Praying mantis care

There are more than 1,500 known species of mantis in the world, most are found in the tropics and only a few live in the United States. Being from Africa, I'm use to seeing mantis all the time. Only now living in the USA, Have I really got to know this amazing insect.

Mantid Physiology
All mantis are equipped with the right gear to survive. Their smallest & sometimes largest pair of arms are used to grab prey. The mantis will wait for it's next food item, using it's "arms" to grab the prey. Once this has been done the mantis will start eating right away, with it's strong mouth parts mantis can eat quickly to survive. They have wings & can fly if necessary, but I've noticed males tend to fly more often than females. Most people will notice the large eyed triangular heads. They use these eye's to catch prey & can only move their heads to see over their shoulders, but make up with the sharp eyesight for hunting.

Egg Case Care
Mantis will produce an egg sack, that's known as an ootheca. The female will deposit this ootheca on a branch. The foam then dries till it's a stiff shell, this will protect the eggs inside as they develop. Looking at the ootheca, you can see a line that runs from the top to the bottom down the center. This area is softer & the young can exit from it. Make sure this line is facing downwards when placing it in a container or branch outside.


Now if you wanted to attach this ootheca outside, you would have to find a twig or branch a few feet off the ground in a warm half sunny location & secure the ootheca using some super glue. The ootheca is safer from ants if off the ground. It can take about 20 to 30 days of warm weather for the nymphs to hatch out. After hatching the nymphs will go their own ways in life, To do the whole thing over again.
For the tropical species, I'll keep the ootheca in a container for it to hatch. I place the ootheca in any container that will keep the moister in & the mantis from escaping. Attach the ootheca to the side of this container, once you've done this, place a moist paper towel on the bottom of the container. Keep this moist the whole time the ootheca is incubating. After 20 or 30 days, Depending on the species, the ootheca will hatch out. Keep the tems around room temperature.

Praying Mantis Diet
Mantis are aggressive hunters & will eat a wide range of garden insects including aphids, mosquitoes, caterpillars, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, crickets, leaf hoppers, roaches, moths and many others. They will perch on a branch & wait, some species will go after the prey. Once the prey is in range the mantis strikes at it, most of the time they will get the prey with incredible speed, then they will devour the insect.

Housing
Temperature should be about 75 to 80 degrees. By misting you can keep the humidity at about 55% to 60% which is needed for successful molting, & drinking. A screen top for air also serves as the mantis favorite resting place. For molting, the container needs to be 2 to 3 times the length of the mantis to “crawl out of their skin.” Mantis are cannibalistic, so only keep one per container. Some species will do okay with each other, But most of the time they will eat one another as food.


Preferred Mantis Habitat in the wild
Any area that provides sufficient vegetation to protect the mantis from hungry birds. This includes most gardens, shrub borders & areas of tall grass, You will find many in the green belts as well. All outdoor areas will provide some food for the mantis, unless insecticides have been used. Remember if you are using mantis as an insecticide, you wont have to spray insecticides. This will kill the young nymphs that hatch out.


I've found these amazing insects to be fun & rewording to keep as pets, not to mention easy. Please if you would like to talk, drop me an e-mail & I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.