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Mantis oothecae question
Apr 11, 2018 17:24:20   #
BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten
 
For the last few years I have gone out this time of year and gathered a few mantis oothecae in hopes of shooting some young mantids. I leave them on a foot of branch maintaining there original orientation. I keep them in a gauze covered jar in my garage or outdoors. I have yet to have a single mantis emerge.
I went out today and grabbed a few and am ready to try again but wonder where I have gone wrong?
Thanks in advance.

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Apr 11, 2018 17:53:37   #
LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field
 
I’ve purchased them two years running and seen nary a one. I’m guessing they were not viable—or we are both making the same mistake. I bought mine at a hardware store that had them refrigerated. This year I’m going to a nursery. I was buying more for pest control.....

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Apr 11, 2018 20:33:01   #
Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI
 
'Middle of the Mitten'. I suspect you live in Michigan like I do, so our schedule might be similar. I would love to photograph a mantis hatching.
I have records of Chinese mantises hatching out in mid-June and others in late June. So its a bit of a range, but in both of those cases summer was well under way before they came out.

I get oothecae from a local nature store and I keep them in our fridge over winter, in the salad drawer (of course!). About this time of year I would put them in a mesh bug cage and keep them in our dining room, well away from windows. Occasionally spritzing them with water. I suspect with your method they get over heated, even in a jar with a mesh screen top. Heat can escape out the top but the glass sides cannot dump the heat and you get a greenhouse effect, especially if the jar is outside on a warm day, shade or not. Garages get pretty warm too once the weather turns, and the inside of the jar would be much warmer.

I would keep them indoors, and recommend a mesh cage. A local nature store probably has them. Make sure the zipper is tightly closed, though!

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Apr 11, 2018 20:49:07   #
BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten
 
Mark, thanks much for the info. Yes I live about 6 miles west of Lansing so our weather is the same. I have ordered two mesh cages and will keep at least one inside. I found 7 today in about 20 minutes and may get a few more with my grandsons. I will try a few locations, in the past I left them largely exposed to the elements figuring nature knows best.
You mention a nature store, may I inquire where? I would like to get some butterfly eggs and see what else is available.
Hopefully this info works for me and LoneRange Finder!
Thanks again!
Edit: I just told my wife I would be keeping them inside, curiously this made her laugh, a Lot!

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Apr 11, 2018 23:21:04   #
Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI
 
I don't know if I could find so many oothecae! That is pretty amazing. But then again I have never looked, so this makes me realize I should.
Are they Chinese or European? European will be smaller and more oblong.
Even in a mesh cage left outdoors, i have reason to believe they will be warmer than normal with the larger amounts of reflected light bouncing around in there. It might not be fatal, but they might come out sooner than expected or desirable. I base this on the following story: A couple years ago I had a few giant swallowtail chrysalises that I had kept over the winter. When the weather warmed I took them out, put them into the mesh cage and put them out on my covered porch. So no direct sun (that I know of) but still they all eclosed much earlier than I thought they would. It was a disaster since I was not watching them (thinking they would not come out for some time), and they all died in there. So I do recommend keeping them indoors. At least that is the one way I know of that works.

I have to fairly constantly negotiate with the wife about the mantids, caterpillars, spiders, etc. She really hopes that I am over raising giant caterpillars, at least.
Anyway, the local nature store here in Grand Blanc is: http://www.jjcardinal.com/ Generally they will have Chinese oothecae, and when the weather warms they usually start a batch of caterpillars. Often luna cats, and sometimes other species (painted ladies, monarchs). If you want to check them out, do call first to be sure of what they have in stock.
In Lansing you have this store: https://www.preusspets.com/ Which I very much want to visit. I hear they have exotic arthropods. 😜

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Apr 12, 2018 17:39:46   #
BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten
 
Thanks for the info, I believe they are Chinese mantids based on your descriptions.

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