I have tried to hatch mantis eggs in the past, with no luck. I recently just hatched my second Praying Mantis Egg sack, so I am going to share how I did it. Supplies: 2.5gallon aquarium with glass cover Reptile adhesive aquarium heater Water Mister Dried small gauge tree branch Clear tape Mantis Eggs The mantis egg sacks will have a void where they where once wrapped around a branch, you can easily place the eggs on a thin branch. Tape the branch to the sides and bottom of the aquarium so that the eggs are elevated off the ground. Attach the heating pad to one of the broad sides of the aquarium(not the bottom, it will be to warm) Mist the inside of the tank, and close the top. I re-misted the aquarium once every few days, when you open the glass top you should feel the humid air, I measured the temperature at 79*F. I placed a towel over the top of the tank to help regulate temperature. In about 2 weeks the mantis will hatch. Depending on the climate in your area you can release them outside in your garden, or plot. They will not do well below 70*F so plan accordingly. If you must keep them inside, you can buy flightless fruit flys from a pet shop to feed them. Have fun! SketchyPizza
my grandpa use to raise em for his garden way back in the day. my mom always talks about seeing the aquarium in the garage when she was a kid and getting all creeped out haha. i think there super cool though, interesting species.
man, Im gonna plant some veggies in the yard and get a flock of these guys to do the dirty work! way better than pesticides...
Ladybugs are also beneficial bugs to have hanging around the garden, as their arch-enemy is the aphid. I know you can buy them buy the bulk. I am definitely going to look into mantises.
Some times I worry that introducing these mantis to a guerrilla grow is detrimental to the surrounding ecosystem.
Just wanted to point it out because a lot of outdoor growers have problems with aphids terrorizing their leaves. Didn't mean to imply that one is better than the other. @pizza I don't see how it would be detrimental. Where I'm from praying mantises are natives, so introducing more definitely wouldn't hurt.
They prefer soft bodied insects, BUT they do eat each other if starved. I would say it is not likely, but I do not know for sure. Mantises are native to my location also, but not in large numbers. EXAMPLE: Mantis eat all the food bugs, other bugs die off, nothing for birds to eat. Similar to a fast growing bamboo will infest and choke out all other plant life if introduced.
Considering the unseasonably hot weather we've had, bugs have gotten a huge head start. This summer is going to quite buggy. I say let the mantises, birds, and bats have a feast.
Do they constantly need to be reintroduced to keep them protecting the plant? Why wouldn't they leave?
Also wondering this^^ i feel if they are introduced to a ecosystem which could sustain their food then they would have no reason to leave