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Jul 13, 2023

Yakima County Master Gardeners: Insect spotlight: the praying mantis

“Hey, guys, come quick! Look at this!” exclaimed one of our most senior Master Gardeners at the West Valley Food Garden last week. Our small herd of workers hurried over to see what she was so excited

“Hey, guys, come quick! Look at this!” exclaimed one of our most senior Master Gardeners at the West Valley Food Garden last week.

Our small herd of workers hurried over to see what she was so excited about: An egg case of praying mantises was in the throes of hatching!

You’d think we were a bunch of naive second-graders on an out-of-the-world excursion in the wild. But, even as mature adults, it’s not every day that you get to witness a miracle of nature.

Inquiring minds want to know and, as Master Gardeners, we always want to learn about our gardens. How many eggs are in an egg case? When was the egg case deposited? Do the nymphs really attack each other? How long does a praying mantis live? Is it “praying” or “preying?”

A little research project was in store for the weekend.

Drawing its name from its front legs resting in a praying position, the fascinating orthoptera is named praying mantis, although one could think of it as a preying mantis because of its predatory behavior.

The term mantis refers to the genus, whereas mantid refers to the entire group. Many people use the terms interchangeably.

The praying mantis is a great ambassador for the insect world. Its size and innocuous behavior make it an ideal insect to introduce children, and even adults, to biology and the insect world.

Their size alone draws even the mildly interested person to view them closely. Growing from 2-5 inches long in adulthood, they are often green, but can also be found in colors of brown, gray or brick red.

Praying mantises often change colors, as well as mimic the movement of flowers and leaves, to blend in with their environment in order to disguise themselves from their prey.

Their head, situated at the top of an elongated thorax, can swivel 180 degrees.

The mantis’ forelegs are raptorial, meaning they are folded back like a pocketknife, and have sharp spines that mesh together when the two legs are not in use. These spines are what allow the mantis to hold its catch.

In a resting position, the front legs are held up front of the head in a praying position. Having two sets of wings, the front being leathery and narrow and the hind wings being wide, and fan-shaped when unfolded, the praying mantis can fly, but it is a rare sight as they are clumsy fliers.

Egg cases are laid on twigs or other hard surfaces; you can find them on our masonry walls or wood trellises in the fall and are made up of a frothy material that hardens to a styrofoam-type substance. Inside are two rows of eggs, numbering from a couple dozen to hundreds, depending on the species.

A few weeks after laying eggs, the adults die off. Against popular myth, the female does not normally kill and eat the male, although it does happen occasionally.

Come late winter and early spring, the nymphs will hatch from the egg case and scatter to all corners of their world. The nymphs are known to attack each other if in proximity to each other. Somehow, they know how to flee. Newly hatched nymphs are miniature versions of the adult and will go through seven or eight morphoses until they develop wings and become an adult in the fall. They do not survive the winter.

Praying mantises are not considered to be a form of biological pest control. The insects generally found to be pests in the home garden such as caterpillars, aphids and spider mites are not affected significantly by the praying mantis.

They will feed on any insect they can catch, whether it is a honeybee, butterfly, fly or grasshopper. Surprisingly, praying mantises have been known to catch and consume lizards, frogs and even hummingbirds!

So, next spring, be on the lookout for the egg cases that have wintered over. You may be surprised to see movement one day and be witness to a hatching.

You are always welcome to contact our Master Gardener Clinic at 509-574-1604 or email [email protected] with gardening questions.

There is one free Master Gardener Saturday class for the public remaining: the basics of starting a vegetable garden. It's from 10-11 a.m. Sept. 16 at the West Valley Food Garden, 602 S. 123rd Ave. Bring a lawn chair to assure you have a seat.

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