Praying Mantis

[homegrown]

Well, i'v spent lots of money trying to kill insects. But This is the first time iv ever spent money to purchase an insect(s). Wife and i were out at the nursery today and something caught my eye..it wasnt any of the beautiful flowers or plants..it was a cartoon picture of a bug..iv been in the house too long. So long story short..i bought a praying mantis egg sac or(ootheca). Built a wire cage for it and hung it in a lilac tree near the pond. I'v read good and bad reviews about egg pods and successful hatching, so im gonna give it a whirl. I'll be happy with one lol.

[CaptainWiese91]

This sounds very cool !😎. So much I’ve even want to try this my self 😆

[alltatup]

A few years back we had animated discussions about praying mantises; one grower had one in his grow room who ate all the bad bugs. The grower put out a capful of water for the mantis and snapped a shot of her drinking from the cap. Smart animals, for sure. They're definitely good allies.



This is a skinny ass male I had hanging around a couple of years back. I've seen a green one this year, still tiny, so I'll try to get a pic when she grows...

[CaptainWiese91]

Nature at is best

[SoOrbudgal]

I love praying mantis they are truly a gardens friend like the lady bug. I read where a praying mantis ripped the head off those killer bees no problem. So lets get them killer bees awful I hear. I've not seen one in my garden for few years?

[homegrown]

beautiful pic!

[UndergroundFarmer]

Keep up updated when the blessed event happens.

[SoOrbudgal]

LOL blessed event haa haa

[homegrown]

Well the hired guns have arrived!! Went out to relax and have a coffee, realized the table was crawling with these little critters. Im guessing around 50-100. Still hatching!!

[homegrown]

And @ UndergroundFarmer, i cant afford cigars, its gonna have to be doobies. I'll get some fancy " Its a Bug " rolling papers. gotta be something out there...

[alltatup]

homegrown Please keep posting pics as they grow!!!!! I need my mantis fix.

I saw one in my garden a few weeks ago, I hope she's still lurking...

[Dieselgrower]

thats pretty awesome!

[homegrown]

Bug update...these little buggers got decimated in the first couple of days..even tiny spiders the size of a mantis's head...deadly to the newly hatched(probably why the hatch consists of (20-200). Dont seem to be very intelligent for the first few weeks either. I know they sway side to side to mimic a leaf in the wind..but these little ones do it all the time...even when theres no breeze at all...guess they'll figure it out eventually. They were about 1/4 inch when hatched..i'v seen a few today..almost an inch long now. One in particular seems to like having its picture taken...always looking at the camera..lol

[alltatup]

Little adolescents, good job, Pop!! I am so envious!! I think they are amazing animals that bring tremendous power and good vibes.

[Smerft85]

I'm lucky, I have mantises and ladybugs that swarm my garden every year. Just saw a baby mantis last week looking at me like it was his plant, I talk to my garden friends just as I do my plants and he knew he was going to be safe right where he stood proudly.

[alltatup]

They really DO have that way of staring at you like, "Hey!!! Whadduya think YOU'RE lookin at???"

[SoOrbudgal]

I don't see many that i can recall around my garden. Lots of ladybugs though.

[homegrown]

Good news! While i thought the mantis's were being decimated(finding all kinds of skeletons around the garden)..come to find out that they shed their exoskeleton six times before they reach adulthood. Their masters at being undetected...i have a plant on my deck. There has been a mantis in it since they hatched(2 weeks or so)....cant find the faker if you stare at it for 20 minutes..then all of a sudden..it pops up for a pic. They can change colors to mimic there surroundings too. i really like these bugs. they seem to prefer winged insects..sand flies,aphids,fruit flies,leaf hoppers. Ant's and earwigs..not so much. maybe when they get a bit bigger.

[SoOrbudgal]

That's great homegrown i sure enjoy watching those little critters move.

[homegrown]

alltatup, they seem to have no fear of people...stick your hand out close enough..they check you out with their attack legs.. then gladly climb aboard. Or just start crawling up your leg when your standing in the grass(im the only one that doesnt have a problem with that..freaks everybody else out hahah) Their not fond of the weed plants..there isnt any bugs on them(i put um on the plant..they bug out in a couple of hours). I have a large Wisteria that gets attacked by aphids every year..that seems to be where most of the mantis's are growing up. their like another pet...lol

[homegrown]

And SoOrbudgal, maybe check out your local nurseries..thats where i got mine. We sold out pretty early around here at the box stores.

[SoOrbudgal]

Thanks homegrown i did not think to check the farmers co-op

[NickyChicks]

That's so cool!! Awsome little creatures, almost every year I find big praying mantis' at work. The first pic is oct 18, pics 2&3 are last Sept. If they'll crawl onto my hand, I bring them to the apple tree behind our shop. They look like little aliens 👽

[alltatup]

How freakin cool is that!!! I tell ya, mantises are drawn to cannabis cultivators. You can tell he really likes you. That's a skinny ass male looking for a big plump female.

ps. You're the one who looks like an alien to him!!! ;-}

[homegrown]

Three weeks after birth..their on the move. About two inches long now and they eat a lot. doesnt matter what either. I didnt think they ate slow moving insects, like worms or caterpillars..but yup. they do. Very messy lolol

[alltatup]

Worms and caterpillers = canoli and burrito!!!!! Squishy is yummy!!

[CaptainWiese91]

So fucking cool 😎. Awesome predators

[Dieselgrower]

way cool. They are awesome!

[MeEasy]

What a coincidence I was reading about praying mantis today because a guy was having problems with caterpillars and I looked up a natural way of getting them out.

https://www.prayingmantisshop.com/info-mantis.html

[homegrown]

Heres a couple recent pics of Bug Control Crew. Between these and the very large amounts of dragonflies hanging around the pond this year, we can actually sit outside at dusk..without being tormented by skeeters. Seems the bigger the mantis's get the harder they are to find. Took a pic of this one character..hasnt left this plant since it was born..its actually eating a leg of a bug but there is a bird turd on the leaf...which make it look like its smoking a doob and theres a big cloud around its head..lol Thats my new avitar!!

[alltatup]

They've gotten HUGE!!! He's adorable! Let's hope you have some nice females in there who will leave their egg sacs this year!!

[SoOrbudgal]

Love the new avatar healthy little bugger.

[PLreef]

Very cool. This is something I've wanted to try. Occasionally ill see a praying mantis in my garden.