Thank you again John :) I have had her since she was a sub-adult, and she only recently molted about 3 weeks ago. I have never bred mantises though so this is a first time experience for me. They're still together too, and it's been over 5 hours now. What are the chances of getting some good ooths out of this pairing?

I'd say pretty good. They are native and adapted to the environment, so you don't have to worry about humidity and other factors which can affect development. She should give you at least two, maybe more, oothecae.

I had read 3-6 hours, but they've been connected now for 12 hours. Should I be worried or is something not happening right? do they sometimes go this long? Thanks so much for answering my questions too. I appreciate it a lot.

And keep documenting; we might learn something here. Was your part of Texas subjected to the torrential rains and flooding earlier this year? If so, it could have had an effect on these critters and their behavior.

A few years back my area in NE Ohio had an unusually mild winter and wet spring. The result was an overabundance of red admiral butterflies.

I'm curious to see what happens with these mantids.

You might want to stop feeding her as well, they are both going to die in the end. It won't matter if it is via cannibalism or some other means.

Though they were still together when I went to sleep around 11 pm last night, I checked on them this morning and they are done. And she ate his head off. I thought if I fed her she would leave him alone, but nope. We did get lots of rain this spring, and we live only about 1500 feet from the Blanco, and it tore apart parts of the neighborhood. Several neighbors lost everything.

We almost drove into it that night when it was 40' higher than it's ever been (recorded, anyway). I noticed after the flood we had more raccoons and more deer. We have also had less scorpions and recluses and more wolf spiders, cliff chirping frogs and tarantulas this year. Lots of dragonflies and especially damselflies as well. And hardly any snakes.

I am assuming feeding her less will extend her life by a little bit? Should I stop feeding her all together?

You can keep feeding her...I suggested stopping to see if she'd eat the male.

I assume you have her in some type of terrarium. If so, keep it in an unheated garage or shed. When she lays her oothecae, they will be subject to the outdoor temperatures and be able to develop properly over the winter. If you keep them indoors, the nymphs will emerge in the middle of winter and you can have a mess on your hands. ;^)

I removed him for examination, and he's still moving. My son exclaimed "he's a zombie!" He is missing his head, one of his front legs, some of his wings and most of his abdomen, but his walking legs remain intact. I set him upright and he began walking around.