Praying Mantis hatchlings

[brewmaster15]

WE visit a cut your own tree farm for our Christmas tree. The fields and tress here are loaded with praying mantis egg cases in the winter. Found our tree had 3 egg cases on it. I removed the egg cases when we set it and placed them in several locations in the Yard. I usually see one or two adults in the fall here. This year we had 2 females that we know of lay eggs. Well the eggs all hatched this past week or two and I have baby mantids everywhere. Its the coolest thing.. There isnt a part of yard that doesn't have babys walking around it.


Praying Mantis Hatchling by Al Sabetta, on Flickr


Waiting on flower for dinner....
Waiting for a Meal by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

This one has a drop of water its carrying from the morning dew....

Prayiing Mantis Hatchling carrying Water drop by Al Sabetta, on Flickr


These images are all macros and cropped a bit so just how small are these guys right now?

Made a Friend by Al Sabetta, on Flickr


al

[LizStreithorst]

Cool. You're not going to have any bugs munching on your plants this year.

[Second Hand Pat]

That is so cool Al and great pics. I see a praying mantis very now and again which is like every couple years.
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

Maybe Al will sell us a couple of egg cases. With all the praying mantises he has he should have more than enough to share.

[Second Hand Pat]

Maybe Al will sell us a couple of egg cases. With all the praying mantises he has he should have more than enough to share.

LOL Liz but only if they are native to our locale
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

Which I doubt. Oh well.

[brewmaster15]

There are many species of mantis in the usa.. and alot that are not native... three main types of mantids in Eastern United States: the European mantid (Mantis religiosa), Carolina mantid (Stagmomantis carolina) and Chinese mantid (Tenodera aridifolia sinensis)..

Of them the Carolina Is native.. the european and chinese are not. The chinese praying mantis has been here in the USA for over 100 years and is considered beneficial even in Florida. Im fairly sure my mantis are either chinese or Carolina. The european is a newer introduction. It was introduced a few decades ago.to combat gypsy moths. Its considered invasivein Florida. it has a bulls eye mark on its upper leg before the scythe..

I will be interested to see if any of the european ones are in my yard.. I would not doubt it as Ct was one of the ground zero sites for gypsy moths. I had a summer intern job out of college studying ant predation of gypsy moth larve at our CT Ag Station.

[brady]

I remember as a kid there there were fields of golden rod where we lived. On each plant there seemed to be one or two egg cases. One day
I brought 4 or 5 cases into the house and left them on a window sill in the kitchen. You can imagine my mom when she came into the kitchen one
morning and found with out exaggeration hundreds of baby's all over the place.It was a lot of fun trying to round them up and get them outside.
I doubt we will ever see anything like that again. I have a field of golden rod and in 35 years have yet to see one mantis and I live in a fairly rural
Part of Ct. I guess the same can be said of bees and butter fly's.
JAY

[brewmaster15]

Jay if I get a bunch of egg cases this year I will be sure to send you some.

Your mom must have really been surprised. I did that once to my mom with garter snake.. had not realized they were live birthers and we had 22 baby snakes loose in the house.

There was also a time when we had 45 wood frogs get loose. I was a real handful. Lol

[brewmaster15]

Kids are growing nicely...

_IMG9868 by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

_IMG9928 by Al Sabetta, on Flickr


_IMG9937_01 by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

[brewmaster15]

I've been watching these little guys grow everytime I am out and about the yard.. There are quite a few still around and they have grown to about an inch long body now. I am looking forward to seeing how many make it to adult. At this size they are one of the top predator Insects in the yard so should be relatively safe in the yard unless they run into a Bird or another mantis. There is one other predator that they need to watch out for though... the spider. when spider and mantis meet it could go either way.

Today it was the spider that won out..

Spider vs Mantis by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

[LizStreithorst]

Amazing picture, Al. Too bad for the Mantis.

[Second Hand Pat]

Gorgeous little jumper Love it Al
Pat

[brewmaster15]

Time Flys !! I have been monitoring my population of Praying Mantis and am happy to say I still see a bunch around the yard. Today I found the first Adult one, and even found the skin next to it, a first for me.

Newly Minted Adult Mantis by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Praying Mantis by Al Sabetta, on Flickr


Praying Mantis Molted Skin (as found) by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Praying Mantis Molted Skin..(posed) by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Preying Mantis Molted Skin by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Praying Mantis by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Praying Mantis by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

[SidJones]

I had no idea they molted. Very cool!