Praying Mantis

[Alan W.]

Wife hollered at me yesterday that there was a praying mantis in the kitchen.
As I was waddling to the rescue I was thinking how strange it was for a one to be active this time of year.
She pointed out the half inch monster to me.
When I asked where the rest of them were she freaked and asked there is more.
The egg sac that I failed to see on our Christmas tree had hatched.
I worked into the night catching them.
Have caught well over a hundred so far.

 

[Richard]

Watch out for Mama Mantis.... don't they like to bite heads off?

 

[Hay Dude]

Keep em for your garden. Those things will do what insecticides can’t.
Kill bad bugs without killing you.

 

[Doughknob]

We had that happen once. The local State Park took them in attempt to keep them alive until Spring. Not sure how it worked out.....

 

[polo1665]

Cute liitle things.......I love to see Praying Mantises around my place.

 

[Jchonline]

Nature’s bug zappers! Put a few in your wife’s bed!

 

[MossRoad]

Hahahaha!!! That happened to us in January of 1998. I got a call at work from my not so happy wife. 5 year old child was sleeping. Wife was feeding the 6 week old. The Christmas tree had been stripped of ornaments and lights and she'd been after me to take it out of the house for a couple days. And then a tiny praying mantis shows up on her arm while she's feeding the baby. Then another. Then she notices them on every piece of furniture in the living room.

I came home and vacuumed them up. There were hundreds. For months after that we'd find them around the house. I recall reading the paper and having one sitting on the lamp watching me. As I watched it, another one climbed over the top of the paper! We'd find them in dresser drawers, under the furniture, in the basement

I showed your picture to my wife, and she was not amused, and reminded me it was my fault for not taking the tree out when she asked me to. 24 years and she's still not too happy about that incident.

 

[oosik]

I have never seen the tiny ones. Around here they are a pastel green in the spring. Turn to a desert tan in the summer/fall. Always welcome ......

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Yeah, that's the kind of thing they remember forever.

 

[Alan W.]

I carryover a few plants and a potted tree in the unheated side of our basement. It rarely gets below 60. I placed them all on the plants. I know there are insects around them. Misted everything down with water.
Im still catching a few stragglers.
We will see what happens.

 

[ljjhouser]

Interesting. Didn't know there were so many little ones. We have one inside about 1 a month. Usually about 4 or 5 inches long. Just get him onto cloth and take outside. That is much better than when we used to find a scorpion in the house, usually on a bed that was not used. Like the guest room. At one point, my wife got a UV light to check the room. UV makes then glow a green color and easy to find. Haven't had that problem for about 15 years now.

 

[Alan W.]

Interesting. Didn't know there were so many little ones. We have one inside about 1 a month. Usually about 4 or 5 inches long. Just get him onto cloth and take outside. That is much better than when we used to find a scorpion in the house, usually on a bed that was not used. Like the guest room. At one point, my wife got a UV light to check the room. UV makes then glow a green color and easy to find. Haven't had that problem for about 15 years now.

We also have the small scorpions. They can get into about anyplace.

 

[ruffdog]

Here is one that was eating bugs by the shed light.

 

[MossRoad]

One of many we find around here every summer.

 

[AchingBack]

Here they are raining on my head as they hatch from the egg case.

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I was kneeling under my hose reel when all of a sudden... Glad I had my camera.

 

[RjCorazza]

I know praying mantis are a real beneficial creature, but for some reason they really wig me out. Probably as a result of some B horror movie in the distant past.

 

[Jstpssng]

I know praying mantis are a real beneficial creature, but for some reason they really wig me out. Probably as a result of some B horror movie in the distant past.

Is it that, or knowing that after copulating the female bites the head off the male? I think that many of us can relate to a lesser version of THAT!

 

[4get gto]

They probably won't survive this time of year.. Especially if its cold out.
BTW...they eat each other also at that age when nothing else is available.

 

[jmc]

Is it that, or knowing that after copulating the female bites the head off the male? I think that many of us can relate to a lesser version of THAT!

I never saw a woman recount that mating ritual without a gleam in her eye...

 

[2LaneCruzer]