Praying Mantis ???

sensei129

Arachnopeon
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Aug 12, 2002
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I have 6 females that have begun laying their oothecas. After the first 2 I noticed that the crickets I am feeding them started to devour the egg sacs.

I’ve cut back on the amount of crickets but am afraid that if I’ve cut back too much they will start turning on each other.

Can the eggs be removed and if so do they need to be suspended so the babies can emerge on their thread of silk???

Thanks, Chris
 

Mister Internet

Big Meanie Doo Doo Head :)
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IIRC, mantid oothecae get pretty hardened after a while... they dry out and aren't squishy anymore. Maybe you could wait a day or two to give the egg sacs time to dry, and then re-introduce the crickets? I've only ever kept one WC mantid, and she never laid eggs, so I'm totally guessing here...
 

Wade

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You might want to take them out anyway, they may hatch while the adults are still alive. You can attach them to branches using non-toxic glue like elmer's scholl glue or even a gluestick, although the gluestick will get soft if it gets moist.

What species are they? Most hatch in around thirty days in warm temps.

Wade
 

sensei129

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I believe they are the Chinese Praying Mantis.
Not really sure. :confused: :?
I just happened to catch a few around here as there seems to be an abundance of them this year.
 

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johns

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<harumphing to nobody in particular, just harumphing>


I think you're right, sensei:Tenodera sinensis.
 

Wade

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Definitely Chinese. I'm surprised they haven't eaten one annother already, they heave very stong cannibalistic tendancies, even for mantids! I assume the cage is quite large.

You might want to remove and refrigerate some of the ootheca until you're ready to hatch them. Each one may produce 150+ nymphs! Truly, an embarrassment of riches!

Wade
 

sensei129

Arachnopeon
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Aug 12, 2002
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At first I was keeping them ids separate containers but it was becoming quite a chore just to feed them all. I went out and purchased one of those large reptariums (You know, The all mesh kind) and placed them all together. There weren’t really any cannibalism’s until the mating frenzy began which left me only 6 from the original 15.

Do you think I should just refrigerate them or freeze them as to represent some of the best winter has to offer?

“Each one may produce 150+ nymphs! Truly, an embarrassment of riches!”

Look out then!!! Here’s a sample of the dozen or so I picked up this morning.
 

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