PRAYING MANTIS

Meet the Tenodera sinensis (Chinese Mantis) This small warrior eats almost anything that they can catch...and they can catch almost anything.  They are particularly effective on insects such as flies, mosquitoes, bees, wasps, crane flies, grasshoppers and crickets.  The Praying Mantis comes to you in an egg case containing about 200 eggs inside.  Simply hang it in a tree or bush by running a needle with thread through the edge of the egg case and then tying a loop to hang it on a branch.  The egg case can even be placed out in the the middle of winter, allowing the eggs to hatch when the temperatures are spring-like.  Hundreds of these little wonders will spill out in May or June.  If you see them emerge you can then distribute them all over your yard.  

You may not see your praying mantis's again until fall when the adults will be more noticeable because of their size.  Females are larger at 4"-5" and males smaller at about 3".  They will frequently sit on south facing exterior walls to catch the last remaining rays of the day.  The females will lay several egg clusters and then, along with the males, die over the winter.

Key Benefits

Eats pests such as flies and mosquitoes.  Are fun to have in the garden. Excellent for science/educational projects.