Ventress our Giant Asian Mantis female, Hierodula membranacea, is ready to mate. Vader is the chosen one. (Sorry but living with a Star Wars obsessed family who keep naming the insects after the characters, I simply could not resist that one). Mating Mantis can be a rather touch and go affair for the males in particular. We fed Ventress to almost bursting point – and be careful here because sometimes they actually will – and introduced Vader. They have a large tank with plenty of escape space. Vader approached tentatively as you would expect from someone who knows it could be a very costly experience. He did a lot of antenna waving, and I am sorry to say, but after nearly an hour of this we left them to it. When I returned after a couple of hours Vader was clasped on top of Ventress with all his body parts in tact. He stayed on her back for the entire of the next day but was no longer mating so I decided to move him back into his own tank. I think I could almost sense his relief as he scrambled onto my hand. Now we wait and Ventress is absolutely massive. I must also mention my sister-in-law sent me a card with a cartoon of two Mantis on it. The female is talking to a rather bemused looking male and is saying,' after we mate and before I eat you, I would like you to put up some shelves...' It is one of those things you have to see to appreciate but I thought it and the timing absolutely wonderful!
*UPDATE*
Extremely early this morning I awoke to footsteps hammering up our stairs. It has happened, our very first Giant Asian Mantis fertile ootheca, (which is what we call the egg case), and it was still being laid so I better get up quick and come and see. Ventress was most certainly in the process of creating her ootheca attached to some wiggly Hazel sticks in her tank. Mantis ootheca are a foamy mass that surround and protect the eggs inside. It hardens in the air once made. Alot of nymphs will hopefully hatch form this ootheca and then we will be busy feeding fruit flies and separating the nymphs as they grow. Asian Mantis are avid insect feeders and do not turn down a meal of each other should the opportunity arise.
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| The original expanding foam! |
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