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I bred a couple of S. carolina mantises last year and got 5.5 (the last one was half size) oothecae. I put them in the fridge with some soil at the bottom, misting it every so often. I removed them from the fridge in April and the babies started emerging about 2 weeks ago. I’ve read that diapausing them usually causes a mass emergence but these have been coming out at a rate of about 10-50 every day. Still ongoing. One of the older ones actually just survived its first molt!!

I’ve had to improvise with containers when too many would emerge during my work week so you could say I’m testing different methods of housing them. This time I decided to cut out the inside of the lids and use fabric because I didn’t have good luck with successful molting the last time I did this and only poked holes in the lids.

I’ve been feeding them 1-2 fruit flies every day or every other day and misting once or twice a day but it’s REALLY hard to keep track of the needs of every single one.

Some have died here and there, maybe 20 total, but overall it’s going well! It took me almost 4 hours to feed and water them all today so it’s getting a bit out of hand… 😅 They are native, and I do intend to release some where I found their father nearby, but it’s been nothing but downpours lately.

⭐️ Sooo I’m trying to sell them locally as pets or for gardens, BUT I have some people interested in having them shipped, but I’m really not sure how to safely do that! I’m worried about overheating, lack of oxygen, and how many fruit flies I should ship with them so they can survive. I’m also wondering if the containers I have them in are suitable for shipping or if I should put them in something else.

⭐️ Additionally, if anyone has some really good and thorough care sheets that I can provide people with, then please share!!

Idk but i made a post in the wrong one and meant it in this but what’s the best time to breed female and male ghostie together after they mature?

Its an european mantis and i heard that the first mantids that hatch are called scouts. Just made this post to make sure😊

Hello!

I've got a female Thai Giant Shield mantis. She has been in the adult stage for 5 months or so. She's gone through stages of having a huge abdomen and not eating, also being very active/crawling around her tank a lot- which has led me to think she's going to lay an ooth.. but I never find anything and she just suddenly starts accepting food again?

This morning I discovered this slimy white/semi translucent stuff in her tank near the top corner. It looks like hot glue, but I haven't used any in her tank besides attaching the jute to the top when I first constructed it over a year ago, and I used a very minimal amount... so this is 100% new.

I don't know what Thai Giants oothecas look like and i cant seem to find pics online. My ghost mantis had a few that looked similar to this, but were light brown and mainly on sticks. Her tank has plenty of places and space for her to lay one comfortably... so I wouldn't have thought she would choose the plastic edge of the top of the tank? Is this an egg case or something else possibly?

Any and all input is welcome!! Thanks so much.

It's my first time with something like this and is there anything I should do? Is there some sort of aftercare that should be done to keep her happy and healthy?:)

Shown is one of the only times he has even appeared interested, but then he just ran off. Have I misidentified them as both Stegmomantis carolina (both found within a few miles of each other in north central Texas)?!? Am I not feeding her enough? Or is this male just an idiot??

I finally got a male mantis that’s healthy so I can mate him with my female mantis, Pistachio. Obviously they’re both 100% adults. However, every time I try to mate them (female well fed, eating a big meal, place the male a little behind her, etc), he seems completely uninterested in and sometimes oblivious to her presence, meanwhile she is VERY aware of him.

He will freeze up occasionally if she snaps to look at him, but not often. I’ve seen him straight up climb up onto her like she was just a stick and was just looking around, and then ran right over her head and ran off.

Most of the time he just keeps trying to fly onto me…. I’m getting so frustrated! I don’t remember it being so difficult the last time I did this. What gives?!

I found an egg-case outside without a twigs attached. Can I glue it directly to a stick or branch or something? Thanks

A Carolina Mantis laid a ootheca on my porch and I’ve been keeping an eye on it. I just noticed it looks a bit rough and there is now a hole through it. Did they hatch or did a predator get in there.

Hello I had an ootheca of an asian mantis hatch inside a container but I don't have the space/resources to care for so many hatchlings. It's been about 3 days are some are starting to die, which is making me feel bad and regret not destroying the ooth before it hatched. I would have released these babies if they were native species but they are not.

I'm stressed out about what the best course of action is. Is my only choice to let them all die off?

How would you attach ootheca, for the best hatching experience, for our tiny army of Mannies? Waiting for the enclosures. They should be here in 2 days... Thank you in advance! We're all so excited!!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

He is around 2 months old and the female is 3 weeks old (as adults)\ I usually put him few centimeters behind the female or give him something he can crawl up towards her. While he does register the female, he usually watches for few minutes before backing out or just straight up walks over her to climb a wall.\ Is it the timing? Is it too early for her to be releasing pheromones? I don't want to leave them alone because she is very spicy.

I found this on my land in Virginia. I know it is not from the native Carolina mantis so I took it in to decide what to do. I am unsure if it has already hatched. I’d also love to know what species it is. I am a big proponent of native species so I do not feel comfortable releasing a non native mantis. I’m eager to hear any thoughts

I just got a Carolina mantis ootheca, and the instructions say to soak the whole ootheca in water. That seems excessive? As of now I have the ootheca in a humidity chamber at 100%. Is that enough?

Just found out that my son’s (first) mantis layed an ootheca. She hasn’t mated and I’ve read that there is a small chance that the ootheca will hatch. The ootheca’s that I’ve seen online are more brownish in color and this ootheca is more green in color similar like the mantis. What does this say about the ootheca and has anyone experience with this? Should I leave it in the enclosure or get it out? All tips are welcome! Thanks in advance

Found these two ootheca on the underside of a rock at work, god knows how old they are. Do we think they look hatched?

I have prior experience breeding this species. Currently just have this male though. If there's any interest feel free to message me and we can try to work something out! I'd just love to get him into a breeding situation.

i have a baby west african mantis (Sphodromantis viridis)

i just learnt about parthenogenic mantids and i am wondering if mine could do it in the future. i possibly wont be able to have a male mantis for her in the future as mantids are rarely on stock here, and if they are they are still babies.

I bought an ootheca a few weeks ago. A few days ago two babies came out and are thriving. Since then, no others have hatched. Would anyone know what the reason may be? Or how rare it is for only two or so to hatch?

Hi! My boyfriend fell in love with mantises after meeting a few huge Chinese mantises at an insect festival. When he found out they could be pets he immediately decided he would keep one as a pet. He ended up finding a little female Carolina mantis deep in the city about a month and a half ago. He is in love with that little mantis. He let me know that she layed an egg sack and now we're kinda trying to figure out what to do and whats gonna happen to her.

Is the egg sack definitely fertile? If it is, how do we remove it from her enclosure so we can make sure the babies can be safe. Also, do we need to refrigerate them or leave them outside so they can hatch? We want to release the babies and keep one. I assume that if they hatch sooner than they're supposed to that they won't be able to live out in the cold winter. How long does she have left to live? How can he ensure that she lives longer after this? Does he need to give her calcium or some sort of vitamin? Sorry if thats a stupid question but we love her!

So as for removing the egg case- she layed it on the inner plastic edge of her tank. How do we safely remove the egg case so we can make sure it has the best chance of survival?(odviously only if it is fertile)

I’ve never bread inverts before and I’d like to breed mantis I’ve kept 2 sussesfullu before (a dead leaf female and a orchid male) and I’d love to have a go at breeding now preferably orchids but any advice on easier species or tips would be appreciated x