When do praying mantis come out?

17 years ago

Last year I saw egg cases of praying mantis in my yard but I have not seen a live one yet. Do they come out more at night?

What type of plants or prey do they prefer? The egg cases were near a row of rose bushes, which had sawfly larva on them in the spring (May).

Comments (5)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
Praying mantis prefers any critter that is alive and moving. They'll eat butterflies (just the bodies, leaving the wings to fall on the ground), caterpillars, beetles of all kinds, each other, spiders, and your sawfly. They've been known to snatch hummingbirds out of the air, too.

They aren't allowed to remain in my gardens, but are promptly escorted elsewhere. ;-)
webkat5
17 years ago
Watering the plants in the garden will many times flush them to the surface....I ran across a good sized one today....about 4 inches, I would say....living in Gaura 'Whirling Butterflies'.
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No Thanks!!! I think they are really neat, not crawling on me. Did anyone see the America's Funniest Videos,where the guy was teasing the mantis, sticking his tongue out and air boxing with it & the mantis decided to jump on his face.He ran screaming like a little girl!!! Too funny!!! Rotflmao I think it won $10.000. I've seen a few over the last few weeks on my brugs.Karyn, I knew that!!! Yikes!!!At least the spider a couple months back we were talking about, waits until the male dies from mating and then wraps him up & eats him for a snack!LOL Theresa
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As shocking and sad that a mantis can actually catch a hummer (which amazed me), I expect it is an EXTRAORDINARILY rare event. In my 25 years of organic gardening (encouraging mantises among other beneficial insects), I have never seen a mantis with anything larger than a grasshopper or moth. And in untold numbers of weeding events, I have never found a hummingbird carcass on the ground among the flowers. Mantids aren't perfectly beneficial; they will catch a few "good" insects, too. But they shouldn't be considered any real threat to hummers either. Heck, I kept one as a "pet" for a couple of months once (put it on a thread leash and fed it moths). They are relatively safe to handle. You can just grab them gently from behind (like pinching a pencil in the middle) and they can't reach you. Or just put a long stick in front of them and they will generally get on it (they are afraid of you). Or push them into a slippery bowl and dump them on any plant away from the hummer feeders; they do not usually travel far. I'm a hummer-lover, but I am also mantis-friendly...
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Lucky you!! I think PMs eat almost everything bad. At least that's what I've always heard...that when it comes to beneficial insects they're the pick of the litter. Tell them hi, and that if they have any cousins who need a nice garden to hang out in, I can set them up with a nice place. :)
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found praying mantis egg sac
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Comments (2)
Hi, Libby! I was just passing through and noticed your post, thought I'd throw in my two cents! :o) We have found several egg cases around here, and since I knew they would probably be mowed down, I've moved them. I sometimes will take the stick/stem it's attached to, and stick it in the ground somewhere else. I've also stuck them in with other plants in a container on my porch. I think yours will be fine. They hatch once the weather is warm, but I'm not sure of the temperature. We even had some hatch in the house this winter!!! (A praying mantis had been in the house last fall, she left an egg sac up inside the corner of a window. When the weather got cold, we turned on a heater near the window, and they hatched!) Hoping you see lots of babies in your garden this year, Angel
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bowdoin514
17 years ago
I saw my very first praying mantis just a few days ago, and I am in southeastern PA. What do their egg cases look like, does anyone know? I want to know more about them, since they are such neat & interesting insects. I have heard they are a sign of good luck...is this true? Have also been told they can get "aggresive" if threatened, and have seen pictures of them being able to snare a hummingbird. Hope yours are out there! (I named the one visiting at my place "Hank". Lol!)
Emma in PA
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
You're best bet would be to do a Google Image search on Praying Mantis egg case so that you can see the many many different forms they take.

Are you asking if the myth of being good luck is true? No. Just a fable. All mantids are quite open minded about who they attack and eat, making them a pest to some of us. They will very happily nab bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects to the point where they are a downright hazard in my gardens! NOT ALLOWED!

They are interesting creatures, and very beautiful. Be careful how you handle them....they bite.
webkat5
17 years ago
The egg cases will generally be about a foot off the ground...may be attached to a stem or branch...or attached to a surface as in the pic of one I found:

Here is a link that might be useful:

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When do praying mantis come out?

Comments (5)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

webkat5

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bowdoin514

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

webkat5

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