First Mantis

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mr_yan

New Member
I was rushing in after a dog walk tonight - chased by a thunder storm and the accompanying rain - and as I reached for the storm door handle there was a mantis less than a meter away walking up the corner molding / trim of the vinyl siding.

This girl was BIG, easily 10 cm long, and tan brown on the top with neon green under side. Easily the biggest mantis I have seen in person.

This was after a patchy frost last night and we're now back into the 60's after dark. Warm enough for no jacket when on the dog walk.

I have seen mantis frequently when I lived in St Louis for a summer but this is the first one I have seen up here. Certinally the first one I have ever seen in my own garden.

No pics though. I moved away as I called my wife to see it. And she's squeamish about anything "buggy".

Any suggestions on how to make my yard and garden attractive to a mantis to stay around in?
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
I see them a lot in my butterfly garden. Also around trees and wooded areas. Becareful as you do your fall clean up as you may see egg sacks. Just leave them exactly as you found them so they can hatch in the spring ;)
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
I find them in the garden frequently!
Found a large 4 inch brown one last month!
Seems that were more of them last year then this year for some reason!
Probably because they blend in with their environment so well and I wasn't paying as much attantion, so just didn't see as many!
They do give me the creeps with their modile head and large eyes, and way they look at me.....like I might be their next meal!
I like the walking sticks more, and will let them crawl on my hands and arms!
They are way more cool!!
 

Wombat

Active Member
My Y, Crabber's right about the egg casings. They're usually well hidden under leaves and twigs and have a frothy appearance before the case hardens into a brown colour. You've probably got quite a few in your garden but they're so well camouflaged that you would rarely see them. Being creatures that ambush their prey they stay very still and blend in with the shrubbery. As long as you have some flowering bushes and shrubs that attract various insects and also provide them with cover, they'll flourish.
 

mr_yan

New Member
This mantis seems to have visited my neighbor also. My neighbor watched her lay an egg pod / foam right in a string of pole beans. As I was walking around the block he flagged me down to show me.

Anyway the question is how to handle this egg pod. The beans are no where near protected for the winter and typical winters here are ugly. We get cold but are usually dry. If we approach 80 inches of snow people start to talk about record snow fall but a week of well below zero F is typical. Once the pod hardens for a few weeks could the string be cut out and tied up into a tree branch? Would an evergreen shrub protect it better than deciduous?
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
Mantis egg cases 'pods' are waterproof and frost resistant and need no protection!
You can move the pod elsewhere...evergreens are good!
You should know that mantis are not very particular where they chose to lay their eggs and found a few cases attached to the siding of the house!
I usually find them on annual weeds that are sturdy and have hard enough stems that stay erect during the winter and early spring.
I used to use twist ties to hold the stems the 'pod' is on to where I'm placing it!
 


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