Praying mantis laid 2 eggsacs!

[intrepidus6]

My praying mantis laid an eggsac about 2 weeks ago, it was just a couple days after I had captured her from the wild. Today she laid another! How is that possible?? She has not had any contact with a male mantis at all! How can she lay one eggsac, and then a couple weeks later lay another?!

 

[padkison]

Mantids can lay multiple fertile ooths from one mating. Depends on the species how long they will live and how many ooths they will lay.

They will lay (inferile) ooths even if unmated

 

[intrepidus6]

They will lay (inferile) ooths even if unmated

So does that mean they could both be infertile? I don't know for sure if she mated, I just assumed she had. I found her outside and less than two days afterwards she laid the first eggsac.

 

[Farom]

Yup. A wildcaught adult female can pretty much always be considered fertile. Your female will continue to lay fertile ootheca throughout her life. Generally, though, the ootheca will get less and less fertile after each one she lays, unless mated again.