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Monday, May 27, 2013

The Praying Mantis & Your Garden

image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net


If you thought the title was the name of the new Nora Roberts book, you'll be disappointed. Nonetheless, the story of how praying mantids benefit your garden is certainly a story worth making the Bestseller List.

But before I tell you the tale, let's just first get a few cards on the table. Some of us have fond memories of playing with "stick" bugs and "leaf" bugs, and letting them crawl up on our arms as we laughed with the joy of being a kid. I was not one of those kids. So, when my brother called me up and said a friend has a bunch of baby mantids for your garden, the last thing I wanted was more bugs, let alone bugs that are super big.

Admittedly, at first I declined, but upon doing some research I found that the praying mantis has some really good qualities that made me second guess my initial response.

Mantids, despite getting as big as they do; two to three inches long, thankfully don't bite nor harm humans. And here's the real kicker: they eat spiders. Last year I had kind of an issue with big spiders, and I noticed this year I had a lot more than last year. A lot more. And to be honest, if getting a praying mantis or two allows me to not have to carry a jug of soap water wherever I go, I'm all for it. In fact, I will take a dozen.

And that's just what I did.

Controlling the Pest Population


For those of you who are big into natural and organic fertilizers, this is the perfect solution to a bug problem in your garden. Mantids eat nearly anything, including wasps, aphids, grasshoppers, moths, worms that eat your seedlings, and can help reduce the impact of the impending cicada apocalypse. Full sized mantids can consume even two bees in one sitting, and are continually looking for their next morsel. In fact, should you purchase mantids from your local gardening or agricultural store, make sure to remove them from their container rather quickly as going too long without food they will begin to eat each other.

Lastly, should you have a problem with cucumber beetles, cabbage beetles, or any such beetle, mantids are excellent predators to cut down some of the issue.

Do They Bite/Sting/Harm?


image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
Absolutely not. They are gentle creatures that just look scary! Despite their sci-fi look, mantids are generally at peace with humans. If you dislike bugs, this is definitely the bug that you want in your garden. If threatened, though, the mantis may swat you with their forearms, however this will not hurt you. They do have excellent camouflage skills, so if you go to grab a "stick" and find it's just a mantis, the worst that can happen is you have a gasp.

*Where To Buy


I was fortunate to have mine given to me by a friend, but a one time purchase at one of the following featured sites can give you the opportunity to breed them in your own garden. Although, keep in mind that if you do plan to breed them you should keep them indoors depending on your climate through the winter.

Gardener's - Sells both Ladybugs and Mantis Eggs
Grow Organic - Mantis Eggs and other beneficial bugs
Amazon - For a host of sellers and to check their feedback
Arbico Organics - Has great instructions on how to release and keep your mantids


*This list is for reference only. In no way has any of these companies paid me nor do I have any relationship or tie with them to advertise on this blog. I have not tried out any of these companies and cannot vouch for your satisfaction with any of these sites or the products they sell. This list is for reference only.

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