ThePrayingMantis.org 


posted May 14 2012 
I had at least 300 praying mantis hatch from an egg that was laid late November.  We
took the cocoon like casing as it looked there could be more babies, put into a
glass small bottle with holes and a second batch hatched - about another 100..had to
let the out as they were attacking each other ... I have pictures if u want to see.

Kept one for a pet and fee it small ants. Fed it ants the next day and the killed
the nymph? Why?

It was awfully

Thank you,

Patti W, RN, BS, ONC, CCRN.

Sent from my iTouch


 
 
posted June 6 2012:  mantis defeats hornet
Hi, Mantis Man. I recently read your "Mantis Enemies" page and saw that you need
cases where mantises defeat the hornets. Well, as it turned out, during their
encounters, mantises do sometimes turn the tables and defeat the hornets. However,
the ones I saw are all Chinese mantises. I've attached a few pictures, I don't know
if you can post them on your web page but I'm sending them to you anyways. A. Ding

 
 
 
 
 
posted 6/20/12 
To whom it may concern,

In researching praying mantises for a school project, while my daughter found your website to be very
informative and easy to use, she has had great difficulty referencing your website appropriately
for her bibliography because it appears to lack: publishing dates, issues dates, revisions, page numbers,
and clear editors and authors. Please can you respond with any or all the information above? Copyright
information is essential to present the work of others. My daughter would like to aknowledge your work
for the help it has given her.

Thank you,
Emma H.
Ottawa, Canada
 
 
posted 6/13/12
I saw your online page.. I hope your still answering questions. Last winter I saved
a mantis nest from my flower bed. Kept it safe outside all winter in a old Seamo
nkey tank. 2 weelks ago attached it to a stake and replaced it in the exact location
the momma left it. ( the flower has grown back to full size.).. It is directly in
the sun right next to my house. I havent seen any babies.. what are my chances of
hatching and if it happened next year what are better opions of saving during winter
and replacing the next year? - Thank you for you knowledge- A ngie ( PS- Mid east
coast if that helps)
replied 6/18/12
 
If they hatch, they can hatch any day now. The chances of them hatching out is nearly impossible to say because there's no knowledge of the mother mating. It's possible that the mother never even mated. But if she did, the chances of hatching are fair (but not 100%).

Question: Does 'Mid east coast' mean MidEast coastal USA, or the Middle East??
 
 
From:       B, Michele, DOH
Date:       Mon, June 18, 2012 1:53 pm

Hello,  I have a quick question about praying mantis.  My house seems to be a haven of some sort to them now.  It is not unusual for  6 or 7 of them to be hanging out on the roof or near the kitchen sink.  Is this something I should be concerned
about?   I live in southern New Mexico and it is very dry and hot so I figured they were just trying to find a safe place but I don't want an infestation.  Do you have any information on that sort of thing?  I would appreciate any insight you have.
Thank  You.  -Michele
 
replied 6/20/12
 
If they are generally increasing in number, they will eventually stabilize ...every species has its carrying capacity. If they are only increasing inside the house, then other factors are involved. Maybe their local habitat is being destroyed. Or, maybe these are just adult males congregating near the light.
 
 
From:       "A. Ding"
Date:       Fri, July 6, 2012 4:48 pm

Just another picture of mantis defeating the hornet. Again the mantis in this
picture is a Chinese mantis. Although only one video exist of the mantis defeating
the hornet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZGP-qDwQf4), these pictures are just as
good. as with my previous 3 pictures, the mantis in this shot is in its "predatory
mode"; it's gripping the hornet in a "death pinch" instead of a "defense pinch".
Also, this mantis is calm enough to stare at the camera, a clear sign that it had
the whole situation under control. Over the course of years I've understood the
basics of how a praying mantis fights. The key of success for a mantis is
confidence. A mantis that is willing to attack first with the intent of eating the
enemy wins over 80% or higher of the time. Most of the time, the mantis's confidence
comes from being camouflaged. Once a mantis is out in the open, its instincts of
running away from large predators kick in and its fighting ability
 plummets. When that happens, the mantis often choose to be on the defensive.
However, the mantis is poorly suited for defense, for in defense, one's aim is not
to kill the enemy, and a defensive mantis will only make slashes with its arms;
only when pinned down does it try to pinch and bite, which would normally be too
late by then. Now, all the enemies that wishes to fight a mantis are also
formidable predators themselves, so they are not likely to run away and the mantis
is in trouble. I've been curious enough to look at the notorious videos of Japanese
bug fighting. Although I strongly dislike the nature of them, they do prove my
point: a mantis on the offensive is capable of fatally injuring a tarantula; but
once it gets timid then it faces certain death.
A. Ding
 





Subject:       mantis egg question
From:       "Brad M"
Date:       Fri, July 6, 2012 10:56 pm

Hi, I'm Charlie and I have two female praying mantises.  I am nine.  The brown
female laid eggs all of a sudden and I never saw her breed.  I bought her on Craig's
List.  I don't know what to do with them.  Could they be unfertilized?  How should I
take care of it?  When will I know if it's fertilized?  Thank you for your help.
Charlie
--
Brad M
 
If the mantis was already an adult when you got her, you won't know if she mated or not. If you got her before she was an adult, then she shed into an adult, and you know she never mated, then the eggs should be unfertilized. Either way, attach the eggs outside on a bush and check on it every now and then. Then this way, if they hatch, you don't have to raise them (unless you wanted to take a few).
 
