Praying Mantis in tent?

[HighLife]

So found a praying Mantis in my yard and caught it. Anyone have experience putting one in their tent to help with fungus gnats?

[Gingerbeard]

Praying mantis eating a fungus gnat (youtube.com)

[HighLife]

Praying mantis eating a fungus gnat (youtube.com)

At that rate, the gnats will reproduce faster than they'll get eaten. Haha! Oh well, was worth a shot.

[9fingerleafs]

Ive had a mantis in my veg room for the last 10 weeks. No issues. Always on plants. Had some bugs on my plants so she has been eating. Also have a ton of ladybugs, adult with wings and those in the earlier stage that look like a crawling orange and black critter. No issue. Doesn't look like the mantis is eating the ladybugs but who knows. It's a bit big so maybe. But she's still alive and responsive

[Gingerbeard]

It's looking right at me.

[9fingerleafs]

These are the bugs she's supposed to be eating

[9fingerleafs]

And some ladybugs in the plant next to it

[Going2fast]

Dude that's a kill them all and start over infestation.

[Gingerbeard]

No, no! 'tis only a flesh wound!

[9fingerleafs]

Yeah 😅 got pretty bad on a couple of plants

[Gingerbeard]

Ummmmm....

[Orggrwr]

Man that's a ton of aphids

[HighLife]

I think if you're not in flower, you may want to turn to an insecticide. Gwe has a few options that might work. I'll let a seasoned grower chime in. Or go buy more mantises.

[9fingerleafs]

I don't do any kind of insecticide or spinozad. If I were to keep this plant for a longer period I would spray 99% ethanol with the lights off. But this is only on a couple of plants and next week they're going outside for flowering. Once outside the aphids disappear in a few days.

[Gingerbeard]

I'm waiting for the post where the aphids got their shit together and destroyed the mantis and ladybugs. I mean, they outnumber them a zillion to one!
Aphids are so stupid.

[9fingerleafs]

The most curious thing is that I have another 4 plants right next to those two and those have no aphids. Once I get those two outside to flower I'll bring more from propagation. I'm just waiting a bit cause flowering is full right now

[Gingerbeard]

Maybe it is a rare trichome mutation of some type. Have you checked to make sure those are aphids? Seems like a skinny mantis. Seems that would be a corpulent sonofabitch of a mantis if those were aphids.

[HighLife]

With any luck that Mantis is about to lay eggs and they're all born super hungry. I opted against putting the mantis in my tent for fear of her being pregnant. I'm not ready to parent all those babies and actually afraid I don't have enough gnats to feed them all! I may not have the last laugh on that one. Right now DE seems to be working for me.

[9fingerleafs]

The mantis does not look pregnant to me, but maybe. On the outdoor plants this happens maybe once a year but it's the first time I bring one indoors and I'm just waiting to see how long it survives. Once the infested plants are gone it's going to have no food so I may just release it to the outdoor flowering garden

[Gingerbeard]

Is there a male mantis? You know it takes two mantises to tango, yeah?

[9fingerleafs]

Very good question. I got no idea if it's a male or female. I've seen the pregnant females and they're much more fat around the belly

[Gingerbeard]

Fuck my face. Here's an image of two praying mantises tangoing. Apparently, it's a thing. There are many more.

[Smallgrow]

Um I don’t she tangoing with that guy, I think she preparing lunch

[Gingerbeard]

Isn't his face some movie character?

[Smallgrow]

Totally

[Bowhunterwoody]

I think females kill males after mating. Bite off their heads, and the males kinda know it. Trying to get a little without dying. That's why it looks like they're doing the tango. Females are way bigger.

[Gingerbeard]

I always thought this kind of dancing looked like a man trying to kill a woman who was trying desperately to get away. The dip was the death scene.
Meh. It's dancing. I'd rather read.