Instructions
Feed all the mantises before attempting to breed them. Hunger is slightly higher on their list of priorities than mating, so they will choose to eat each other if they are hungry, and you will be left with one nice, fat mantis and no opportunity for breeding.
Place a male and female Praying Mantis together during the summer months. Females are usually larger and have fuller, heavier abdomens than the males.
Remove the male mantis immediately after mating. Mantises can copulate for up to six hours, so watch them carefully to determine when they have completed their mating.
Feed your female mantis well, as she will become quite fat after copulation, and will need the energy to complete the egg-laying process.
Watch for the female to lay anywhere fromone to six ootheca, or egg sacs. She will begin laying them about a day or so after mating. Each ootheca will contain from 12 to 400 eggs.
Wait three to six months for the egg sacs to hatch, depending on the specific species of your Praying Mantis.
How to Breed a Praying Mantis
Though raising a captive Praying Mantis is sometimes challenging, breeding them in captivity is actually quite easy. Many find that raising and breeding Praying Mantises is extremely rewarding, since these noble insects have a peculiar Zen-like quality to them. Of course, having a nice brood of Praying Mantises to keep around the house is also useful, since they will keep your house free of other, smaller insects that are less enlightened!