 
Subject:  MANTIS FOLLIES
From:       "Steve T"
Date:       Mon, July 16, 2012 11:05 pm

Yesterday in Moorestown NJ I saw a Mantis on a rubber raft in the pool..I
tried the Mantis and put it on my arm. It actually jumped from there onto my
nose and crawled onto my head. I did this over and over like a game you play
with a pet and have a video of this on my cell. I said to the small group
this is my new pet and I was only kidding but realize I probably could have
kept it for a few hours. It made my day. I eventually put it on a branch in
a tree and it stayed there. Good luck with your endeavors.

Steve T
Vineland NJ
 
Subject: Preying Mantis
Date: Sun, September 9, 2012 6:41 am

Good Afternoon

I want to tthank you for this incredible site that you developed! I was
on my neighbor's porch moving a preying mantis from her glass door to
the brick wall where it could get a better grip.

After moving it, we were collecting morning glory seeds when we
discovered what appeared to be a piece of foam installation. Her son
said he thought it was a mantis edd case yet not quite too sure.
Needless to say I immeditately went to the computer to resaearch and was
fortunate enough to find your site and an actual photograph of a preying
mantis egg case - It really does look exactly as the photograph. I
cannot find the words to truly express what I feel other than it is a
miracle.

Now here is the catch - the preying mantis formed her egg case on a
piece of broken stake that is covered by the fading morning glories.
Can the entire piece of stake that has the egg case be moved to a safer
place ? The broken piece is touching the porch on an angle and barely
attached to the base of the stake. If it can be moved can it be wintered
over with plants that get mulched and covered with straw ?

Your help is greatly appreciated

Eve D


Subject: My missing limb Mantis
Date: Sun, September 9, 2012 8:46 am

Hi Mantis Man- I found your web site this morning during a google search
and just love it! I have had numerous mantis in my backyard this summer and
was never really crazy about them because I kept finding beautiful
butterfly wings on the ground under where they were staying. I have 3 huge
butterfly bushes, side by side, and the mantis's know where the hunting is good.
I've changed my mind about them these last 2 weeks as I have found
one that is missing part of its leg and has only one claw to hunt with. I
have been watching him or her and taking photo's and am thrilled to see that
it can hunt with only one claw. I was so worried that it would starve with
its disability. I have photo's of the mantis catching and eating a honey bee
and a skipper butterfly and a moth at dusk! I guess we can learn from
nature......never give up despite disabilities and hardship!
I've sent a close up of my friend and its missing limb part. My
computer has excellent anti-virus protection so you don't have to worry about
opening the photo. Thanks for the web site.....very informative! Best,

Jeri Kratina Northern N

 


 
 
Subject: Injured mantis

Date: Mon, September 10, 2012 6:11 am

My daughter spotted a praying mantis on the netting around her trampoline, and she
told me she thought there was something wrong with one of it's front legs, and she
was correct. I does not extend it at all. I've got it in a butterfly habitat at
the moment and am feeding it small crickets from the pet store and it's only using
one front leg to catch them so I know it's other leg is useless. I love these
things and felt bad that it might not survive without both front legs working to
hunt and eat so I caught it. I would like to know if I should keep it, as it is
"handicapped" or do you think it would stand as good a chance as any other mantis in
the wild? Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks.
Mrs. G. Macdonald


Subject: Praying Mantis Egg Pod
Date: Mon, September 10, 2012 2:33 pm

Hello,

We had a praying mantis hanging around our house in s.w. Ontario, Canada over the
weekend. We first discovered it in the house and I carefully transferred it out of
doors. It hung around our front deck all day Saturday and Sunday. It had an
obviously swollen abdomen and we conjectured that it might be getting ready to lay
its eggs.

I saw it this morning on a branch of a vine we have growing next to the house, but
couldn't locate it upon getting home from work. Later, however, when I went to use
the broom we have resting out there I discovered that there was an egg sac/pod
attached to the top of the broom bristles - above the stitching and below the
handle.

Can I leave it there? We usually move the broom into the garage when the snow
flies, would that be harmful to the eggs? I had thought to give it a few days and
then try to cut the surrounding bristles and then moving the sac/pod to a jar (or
something) where it would be unlikely to be disturbed. Is moving the sac a
possibility?

I don't mind having praying mantises around the property and just want the eggs to
hatch and find their way in the wild, if possible.

Thanks

Mary E