Praying Mantis

highping

AK Subscriber
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Growing up in Watertown NY I would see praying mantises along the railroad tracks every summer. Have lived in Western Washington for 46 years, and this is the first praying mantis I've seen.....saw it while mowing the lawn. Snapped a photo when I showed it to the wife. It was the first time she'd seen one in person.
 

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Would catch 'em when I was a kid, offer 'em hamburger on a toothpick, they'd gobble it down, Neat bugs !
 
They seem to be showing up in areas where they WERE not native. I live in Idaho bordering Eastern Washington. I started seeing them in about 1986 or so. We, like a lot of gardeners ordered the mantis egg cases from garden supply places around then. I see them pretty often now so they must have been able to survive the winters here and get established.
 
When I was a kid I cut one in half with a shovel. It took a minute. Then, one half ran one way and the other half ran another. I don't know how far it made it because I got scared and ran like hell
 
They are are fascinating creatures of this Blue Marble. I could spend hours watching them and Walking Sticks.
 
Check out their mating ritual. The larger female entices males with pheromones and a dance. When she finds a worthy mate she allows him to get into position to fertilize. During or after the act she chews his head off. My boss and actually I witnessed this while at work in his garden center. The whole process took over an hour. Pretty fascinating.
 
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Check out their mating ritual. The larger female entices males with pheromones and a dance. When she finds a worthy mate she allows him the get into position to fertilize. During or after the act she chews his head off. My boss and actually I witnessed this while at work in his garden center. The whole process took over an hour. Pretty fascinating.

Who was watching the register?:D
 
I used to have a large Praying Mantis and placed live flies in his cage and he'd snag it, hold it with his claws and eat the entire fly alive. He would spit out the wings and legs. Sometimes he would just bite the head off. It was fun!
 
Also a Praying Mantis fan...

I never saw them growing up and living in the Chi. area nearly all my life. Now in New Mex. and they are seen frequently. I was very amazed the first time I saw one.

Paul
 
Try cornering one and harassing it (without hurting it of course). They hiss just like a cat. Almost as loud too.
 
I've always thought they were pretty cool bugs I watched one for quite awhile in my front yard a few weeks ago. My nephew and his wife moved up to your area (Eatonville) a few months ago. They see all kinds of critters up on their hill.
 
A Big One can draw blood from yer finger... Its happened to me.... They also will kill & eat Wasps, & I guess, bees & hornets, which makes 'em GOOD BUGS in my book... They will also primp & clean themselves if you hold a little compact mirror up to them...
 
I have 2 Hydrangea plants that seem to be a magnet for Praying Mantis. Cool bugs. They can change color from green to brown to blend into the plants and garden.
 
non_praying_mantis-phils-phun.gif
 
Check out their mating ritual. The larger female entices males with pheromones and a dance. When she finds a worthy mate she allows him to get into position to fertilize. During or after the act she chews his head off. My boss and actually I witnessed this while at work in his garden center. The whole process took over an hour. Pretty fascinating.

Sounds like my first marriage .
 
I live in a fairly rural area, but have seen very few of them over the years....same thing with caterpillar nests, they were all over the place when I was a kid....
 
I remember sitting in a woods looking to plunk some squirrels and having gypsy moth caterpillar crap coming down like rain as they defoliated the trees ... best to wear a hat and not look up ...

Ah ... memories!

I forget what the great minds used as an excuse for bringing those lil buggers into the country.

(google google)

Ah ... plan was to interbreed them with silkworms and develop domestic silk production. That went well ...
 
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