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Ootheca Care
Each Species of Mantis has a unique ootheca shape, size and color.
paired but now what?
Once mated, the female mantis will lay her eggs in a foamy pouch called an ootheca. They can start laying within a day or a few weeks after breeding. The ootheca starts off soft when first laid and quickly hardens. These will protect the eggs from the environment until they’re ready to hatch.
Each Species has their own color, size and shape Ootheca. The amount of eggs in the ootheca also depends on the species and temperature. Some species will put hundreds of eggs into a single ootheca. All species will lay several ootheca as long as they are eating well and the environment is hospitable.
When the female is laying her eggs, do not disturb her for a few days. The ootheca will harden during this time and will be safe to remove.
Most species will leave the ootheca once laid but a few species like those of the Deroplatys will often guard the ooths for weeks after laying
Ootheca Care
Care for ootheca is the same for how you would care for the mantis of that species. They require the same temperatures and humidity levels they would naturally find in their environment. Substrate and misting the container can maintain the humidity levels.
Attach the ootheca to the top of a container that is around 6 inches tall and 4 inches wide to allow the nymphs enough space to hatch. You can use double sided tape cut to shape of the ootheca or thread to tie it in place. Be sure that there is enough ventilation too. 32oz insect cups works well for these. Include something inside for the newly hatched nymphs to climb on.
Temperate species often require diapause, which is a pause in development due to colder climates, to hatch appropriately. These can be kept in 40-60F degrees for at least 8 weeks. Diapause allows species to survive through winter. Tropical species don’t have has cold winter seasons so do not require diapause. Most will hatch within 4-8 weeks.
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Hatching
During hatching the nymphs will emerge from the central line and dangle from a small thread of silk as they expand and harden their exoskeleton. once harden they will scurry away and spread out. During hatching they are very soft and fragile so it's best to not disturb the container until they have harden.
Many species will hatch from their ootheca's all at the same time over a couple of hours. There are some that will hatch over the course of a couple days. I've seen this with a few Hierodula majiscula.
Species that have parthenogenesis can hatch over the course of days to weeks from a single ootheca. A single Brunner ootheca can take weeks for a single ootheca to fully hatch.
