Praying Mantis

This week, we are highlighting an insect commonly called the “guardians of the garden” for their habit of preying on undesirable insects. The Praying Mantis is a natural way to keep your gardens safe. These insects will eat anything they can grab onto with their raptorial front legs, including flies, crickets, moths, butterflies, wasps, and caterpillars. There are two different types of praying mantis you might find in the state of Kansas. The first is the native Carolina mantid, which is smaller and reaches approximately 2.5 inches long. This mantid can be gray, green, brown, or a combination of colors. They are a generalist predator that eats a variety of insects. The second is the Chinese mantid, which can easily reach 3 to 5 inches long and is usually tan with a green line down the sides of its forewings. They are ambush predators that attack anything they can subdue, including insects, snakes, hummingbirds, and small mammals.

Both species of praying mantids overwinter as egg cases, which can often be found from November through April. The females lay between 200 and 300 eggs, which are covered by a hardened, Styrofoam-like egg case or ootheca. These can often be found on branches, stems, walls, fences, sides of houses, and eaves. Egg cases vary in size and shape depending on the species. The egg case of the Carolina mantid is tan to light brown, about 1 inch long, and rectangular or elongated with a distinct white-to-gray band down the center of the egg case (see photo on the right). The Chinese mantid egg case is light brown, approximately 1 ½ inches long, half-domed in shape, with one end tapered (see photo on the left). You can remove the egg case, bring them into the home, and place them into a glass jar with a lid with at least 10 small air holes. The warm temperatures inside the house will cause the nymphs to hatch from eggs in four to six weeks. You can delay egg hatching by placing the egg cases in a refrigerator and removing them one to two months before you want the eggs to hatch. This will ensure that nymphs are released when the weather is warm, so there is no risk of exposure to cold temperatures. The nymphs that emerge will be very hungry. Therefore, immediately release them into the garden, as long as they are not exposed to freezing temperatures. However, if the nymphs are not released promptly or provided with a food source, they will eat each other (cannibalism), leaving just one large nymph that will not eat for a month. If you don’t find any egg cases in your yard, you can purchase them from garden centers or online sources.

Praying mantids can be a fun, beneficial insect in your yard. Their unique form and the fact that they eat other insects make them a welcome guest in the garden. If you find one, handle it with caution. They will bite, and it does hurt. Keep an eye out for their egg cases around your house this winter, and you may be rewarded with these helpful insects next year.

 

Have questions? Contact our office where our Horticulture Extension Agent will assist you with questions.

Phone: (316) 321-9660

Email: callae@ksu.edu