Anyone hatched a recently laid S. Limbata Ooth yet?

I know a lot of our Southwestern US brethren and sistern are currently incubating Oothecae laid from wildcaught S. Limbata females - Anyone have any luck hatching them out yet? I am wondering because I have several ooths from S. Limbatas - one of them from 10-5 - which have not hatched out yet. They have been incubated consistently yet no dice - perhaps infertile? Seems unlikely when they are from 3 different females!

Alternately, we put a couple out in the garden. I am beginning to suspect that S. Limbata may require a cold period like Devil's Mare, since it is a desert dwelling species? Could that be why S. Limbata and S. Californica are not in culture?

Anyone?...... Anyone?...... Bueller?......

~Arkanis

Arkanis said:

I know a lot of our Southwestern US brethren and sistern are currently incubating Oothecae laid from wildcaught S. Limbata females - Anyone have any luck hatching them out yet? I am wondering because I have several ooths from S. Limbatas - one of them from 10-5 - which have not hatched out yet. They have been incubated consistently yet no dice - perhaps infertile? Seems unlikely when they are from 3 different females!Alternately, we put a couple out in the garden. I am beginning to suspect that S. Limbata may require a cold period like Devil's Mare, since it is a desert dwelling species? Could that be why S. Limbata and S. Californica are not in culture?

Anyone?...... Anyone?...... Bueller?......

~Arkanis

Click to expand...

Keep waiting. You would want to wait at least another 8 weeks before giving up.

Rick said:

Keep waiting. You would want to wait at least another 8 weeks before giving up.

Click to expand...

But make sure you're not holding your breath while you are! :lol:

Katnapper said:

But make sure you're not holding your breath while you are! :lol:

Click to expand...

Yes or you are going to be pretty dead. I hate waiting for ooths to hatch.

It Haaatched!!! Starting last night, our S. Limbata ooth laid on Oct 5 hatched! - 3 1/2 inch long green nymphs with long legs and huge eyes were running around like crazy! None else hatched for several hours. Then at night I was adjusting the ooth and accidentally crushed an emerging nymph . This morning there are about 12 or 13 green nymphs running around like crazy. They are suuuuper hoppy and jump like grasshoppers!

We bought some small deli cups today to put them in so they do not murder each other. When is a good time to separate them?

~Arkanis

Arkanis said:

It Haaatched!!! Starting last night, our S. Limbata ooth laid on Oct 5 hatched! - 3 1/2 inch long green nymphs with long legs and huge eyes were running around like crazy! None else hatched for several hours. Then at night I was adjusting the ooth and accidentally crushed an emerging nymph . This morning there are about 12 or 13 green nymphs running around like crazy. They are suuuuper hoppy and jump like grasshoppers!We bought some small deli cups today to put them in so they do not murder each other. When is a good time to separate them?

~Arkanis

Click to expand...

3 1/2 inches?!

I would seperate them as soon as they molt.

I also had an S. limbata ooth hatch. It started hatching out on Sunday night. I just got 3 more stragglers this morning. The total is 21 from this ooth.

No, S. limbata and S. californica do not require any kind of cold expossure. I think they are not in culture due to being "generic-looking" or "uninteresting native" species. Seems too few hobbists here in the States appreciate the Stegmomantis species! But that is just my opinion.

-Asa said:

3 1/2 inches?! I would seperate them as soon as they molt.

Click to expand...

Asa, I think he meant 3 of them had hatched last night.... at about 1/2 inch in size.

Katnapper said:

Asa, I think he meant 3 of them had hatched last night.... at about 1/2 inch in size.

Click to expand...

Oh, I see. Thx :lol:

-Asa said:

Oh, I see. Thx :lol:

Click to expand...

Hey, but it was pretty fun imagining 3 1/2 inch newborn nymphs, wasn't it? I'd be thinking about getting them a new larger cage (not container), and myself a lion tamers start-up set real soon!

:lol: Wonderful, wonderful, I like all the species, havent' met one yet I don't like, but the native ones are neat cause they are so hard to geT! I was watching a little tv while working today, and the movie was from 1954 and called "Them" anyone remember it?

YES! man i thought i was done with the whole mantis thing until spring because all my adults died, and i thought my mating attempts failed but today after school I checked and half of my first ooth has hatched with little mantids everywhere in and out of the cage =) I havent hatched nymphs in so long i forgot how small they were so i quickly covered the small holes with a breathable material. Man im so excited because this was my first attempt at raising from nymph to adult and mating and it worked out!

yeatzee said:

YES! man i thought i was done with the whole mantis thing until spring because all my adults died, and i thought my mating attempts failed but today after school I checked and half of my first ooth has hatched with little mantids everywhere in and out of the cage =) I havent hatched nymphs in so long i forgot how small they were so i quickly covered the small holes with a breathable material. Man im so excited because this was my first attempt at raising from nymph to adult and mating and it worked out!

Click to expand...

Congrats, Yeatzee!! I've been right there with you today and yesterday... chasing little newborns that somehow are escaping through my (what I thought was escape-proof) modification to a Critter Keeper. Little boogers!! Aren't they a riot though...

Congrats Yeatzee! Post some pics HOw many are hatching out of there? If anyone of us whith S. Limbatas get any of those PEACH colored ones we should mate them!!

Or trade breeding stocks to if we plan to keep them in culture. Ours started decapitating each other after 3 days - not so bad at all if they are not crowded though.

Aww man they are so funny to watch. Never seen such hyper insects. I've got several more hatching right now........my mom continued to say they were duds but nope i gave it one more week and tada! I have had only one instance of cannibalism....at least I think so because this particular nymph is extremely fat compared to all the others. I had a whole plant full of aphids for when they hatched but the cold has since killed em all.....so food may be a dilema. They shouldnt be really hungry until a couple days after birth right? I've got plenty of ants which i slightly injur so the mantids have an easier time getting them. No i do not put hordes of them in....just a couple every once in a while. When they get slightly bigger ill buy some fruit fly pupea and see how that works out.

It is extremely hard to get decent pictures of the little guys......but i'll try through the plastic.

Could someone post a pic of a "peach" colored limbata? Im curiouse to see how they look.

Edit: Well after putting in two ants just now i got six strikes on them but only one succesful. Pretty funny whatching them and their unhoned hunting techniques.

Congrats to you too Yeatzee!

I've still gotta find my way to Pasedena so I can buy some from Arkanis. Would be nice if we could establish a breeding program/exchange or something.

And I hope the recent storm hasn't been to hard on my SoCal neighbors.

thanks.....i have 8 ooths that were all layed in succession so im waiting for the second ooth layed to hatch. Man im gonna get over run

The storm atleast were i live was wonderful. We don't get a lot of decent showers so it was a welcome pleasure....for me atleast. Were do you live kamakiri?

Edit: I counted and i have 80 exactly nymphs hatched so far from my frist ooth layed.....and still more are emerging.

I'm in O.C. - Irvine.

Yeah, it does sound like you're gonna be over run with nymphs! At least these are legal to release.

Just wondering, did either of you try to store some of your ooths in the fridge or perhaps outside?

I was originally going to once all my adults died (they lived with the ooths they layed) but the weather was really bad and i just didnt want to risk the ooths failing because i put them outiside. I did put one cage in my garage which is colder though.....so we'll have to see how that one works out.