Close Encounters Of the Mantis Kind !

[JACKtheREFFER]

I recently moved to a new house and after a few days here, i began to find Praying Mantis. Several of them in fact ....

Now i really don't have any bug issues with in my gardens, but it was really starting to get cold and they were clinging to the windows catching warth from inside the house. So i gathered three of them up, which was rather easy they were moving very slow almost as if they were dying.

Well 2 weeks have gone by and i havent seen much of the mantises, but one of them a few days ago was on a light cover i snapped a few pics of him >>



Last night i pulled all the plants out for some trimming and maintenance...

When ,,, SMACK right in the Face a praying mantis tried to eat my eye .....i jump at first then realized what it was i grab her and put her on a plant ....she stood there solid, she was defending her plant and watched me intently as if i was a intruder ..

I keep my eye on her , as she did me. For a while i was a bit scared of her she was very aggressive after i removed her from my face .
Moving along in my work when i run across another mantis , this one had taken up defense of the opposite side of the box .when i moved her plant out she immediately stood up and presented her front large Forelegs .Like she was gonna kick my ass for moving her bush .....Damn little bugs !!
so needless to say i am bit more cautious when entering the realm of the Mantes ..

I have not found the third Guy i put in there, he may have been a casualty of some tiny mantis conflict ...

the seem to be doing very well considering they looked to be almost dead when i put them in.

What do you guys suppose they are eating ?? Roaches maybe ?? I cant say that ive really seen any around but my growbox is in the garage ..

Ido see an occasional fungus gnat ..but not in any large number .. in the last 2 months ive seen maybe three

Also another interesting observation ...they seem to be completely immune to Direct sprays of Neem oil , Sm-90 ...maybe thats why they are so pissed OFF !!! LOL

crazy bugs

 

[Classyathome]

Get some small crickets from pet shop - reptile food - and let the mantis's go to town.

I love mantis's - had a job fuelling planes a few years back, and our fuel depot would get over-run with them.

They would be all over the place - flying and landing on me - multiples hitchin' rides on me and truck.

Such cool bugs - and badass predators for sure...

 

[JACKtheREFFER]

Yea ,, that is a good idea .. there is a bait shop down the street i bet they have crickets...Good suggestion ... i want to see how long they will stick around. they surely would not have survived out in the cold like they were for much longer ..

 

[headfortrinity]

Right on Jack, I found one out in the cold about a month ago. I put the little bugger in my greenhouse where it laid an egg sac.
I named it Jim

 

[JACKtheREFFER]

HA! that's awesome so im not the only one .....i think ill name mine steve even though its a girl ....thats pretty cool , i will have to look for a egg sac ....

 

[Classyathome]

Steve French???

 

[JACKtheREFFER]

HA HA !!!! like the trailer park boys, mountain lion ??

I actually hadn't thought of that ,,, but now that you say that yes

Steve French is his name from this moment forward !

 

[Classyathome]

Steve French it is...

Congrats, and say high to Steve French for me. Hope he gets some crickets soon, he''ll have the munchies from hangin' 'round in your dope patch...

 

[Marywanna]

I look for mantis every year out in my garden. They will eat those bastard spider mites and even eat Japanese beetles.One of the coolest insects around. Man if they were giant size..............and you could control them................sweet Horror movie stuff.

 

[LolaGal]

Praying mantis rock!

 

[JACKtheREFFER]

For sure!!! They are awsome .... She still roams the box as we speak ... I haven't seen her in a few days !!! I'll go find her and grab some pics I think she is eating spiders too

 

[DoobieDuck]

Jack thanks for the thread..I had these images in my files at home..this one I think just emerged from its cacoon, if that's what they do...anyway..cool looker. Good luck finding yours..DD

 

[medi-useA]

Mantis are your friends...Borg are a snack...moths are a feast...thrips are a stopoff @ MacDonalds!

muA

 

[JACKtheREFFER]

That's awsome DD !!!! You and your camera take such excellent pictures so clear and close... That's a crazy mantis looks almost yellow it's so white .....has to be a fresh born mantis ....

DD and thanks for sharing

I found Steve in the box but didn't have time to snap some pics .. So she is still alive !!!

 

[OMountainMix]

plus since they are somewhat rare, you are helping the environment by giving them a home and food. i've always been pro mantis. at our previous grow, our partner constantly had thrips, mites, etc. we used a lot of lady bugs and predator mites, but you have to keep ordering them, and he was a slacking. soil and old house means you just have to be pro active. i keep advocating mantises but he and my husband were worried about the aggression. we even saw one outside one day and i wanted to bring it in, but i was out voted . now i see i was right and they were wrong . . . .

 

[ParadigmShift]

Jack thanks for the thread..I had these images in my files at home..this one I think just emerged from its cacoon, if that's what they do...anyway..cool looker. Good luck finding yours..DD

Beautiful pic DD, the Mantis looks like it just come out of a fresh molt and is in the process of harden off.
I'm a bug/invert nerd...I should start my own thread.