Praying Mantis
Praying Mantis, sometimes called Preying Mantis or Pray Mantis, due to their predatory nature are a beneficial organic insect control in any garden setting.
- Praying Mantis can be used as an effective organic pest control for the organic vegetable garden.
- You can occasionally catch a praying mantis in the garden feasting on aphids, grasshoppers, beetles, moths and flies.
- Their exceptional ability to blend in with their surroundings gives them the upper-hand when pouncing on unsuspecting prey.
- One point to keep in mind, if given the opportunity, praying mantis may also dine on other beneficial pests in the organic garden.
Praying Mantis Life Cycle
- Praying mantis adults mate in late summer.
- Contrary to popular belief, female praying mantis do not always bite off the head of the mating male.
- Female praying mantis lay their eggs in a frothy egg mass called a Mantis ootheca (ō-ə-ˈthē-kə).
- Baby praying mantis are hatched in late Spring and may resort to cannibalism if they cannot find a sufficient food source to sustain them.
- Egg masses can be placed in a glass jar with a breathable top in mid-Spring to observe praying mantis babies hatching.
- Praying mantis have a total life cycle of one year.
