Praying Mantis Egg Sac: What Should You Do If You See One?

Insects can be a hassle when they turn into pests in our garden.

But there are ways to get rid of insects with insects. The praying mantis is a tropical species that can help to get rid of pests in the garden.

There are many types of praying mantises but among them, three types are more common. They are the European mantis, the Chinese mantis, and the Carolina mantis. The Chinese mantis and the Carolina mantis differ slightly in size.

But the egg sacs of these mantises are the same nonetheless. The adults of the mantises are short-lived so the eggs are brought and hatched.

The egg sacs are grown inside containers with air holes. Let us learn a bit more about the egg sacs of these insects right here. Afterward, also read can a praying mantis hurt you and where do praying mantis live?

How long does it take for a praying mantis egg sack to hatch?

If you ever come across a praying mantis egg sac and want to watch it hatch, how long should you wait for it? Does it take a while for the egg sacs to hatch?

In normal cases, praying mantis egg sacs take up to three-four weeks to hatch. The mantis eggs are laid by the adult female praying mantis and it will take normally around this time.

But you can delay this process if you want to. The fact is that the mantis eggs hatch at 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5-26.6 degrees Celsius) temperature. If you want to delay the mantis egg sac from hatching, simply put it in a refrigerator.

You can take it out of the refrigerator a month before you want the eggs to hatch. In normal conditions, the eggs hatch from June to July.

It takes warm weather for the eggs to hatch. Once the mantis babies come out of the egg, they need to be fed. It takes a while for the eggs to hatch completely after the hatching process begins.

If the mantis egg sac is in warm conditions, the process happens swiftly with no issues. But if the temperature drops and it turns too cold, then the egg cases will take a while to hatch.

Caring For Your Praying Mantis Egg Case

How can you take good care of the praying mantis egg cases before it hatches? There are almost 300 eggs in each egg case. How do you keep these egg cases from any harm?

Firstly, put the egg cases in an egg container to prevent any damage to them. Also, the baby mantis can escape once they hatch. So keeping them in a container will prevent this too. There are two things to take care of when it comes to the mantis egg cases.

One is temperature and the other is isolation. Let me explain. The mantis egg cases need warm temperatures to grow and hatch.

So while taking care of these egg cases it is important to keep the cases in a warm environment. Secondly, the young mantises, once they hatch, will be very hungry. The praying mantis is carnivorous and will eat the other praying mantises.

You have to isolate the baby mantis to prevent such a thing from happening. Apart from that, taking care of the egg cases of praying mantises is not a hard task. Once these mantis sacs hatch, there will be plenty of baby Chinese mantises coming out.

What does a praying mantis sac look like?

An adult female praying mantis will lay the mantis eggs. The sac of the praying mantis egg is called an ootheca. What does this egg sac look like? How can you identify it?

The egg case is a rectangular rounded shape. The color of the egg case is a tanned white shade. The mother mantis dies within two weeks after laying the eggs.

The eggs are surrounded by a frothy foam. This foam gets hard to become the ootheca or egg sacs. The praying mantis egg is protected by this egg case.

A sac is normally around one inch in length. You can see the egg cases of praying mantises stuck to branches of trees or other remote areas in the household. All of the eggs are protected very well in the egg cases of the praying mantises.

How to tell if praying mantis eggs have hatched?

You have a praying mantis egg sac and want to know if the eggs are already hatched. How will you know if the eggs hatched or not?

When the female praying mantises lay the eggs, the ootheca covers these eggs. Whether it is the Chinese mantis or Carolina mantis, the process is the same for these insects.

It is possible for the eggs to hatch even when they are inside the egg case. It would be hard to tell if the eggs hatched or not in this scenario. When the eggs hatch, the nymphs of these insects come out.

The nymphs are miniature adults in appearance. If you see these nymphs crawling out of the egg case, then the eggs have hatched.

The nymphs will then develop into praying mantis. Regardless of the fact that it is a Chinese mantis or Carolina mantis, the nymphs emerging from the egg sac are the biggest sign that the eggs have hatched. After the eggs hatch and the nymphs of these insects come out, they go in search of food.

Is it possible for praying mantis sacs to be relocated?

You have noticed that the current location of the praying mantis eggs is prone to danger and you want to move it to a safe place. Can you do that? Is it okay to relocate the egg sac to another place?

Yes, it is totally fine with relocating the egg sac to another location. But, just be careful while handling the egg case of these insects.

How do you do it? Clip the egg sac to the twigs or branches of trees or shrubs that you want to relocate it to. It is an egg case after all, so handle with caution since you could kill all the praying mantids inside.

When the insects are still in the egg case, relocating them is easier compared to when they are adults. Adult mantises can be extremely territorial.

The eggs won't even resist because they can't, so moving them is not an issue. With a little caution not to break it, the move can be done smoothly. Keep in mind that wherever you are moving these eggs to have a suitable temperature for the eggs to grow.

How many praying mantids can you find in one case?

We have already discussed that there are plenty of eggs inside an ootheca. What is the number exactly?

Praying mantises are used as a natural pest control method. These insects can eat the pest insects in the garden. This is why they are a popular way of pest control.

Even the little praying mantids eat the small insects that they come across. It is easy to grow these praying mantids and each egg case contains plenty of eggs. An egg case of the praying mantis contains around 50-200 eggs.

So growing one case can yield a great number of praying mantids. These insects when they hatch from the eggs will eat fruit flies and other pest insects in the garden. What better way to get rid of all the pests in the garden?

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for praying mantis egg sac then why not take a look at can praying mantis fly, or praying mantis facts.

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