Carolina mantis ootheca??

[Cargorabbit]

So I caught an adult female carolina mantis a few weeks back and it seems she has laid an ootheca at the top of her critter keeper.
I'm unfamiliar with mantis breeding habits, and have no idea if these are going to be infertile or fertile, but what should I do with them?
If they do hatch I'm going to have a ton of baby mantises, and I guess I should also move them out of the critter keeper because I'm sure they'll be able to get through the vents.

 

[Biollantefan54]

Ok this is starting to creep me out. Every time I Google a bug or something I find, A thread IMMEDIATELY is made about it. I looked up stuff to day about a guess what? Carolina mantis. Anytime I look up a T or something, a thread pops up as new. I am starting to get creeped out buy it.
-------
What do you mean "What should I do with them?"? Put them in a well ventilated area where they cant escape and you could let them cannibalize, set some free, or keep a few. Good luck!

 

[ShredderEmp]

If it is a fertile one, you can put it in a damp, cool place to slow growth until next spring a then leave t out for them to hatch.

 

[Cargorabbit]

@Biollantefan54 Spooky! Ahaha! And I meant, I have them currently in my room, and I don't want them to hatch in my room, and I also don't know how to care for them (in the case they are fetile). xD

@shredderemp Haha sorry just checked up on this thread, but awesome! Will do.

 

[Biollantefan54]

Well you could always put them outside. But them in a container and let them eat each other. If you put them outside, check on it everyday, when they hatch, grab a few. Put it in a small tank and give it fruit flies.

 

[hibiscusmile]

They are easy to care for, keep the ooth cool below 60 and mist every few days, or keep it in an insect cup w/a bit of excelsior and mist every other day, should hatch in 6 weeks, then sell off the babies! They will need melanogaster fruit flies the first 2 weeks.

 

[Smokehound714]

The eggs require exposure to cold temperatures for a couple of months to develop properly, without this, they're unlikely to hatch at all. Simply place them outside, sheltered from rain, but where they can be cold for the winter. You could use a cooler to insulate them a tad bit if your winters are severe. Placing a small clean water dish underneath the oothecae will keep it from desiccating, i strongly prefer this to misting.

Let them dry and harden, for a few days, first. For stagmomantis, the oothecae will need a couple of months of low temps of at least50 degrees f to diapause correctly.