Praying mantises are exceptional insects and are known for their amazing camouflage skills.These insects are named after the ‘praying’ stance their front legs take. However, these limbs are far from peaceful and can be quite deadly, as they are used to hold struggling prey in place.They are also very notorious for their cannibalistic mating rituals where the female devours the male! These insects are carnivorous in nature, and can be found eating a wide range of insects, reptiles, and even small mammals! They are usually found living in areas where prey is abundant, and their excellent camouflaging skills help them to capture food with ease. So, where in the world can this insect be found?How To Attract Praying Mantises To Your GardenIf you find that your garden has recently become overrun with a number of pesky insects, you can very easily get rid of them by attracting a few praying mantises to your garden, which naturally feed on almost all types of insects smaller than them. In fact, some praying mantis species are even large enough to prey on small mammals like rats, shrews, and bats!There are a few ways in which you can make your garden a bit more hospitable in order to make it a welcoming habitat for praying mantises. These predators are very fond of hiding, and creating a hiding spot or two in your garden especially for them can give them an incentive to stay. These can be large bushes or shrubs, which ideally have larger leaves and can provide proper cover for them to hide in. You can also build small artificial caves which will give them cover as well as add some charm to your garden. Make sure these additions are close to the soil.Planting flowers like marigolds, dill, and cosmos can attract praying mantises as well, who are very fond of living among beautiful plants and vegetation. This is why you can find them abundantly in tropical rainforests. You can spray mantis ‘attractant’ or place it in shallow dishes around your garden. You can easily make this attractant at home by mixing a few parts of sugar and water together, which will make these beneficial insects flock to your garden in droves!They also need to keep hydrated at all times, so make sure to leave out small, shallow dishes of freshwater near their hiding places, especially during the summer. You can add rocks to the dish to give them something to grip when climbing in and out, as well as providing perching spots. Leaving out deep bowls of water can attract mosquitoes or cause mantises to drown, so keeping shallow dishes is advisable.What is the ideal praying mantis habitat?Praying mantis species are most commonly found in tropical regions of the world, which means countries that are close to the Equator and that lie between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. These insects are found in warm, humid areas, and can be found in deserts, grasslands, woodlands, and meadows. However, they are most likely to be found living in tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa, where the leaf cover is high and abundant insects are available for them to feast on.If you reside in a warm country, you may even see these giant predators hanging about trees and bushes in urban areas. They feed on insects of any size, like grasshoppers, butterflies, bees, crickets, spiders, and may even eat lizards, frogs, small birds, and tiny mammals!You can make the presence of praying mantises in and around your area beneficial to your garden. Attracting a few of these creatures to your vegetable or flower garden can help to keep a check on pests as praying mantises do not eat flowers or vegetables, and are solely carnivorous in nature. Nevertheless, do keep in mind that you must not allow too many of these insects into your garden, or they may also eat good insects that visit like bees and ladybugs which are very helpful for a garden!What countries do praying mantises live in?These fascinating animals can be found all over the world, with the name of the species usually influenced by where they live. For example, the European mantis is an endemic species of Europe, along with a few parts of nearby Asia and Africa. Similarly, the Chinese mantis is largely found in China, the Indian flower mantis in India, and the Egyptian pygmy mantis in northeast Africa. There are more than 2,000 species of praying mantises in the wild!However, though they can be found in such a large range, it has been estimated that most of these insects live within the tropics. Most of the species found in the US are not native but have rather been introduced for various reasons. European mantises were brought to the United States as a means of pest control for the gypsy moth, while Chinese mantises made their way over accidentally! However, though they are often touted as helpful insects for the garden, they can end up doing more harm than good as they do not differentiate between helpful insects and pests, which is why keeping control of the number of praying mantises in your garden is very necessary.Praying Mantis Hiding SpotsPraying mantises are great at camouflaging, which is very useful for them as they love to hide! Their green, sometimes leafy appearance, movements as well as the way their limbs bend provide for effortless camouflaging.They enjoy hiding in dense, covered areas like under bushes, between the leaves of trees (where it is virtually impossible to pick them out!), and in dark, shadowy areas like under rock piles.Their expert camouflaging makes them very good ambush hunters. They simply standstill, with their arms outstretched, waiting for prey like a lone butterfly or other insects to pass by. Once they come close, the praying mantis will snatch prey out of the air, using its long arms to help contain the struggling movements of its prey, which could potentially attract more dangerous predators. Once their prey is in hand, this insect simply bites the prey’s neck to paralyze it, or snap its head off and devour it.These insects can have bright patterns on the inner surfaces of their front legs, as well as wings which they can fan in order to look larger and more threatening towards predators.Relationship With HumansPraying mantises may seem vicious towards insects but they are hardly dangerous towards humans. If threatened, they may bite which can produce a drop or two of blood at most, but the bite itself is not venomous and will heal very quickly.Many people actually see praying mantises as good luck charms and believe that if one of these creatures approaches you, they will be blessed with good fortune. Some people believe that this insect is a symbol of peace and tranquility because of its bright green color, which is associated with the beauty of nature. These insects are in fact very useful to humans, as they help to get rid of pesky, unwanted insects in the area.These insects are also believed to be good luck in many cultures and religions because of the ‘praying’ stance their arms are always in, which is where they get their name from!Did You Know…These insects are notorious for their cannibalistic tendencies. Adult female mantises often tear the heads of poor male mantises after, and sometimes even before, mating and consuming the rest of the males’ bodies.Though the conservation status of praying mantises is Not Threatened, there are a few species of this insect that can be considered in danger of extinction because of rapid habitat loss, especially in tropical rainforest areas.The Carolina mantis is actually the state insect of South Carolina!
Praying mantises are exceptional insects and are known for their amazing camouflage skills.
