Mantis survives Hurricane Sandy

Subject: Praying Mantis
Location: long island
November 1, 2012 5:54 pm
My husband found this little girl(i think) after Hurricane Sandy. She is not in the best shape and we would like to know what to do for her so that she can possibly survive.
Signature: Danielle

Hi Danielle,
We believe this is a female Chinese Mantis, and she looks like she may produce an ootheca or egg sac if given the chance.  Mantids only live a single season, and in colder climates, they generally do not survive the first frost, however, you can likely extend this individuals lifespan in captivity.  A small aquarium or terrarium will make an excellent habitat.  Mist her daily so that she doesn’t dry out and you can feed her crickets which are generally available at most pet stores.  Though the lower beasts have not gotten the same level of attention in the media post-Sandy, no doubt many birds and animals also perished in the storm.  We are tagging this post with the Bug Humanitarian Award.

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately the girl was too far gone by the time my husband got her home. She was found in the middle of a dealership garage after being closed for 2 days. She was really cold and we did our best to warm her up and get her some bugs to eat. I did think that she was about to produce eggs from the look of her so we did put her in a bowl with some leaves and branches. But it was all too late.
I love your site. Thanks to your site the cicada killers had a nice home this summer. Last year we were told we were told that they were highly aggressive. Also house centipedes have been allowed to live now that I found out that they are harmless.
-Danielle

Hi again Danielle,
You truly do deserve the Bug Humanitarian Award.