Mantis genders

It is best to determine the gender of your praying mantises as early as possible since our female praying mantids need to be fed more feeder insects than the males. This is so they can complete their 8-9 molts when the males finish their last molt (males molt only 7 times). Females should also be kept at warmer temperatures than the males, if possible.

I’d recommend figuring out the genders when your mantises are on their third molt three. But how do you know what to look for?

Place one praying mantis into a clear container if they are not already in one. I like to do this so that I can see their thorax (bottom) easily without hurting them. Once they calm down and sit still, look at the insects last segment near the tip of their bottom. A male’s last segment is smaller and thinner, while the female’s is larger and thicker. If you still can’t tell the genders, wait another molt or two and then check again. This time you may be able to count the segments since as they grow older, female’s have five segments, while the male’s have seven or eight.

Can you guess which gender this praying mantis is?
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​Finally, after you have determined the genders of the praying mantises in your care, I’d recommend keeping your females and males separate so that the male does not keep seeing the female arch her back as she broadcasts her pheromones.