Praying Mantis

My very favorite of the beneficial insects for sure, these guys will eat just about any insect pest you have in your garden, they are even known to eat each other!  They live about one year and lay their eggs in fall. A majority of the Beneficial Insects in your garden will eat certain bugs, but the Praying Mantis will eat just about any other insect. They are fierce little hunters, and boy do they put up a good fight. They are known as Ambush Attackers, pouncing on nearby prey after stalking them or waiting patiently in their camouflage until the time is right.

So what do these guys eat for dinner? Well, just about anything smaller than them that they can over-power.The Mantis has little spikes on their front legs which gives them a good grasp on their unlucky victims and they have been known to not only eat insects, if they get large enough they will attack frogs and lizards as well, I personally have never witnessed this thank goodness, I love frogs!!

This all might make them sound a little scary, but they can be a gardener's best friend and they are just so neat! I hope every year to have that one praying mantis make his little home in the plants near the porch so I can go out and see him every summer morning.

beneficial insects