Praying Mantises Are Eating My Plants

Unusual Feature

• Mantids are a group of insects who have one very unusual feature. To better catch fast-moving prey, mantids have adapted a set of grasping appendages at the end of their front legs. When resting or stalking prey, these appendages are held folded up against their bodies, resembling hands folded in prayer. Young mantids are identical to their adult counterparts, so you may find mantids in a variety of sizes. Adults are 2 to 3 inches long.

Mantids Are Beneficial

• Mantids are one of the beneficial insect groups, along with ladybugs. Mantids eat a wide variety of garden pests, including beetles, leafhoppers, flies and caterpillars. Mantids are the only predatory insect fast enough to catch mosquitoes. Unfortunately, mantids are indiscriminate feeders and will relish a meal of other beneficial insects, pollinators and even other mantids.

Hunting Grounds

• If you see a mantid resting on a leaf in your garden, don't be quick to assume that the mantid was the culprit if a leaf or two has been chewed. The mantid is probably stalking prey that is feeding on the plant it's resting on. Because mantids have highly effective camouflage, insects often mistake them for a part of a plant or leaf and will continue their feeding activities up until the moment they are snatched by a praying mantis.

Encouraging Mantids

• Mantids are interesting additions to the garden environment. It is delightful to find a mantid hiding under a leaf or walking across a flower while seeking a meal. Encourage mantids by planting shrubs and trees, especially those that flower. Be careful when using pesticides, however, because broad-spectrum insecticides will kill mantids. Bacillus thuringiensis and insecticidal soaps are reasonably safe for mantids.