The Praying Mantis

By Terri Estes

The praying mantis is truly a special insect. They are natural predators of garden pests like aphids, flies and moths. Gardeners love to have them around.

They have a voracious appetite, and a juvenile praying mantis will eat hundreds of aphids and other small insects every day. Adults will focus on larger insects, and while they will still eat aphids if hungry, they tend to focus on beetles, grasshoppers, flies and mosquitoes. Adult praying mantises have been known to take down large moths, butterflies and even hummingbirds.

This time of year, adult praying mantises are frequently seen around our homes and in our yards. They are fully grown, and this is their mating season. Praying mantises’ courtships can be pretty intense. Females, who are quite larger than males, have been known to eat their partners after (or even during) mating.

The female then lays her eggs in a protective casing called an ootheca, which hardens into a protective shell. These oothecas are generally attached to a hard, sturdy surface such as a tree stump or branch, a fence post, or a side of a shed or a home.

The following spring, the eggs hatch into tiny nymphs which are baby versions of adults. They may stay near their ootheca for a while before dispersing. They normally hatch between 50 and 400 babies.

Praying mantises are found worldwide and there are over 2,400 different species. They can rotate their head over 180 degrees, and they have speedy reflexes. They move very slowly or stay still to lie in wait. Then, they use their quick reflexes to quickly extend their forelegs to grasp their victim in a vice-like grip.

The praying mantis has been on this earth for over 30 million years. They have shared the planet with dinosaurs. The original praying mantises appeared to look more like cockroaches, but have evolved to have elongated forearms and bodies, as well as the ability to blend into their environment to look like a twig or a leaf.

There is an urban myth that has been circulating since the 1950s, that it is illegal to kill a praying mantis. However, there are no federal or state laws protecting them. That being said, they are good bugs, so, please, don’t harm them!