Wish me luck!

How do you find these mantises!? but GOOD LUCK!

 

[shorty]

How do you find these mantises!? but GOOD LUCK!

You just have to find the right place, be patient and have a good eye. Once you spot one in any particular area, it seems to get easier to find others. I looked briefly in a few fields several times in the last two weeks to no avail. It wasn't until I decided to look in a trash-strewn, brambly vacant lot behind my clinic in Erie that I got lucky. That seems to be the best place to find them for me: in overgrown vacant lots with lots of insect life for them to feed on.

Go out, find a place that isn't ever mowed and seems to have lots of insects for a mantis to eat, look carefully and be patient! Get on your hands and knees if you have to and search all the weeds, shrubs, and short trees branch-by-branch, leaf-by-leaf. Oh, and wear pants and shoes! I made the mistake of wearing shorts and flip-flops and am now paying the price with scratched up, agonizingly itchy legs.

 

[massaman]

after a good rain is good to to find them but I think the nymphs wont survive long if you plan to release them when winter comes unless your going to sell them or raise them inside but it may be ok to just leave the ooths outside though and let them hatch nest year or whatever the plan may be!

 

[LauraMG]

Yea, the last time I went hunting I was covered in stickers! I wore shorts, but my shoes and ankle socks were just a giant sticker bush. I need to go hunting again now that the nymphs are maturing into adults around here. Nice rain storms last night means a rejuvenation of bugs!

 

[Seattle79]

After recently discovering a vacant lot teeming with mantids and catching two Tenodera sinensis females, three males, as well as a female and male Mantis religiosa, I came home today to find the larger T. sinensis female had laid an ootheca on a fake plant in her enclosure! I had a feeling that she was pregnant due to her swollen abdomen. The ooth is large, well-formed, and I am quite pleased to know that I will have a large batch of nymphs coming my way in a few months. The female M. religiosa also looks like she may lay an ootheca soon as well.

Wish me luck!

Great find! Good luck breeding and raising your Mantids.

-Kevin

 

[Rick]

You describe the places I speak of. Overgrown lots are another good place. If you get the right place they're easy to find. And it will be sooner than three months for your chinese ooth if kept indoors.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Female adult mantis always have eggs, and she is prob fertile.

 

[shorty]

Found another male Mantis religiosa today behind a Sonic Delta gas station and a T. sinensis ooth in the same vacant lot as before. I was excited because I've never actually found a fertile ooth in the wild. Of course I have no way of knowing for certain that this ooth is indeed fertile, but I am positive that it's freshly laid.

And yeah Rick, overgrown lots seem to be the best places to find them for me as well. I just try to find places where there seems to be a lot of insect life for the mantids to consume. Also, it'll be around six weeks for the ooth to hatch right? I will be incubating it indoors. No need to over-winter T. sinensis as far as I know.

Anyone ever try hunting at night with lights? I'm thinking about giving it a shot. If I don't find mantids, at least I'll probably come across some interesting specimens for my dry collection.

Anyway, I'm going out on a hunt now. We'll see how it goes. Happy hunting!

 

[hibiscusmile]

Hummm, u must then name him Sonic!

 

[carlcattau]

I have yet to find a mantid at night using lights around here. I don't know where your at in PA but right now I am finding alot of our local stick insect. The females have started to come down lower to the ground.

Just a bit of advice. If your using a flashlite stick with the old style without LEDS. LEDS seem to distort the color somewhat and make it harder. I used both while in Madagascar a few years back and had much better luck using the old style. Phasmid, roach's, gecko's and chameleons stood out better.

Carl

 

[shorty]

I have yet to find a mantid at night using lights around here. I don't know where your at in PA but right now I am finding alot of our local stick insect. The females have started to come down lower to the ground.

Just a bit of advice. If your using a flashlite stick with the old style without LEDS. LEDS seem to distort the color somewhat and make it harder. I used both while in Madagascar a few years back and had much better luck using the old style. Phasmid, roach's, gecko's and chameleons stood out better.

Carl

I haven't gone out hunting at night yet. I've just been catching them during the day but I'm going to go out on a night hunt this Friday so thanks for the tips on what lights to use. Also, where would I go to find stick insects around here?

I'm in Northwestern PA, by the way; about an hour and fifteen minute car ride east of Erie.

On another note, one of my M. religiosa laid an ootheca today.