How the Praying Mantis Eliminates Garden Pests Naturally

2 Egg Cases Chinese Praying Mantis 100 - 400 Babies

A praying mantis is one of a group of insects that are quite interesting. Their heads are shaped in a triangle at the end of a long neck.

They can turn their heads a complete 180 degrees when watching for prey. They actually have 5 eyes - two large and three smaller between them. This is for searching the area around them for prey.

This mantis is usually green or brown which helps them to blend into their surroundings. This allows them to wait patiently while their prey comes to them. They lounge on the leaves of trees while waiting.

The front legs are what they use to snatch the insects they have for dinner. Their legs have tiny spikes which hold its prey and keep it from getting away. The leg action they use to snatch their prey is so fast it is virtually impossible to see.

What Do The Praying Mantis Eat?

The typical diet consists of grasshoppers, flies, moths and crickets. They also eat just about any other type of insect that may come along. They will also eat their own species.

A very interesting fact about this insect is the devouring of the male after mating. This has also been known to happen while mating.

This would appear to cut down on the male population somewhat but since the females lay literally hundreds of eggs the population is not in danger of becoming extinct.

Named for the front legs which are held at an angle that is quite similar to prayer, the insect is actually the genus rather than the name. The proper name is mantid.

By encouraging these beneficial insects to live in your garden the pests that typically threaten the growing plants are eliminated.

Gardeners love having these insects in their garden especially those who do not want to use pesticides. The insect is considered a “biological type of pest control.”

Their main diet consists of small insects but the larger ones have been known to eat lizards, snakes, mice and hummingbirds. They are carnivorous insects, which simply means they eat meat.

Their ability to stay perfectly still and wait patiently for their prey to pass by is what allows them to be the perfect garden de-bugger. This is why you can purchase the eggs of this beneficial insect from garden supply stores

The Master of Disguise

Once they catch their prey, the mantis will bite the neck of the insect and paralyze it. Then right away it eats it, sometimes while it is still alive.

The eating process starts at the neck so that the struggle is eliminated. Some species of resemble flowers with their bright colors. This will allow them to snatch an unsuspecting hummingbird as it comes by looking for nectar. They also eat other birds.

The insect breeds in the summer especially in warmer climates. The female can lay between 12 to 400 eggs once fall arrives. They are in a liquid called an ootheca which turns into a hard shell.

This will protect the baby while the temperatures are cold. In the spring when they hatch they will often eat their brothers and sisters.

When young their diet will consist of aphids and small flies. The young praying mantis sheds several times before becoming full-grown. There is a generation hatched every season.

The insect grows and replaces its covering with an exoskeleton as needed. Anywhere from five to ten times this can happen until the final molt.

This is when most of the insects develop wings, although not all. Their typical lifespan is only about 10 to 12 months and if they live in cold climates the females normally die in the winter.

Although most people think of this predator as a pest, this is not quite true. Their ability to look like their surroundings are what makes them the perfect pest control.

The disguise they don allows insects to sense no threat and provides dinner for the praying mantis. If you look very closely in your back yard, more than likely you will find it doing what they do best - lying in wait for his next victim. Top of praying mantis page