Mantid Egg Cases
This winter I’m incubating five mantid oothecae (egg cases), two of which just arrived this afternoon:
Brunneria borealis (Brunner's mantis)
Stagmomantis carolina (Carolina mantis)
Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Chinese mantis)
So there are two Brunneria borealis ooths, two Stagomomantis carolina ooths, and one Tenodera aridifolia sinensis ooth. I expect them to hatch out nymphs sometime in late December to late February. All of these are mantid species native to the United States; growing up in Texas, I could catch Carolina mantids all throughout the summer and every once and a while a Chinese. Here in Pennsylvania there are only wild Chinese. Never have I come across a wild Brunner’s… they must be more rare, or just more difficult to spot.
I’m keeping an eye out for any Chinese mantis egg cases that might be overwintering in our backyard. The frost will have killed off all the adults by now. Usually the egg cases are somewhere around in the garden or house/garage/sheds. It’s fun to get out and go hunting even if I never find much. 
