Help me understand how my Praying Mantis has passed away

[Patrick22]

Hi. I had my first praying mantis; Stagmomantis californica here in Southern California. I found her in my front porch hanging on a plant vase. I think she was pursued by a locust because it was observing her from the roof of the porch. I had her for 3 weeks and I think she was in her adulthood light green color. I fed her house flies, and small thin earthworms and cutworms from the soil outside in my backyard and one small wolf spider that made it to the house. Eight days ago she caught like 4 flies in one day. Also, for a treat I gave her a tip of raw honey right after she ate the flies. That same night she produced a small ootheca the size of a fingernail. Ever since her abdomen became completely flat and the following 2 days she only ate 1 worm in the morning then she started fighting the food and refused to eat. I was concerned that her time was coming to an end so I started feeding her raw honey to it's mouth and some water in the evening. She seemed fine. She was active in the morning and throughout the day and even jumped when startled by my finger then I spend my final hours with her in the evening. Last thing I fed her was raw honey since she didn't eat anything else. I set her on a plant near me to hang out while I studied. In an hour I checked on her well being and she froze in one spot. I picked her up and she held me tight with one of her arms on my finger. I put her down and let her rest. She completely stopped responding. Her body became very soft and I could move her head left and right with my finger. Her back legs and abdomen begin to twitch then a few drops of black liquid dripped from where she poops. I thought I poisoned her with the honey so I gently squeezed her abdomen and more drops came out of her mouth (probably from honey). No horsehair worm came out from her abdomen. Then the next day in the morning her left eye turned completely brown and when I picked her up she moved for a second. I would like to understand if she's dead or paralyzed and if it's my fault she passed away or is it her old age. I know that mantises don't survive the winter season and they die around November and if lucky maybe a while longer when in enclosure. I don't know if I sped up her life by feeding her these drops of honey causing her digestive system to become toxic or if it was her time to go after laying a small size ootheca. The reason why I decided to feed her honey is because I was concerned that she did not eat anything else, otherwise I would not have considered it and I've read some positive reviews about it for such situation. If I did not feed her at all would she be alive for a while longer or it didn't matter at the stage of her life? I hope it was not an infection but a natural death, please help me evaluate her death so I don't feel guilty. I have a photo of her alive in the last few days and a photo of her when she passed away. I would greatly appreciate if someone could explain the reason how she passed away. My praying mantis passed away 31 of October 10:00 - 11:00 p.m. and I buried her in my backyard the next day.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Eye infection.

Not a preferable diet for a mantis, fascinating how long she lived on it. Her eating worms is interesting. Not much you could have done to have her survive that. I have 2 of these right now, they are super fun. The ooth could be fertile FYI.

 

[Poonjab]

Eye infection. Potentially could have fought it with vetericyn

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Eye infection. Potentially could have fought it with vetericyn

Eye infections aren’t curable. They infect nerves and the brain.

 

[Poonjab]

Eye infections aren’t curable. They infect nerves and the brain.

Not unless you cure them.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Not unless you cure them.

Never though about that!

“Mantis infection rates drop to 0!”

 

[Poonjab]

Never though about that!

“Mantis infection rates drop to 0!”

Gotta catch them early enough. Treat them soon enough. I’ve had over a 98.99% mantis survival rate from identifying infection early and treating accordingly.

 

[Patrick22]

Thank you for that information. I have a few questions to ask you guys so in the future I do it right.

Worms were the only reason to cause infection?
Can a pre-adult mantis before final molt produce an ootheca or only when an adult?
What time of year do these Stagmomantis species usually die naturally if kept at home and taken care of?

I have a video of her eating a worm that i can show but I need administrator permission to upload larger files.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Thank you for that information. I have a few questions to ask you guys so in the future I do it right.

Worms were the only reason to cause infection?
Can a pre-adult mantis before final molt produce an ootheca or only when an adult?
What time of year do these Stagmomantis species usually die naturally if kept at home and taken care of?

I have a video of her eating a worm that i can show but I need administrator permission to upload larger files.

No.
No. Only when adult.
Around October usually, mine sometimes go to January though if they are late molters.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Gotta catch them early enough. Treat them soon enough. I’ve had over a 98.99% mantis survival rate from identifying infection early and treating accordingly.

Now I know who I'm going to, (you) if I ever can get my hands on a mantid.

I periodically find them outside but I leave them be. I want a CB mantid, but not an ootheca...eggsac? Is that right? Not sure what the eggsac is called.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Now I know who I'm going to, (you) if I ever can get my hands on a mantid.

I periodically find them outside but I leave them be. I want a CB mantid, but not an ootheca...eggsac? Is that right? Not sure what the eggsac is called.

Egg case* and they are called ootheca or ooths. I’ll probably sell some CB in the future.

@Poonjab any examples on treating infections that sever?

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Egg case* and they are called ootheca or ooths. I’ll probably sell some CB in the future.

@Poonjab any examples on treating infections that sever?

Ohhhhh, yes please let me know if/when you have any for sale that would be awesome, I love mantids.

Thanks now I know what the egg case is called.

Last mantis I saw was September. I found him, (guessing on gender) on the bush where I go outside to vape. I tried to get him to walk on my hand. He was very inquisitive but reluctant to go completely on my hand. I left him alone after that and just observed him.

He then climbed to the highest part of the shrub and was checking me out, it was pretty cool and funny at the same time. I snapped a photo of him checking me out was very amusing.

 

[Patrick22]

That's the picture of the ooth she produced. It's white and dark so does the color depend on the species? I hope the dark alignment was not caused by her getting sick.
I read that at first the abdominal begins to swell, so does producing an ooth causes abdominal collapse because like I mentioned above her abdominal became completely flat.