Do you like butterflies and hummingbirds? If so, then you sure don’t want imported Praying Mantis!
We’re often told that these insects are good for the garden because they eat “bad bugs.” The problem is that they are oversized for our ecosystem and they eat EVERYTHING. They happily bite the heads off Monarch butterflies, devour our good pollinators, and even eat Hummingbirds. We have plenty of native insects that will snack on the bad bugs if given the chance.
Our only native Praying Mantis is the Carolina Mantis, which is 2 to 2-1/2 inches long — much smaller than the 4 inch imports. However, the Carolina Mantis isn’t usually found this far north.
The egg sacs of Chinese Praying Mantis in particular have been imported and sold here for many decades. They have reproduced and become a huge problem for our native species. Below are pictured the egg sacs of three imported, non-native Praying Mantis. If you find these (usually attached to the small branch of a shrub, tall plant stem, or tall grass), please destroy them. The easiest method is to submerge them in a bucket of water for a week or put them in the freezer.
To learn more, please visit: https://www.natlands.org/news/praying-mantis-id/.
- Chinese Mantis Egg Sac
- European Mantis Egg Sac
- Narrow Winged Mantis Egg Sac
If you wish to contact us, get involved, or receive a monthly informational email, please write to eac@nbtpa.us.
The EAC meets the first Wednesday of the month at 7pm at the Township Building. The public is encouraged to attend.
