We have a tall pine tree in our yard, and it is infested with Stagmomantises (also called Carolina Mantises). They are native species of praying mantis here. We are super lucky, because they eat insects, including mosquitoes.
Sometimes, I catch one and observe it. This year, I found one as a juvenile and it was green. It was quite late for it to be a juvenile, because it was getting very cold (it was fall). So we kept it.
It had its last molt very soon after I found it. It loves eating. Look at it eating a juicy cricket!
Then, when it was getting very cold, I found another one! I did not have a spare cage, so I tried to put it with the other stagmo. I was wondering if one of them is male. Our stagmomantises met and fought!
I had to separate them and get a new cage for the new mantis. They both turned out to be females, and they laid eggs!!
I will put these eggs outside for the winter and make sure they hatch in the spring. I will release all of the baby mantises and keep one or two to observe. I have not seen a baby Stagmomantis yet.
The mantises only live one season, and when they die I prepare them for my entomology collection. When they stop moving, I put them on a (recycled) styrofoam base, pin their thoraxes, then I spread the legs, next I pin the wings with paper, and finally extend the head. See here how I prepare them:
Look how beautiful the wings are:
And here is the mantis I prepared last year (it was a male).
I will update you in the spring when the babies hatch! Aww, they will be so cute! 🙂
This is a beautiful mantis! And now you have so many eggcases — hope they all hatch!
Wow! This is really amazing… I once saw how a mantis fought a giant poisonous Crimean centipede… that was pretty intense. The centipede won in the end!