Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) babies!

[Bugmom]

They just emerged tonight. There's at least 70 of them. They'll cannibalize some, but I'm still going to be left with a lot of mantids. This was one of those oothecas you can buy either via the mail or at a gardening supply store. I paid like $7. I thought it would be a neat and inexpensive intro to keeping and raising mantids.

I took the ootheca out of the fridge on 1-2-16, and they emerged tonight, 1-21-16. So about three weeks of steady temps between 74 and 78 degrees.

Things I learned: Mantids can JUMP! They're as bad as crickets! They emerge basically "ready to roll" and have no problem walking, climbing, jumping, etc. right away. These aren't more than a few hours old.

 

[Entity]

I have 2 ooths out on my porch right now for the winter gonna let them hatch on my sun porch when the weather gets warm! lol

 

[Kymura]

Beautiful, one of my favorite insects, my yard used to be overrun with the smaller brown mantis, since we rebuilt we don't see them anymore, I'm wondering if I got a couple ooths and let them hatch this spring if we could repopulate again lol

 

[MassExodus]

That is so awesome..babies! You can get ooths from gardening supply stores? I have big green mantids that I see in my yard, but not often. Maybe I'll look into getting an ooth and repopulating my area like Kymura and Entity.

 

[Entity]

Why not! they are so freaking cool and they almost seem to like humans sometimes. I used to feed them when i was a kid in the yard playing. It was funny. I would catch a bug and hand it to them and they would keep looking at me and then back at the bug like "ok whats the catch man." lol and then eventually take it from me slowly. definitely one of my favorites bugs!

 

[MassExodus]

Why not! they are so freaking cool and they almost seem to like humans sometimes. I used to feed them when i was a kid in the yard playing. It was funny. I would catch a bug and hand it to them and they would keep looking at me and then back at the bug like "ok whats the catch man." lol and then eventually take it from me slowly. definitely one of my favorites bugs!

Lol, the way they turn their heads and look at you is very cool. I wish they had a longer life span..

 

[Entity]

Lol, the way they turn their heads and look at you is very cool. I wish they had a longer life span..

yeah me too! i would definitely have them for pets if they lived longer.

 

[Kymura]

Isnt it funny in a way how so many folks love and adore the mantis,
yet hate our T's!
But I mean to be fair, they can bite the blood out of you
but folks are naturally drawn to the vicious little things

 

[MassExodus]

That's how I explain my current relationship. lol

 

[Entity]

That's how I explain my current relationship. lol

as long as she doesnt eat ur freakin head post coitus!! lmao

 

[Kymura]

as long as she doesnt eat ur freakin head post coitus!! lmao

man this has me wiping laughter tears!

 

[MassExodus]

I do feed her pre killed Whataburger before attempting to breed, just as a precaution..

 

[Bugmom]

That is so awesome..babies! You can get ooths from gardening supply stores? I have big green mantids that I see in my yard, but not often. Maybe I'll look into getting an ooth and repopulating my area like Kymura and Entity.

That's where I got mine, but you can also order them online.

 

[Bugmom]

Oh, and as an update: Not many losses yet, but I have seen a few headless mantids in the big enclosure. They're eating flightless fruit flies, but I'm not feeding them often because I do want some cannibalization to happen. Sounds mean, I know, but nobody needs 70 mantids, and culling the herd is what happens in nature with these ooths. The weaker ones get ate. Circle of life and all that.