Praying Mantis Damage: Do They Harm Plants, Gardens, or People?
If you spend any time in your garden, you’ve probably seen a praying mantis sitting perfectly still on a leaf or flower, watching everything that moves. They look calm, almost polite, with those folded front legs, until they suddenly grab a passing insect faster than you can react.
think of them as helpful pest controllers, but there’s often some confusion about what they actually do. Are they good for your plants? Can they bite? And is it really worth buying those praying mantis egg cases sold in garden stores?
Here in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast, mantises are a common sight during the warmer months. In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you should know about praying mantis and a few interesting facts that might surprise you.
Many gardeners think of them as helpful pest controllers, but there’s often some confusion about what they actually do. Are they good for your plants? Can they bite? And is it really worth buying those praying mantis egg cases sold in garden stores?
Here in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast, mantises are a common sight during the warmer months. In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you should know about praying mantis and a few interesting facts that might surprise you.
What Is a Praying Mantis?
A praying mantis is a predatory insect known for hunting pests and bugs, making it a natural pest controller in gardens. They belong to the order Mantodea and are more than 2,400 species worldwide, including the Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) and the Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina).
The name praying mantises comes from how they hold their front legs together, almost like they’re in prayer. But there’s an eerie, fun side to them, too. Mantis can turn its head nearly 180 degrees to follow movement, which makes it one of the few insects that can actually look you in the eye.
Where Do Praying Mantis Live?
They live in warm, leafy areas where insects are abundant. You’ll find them in gardens, flowerbeds, tall grasses, and even patio planters around Atlanta.
How Long Do Praying Mantis Live?
Their lifespan ranges from 10-18 months, depending on the species and environment. Female mantis live longer than males and often die after laying eggs.
Can Praying Mantis Fly?
Yes, some praying mantises can fly, especially adult males. They’re lighter and have longer wings than females, who are usually too heavy or pregnant for long-distance flight. If you’ve seen one flying around your porch light at night, it was likely a male on the move, either chasing dinner or a mate.
Fun Fact
Each ootheca (egg case) can hold hundreds of praying mantis eggs. When they hatch, it looks like a mini alien invasion of baby praying mantis scattering in every direction. Most don’t survive to adulthood, and some even get eaten by their siblings.
What Do Praying Mantis Eat?
Praying mantises are strictly carnivorous, and they mostly eat insects, including flies, crickets, beetles, caterpillars, moths, and grasshoppers. They are considered to be useful allies against pests that love chewing your plants.
A mantis hunts by camouflaging among leaves or flowers and waiting patiently for movement. Once a potential prey gets close enough, it strikes in a split second, snapping its front legs shut to trap the prey.
However, mantises are generalist predators. They’ll go after anything they can overpower, including bees, butterflies, and other mantises. Larger species have been seen eating small frogs, lizards, and even hummingbirds very rarely. So while they do help control pests, they can also reduce beneficial insect populations if their numbers grow too high.
What Do Baby Praying Mantis Eat?
Newly hatched mantises, called nymphs or baby praying mantises, start hunting almost immediately. They feed on aphids, fruit flies, mosquitoes, cricket nymphs, and other tiny insects.
Do Female Praying Mantis Eat the Males?
It’s true that female mantises sometimes eat their mates after or even during mating, though it’s not as common in the wild as people think. It happens more often in captivity, where the male can’t easily escape. The act provides extra nutrition for the female, helping her produce healthy eggs, but it’s not guaranteed every time.
Are Praying Mantis Good or Bad for Gardens?
These cool bugs are good to have around as they hunt down a wide variety of insects, including the ones that damage your plants, like caterpillars, aphids, and grasshoppers.
That said, they lack the intellect to differentiate between a harmful bug and a helpful one. It’ll grab a pollinator just as quickly as it would a beetle or fly. Bees, butterflies, and even ladybugs can fall victim if they wander too close. So while a praying mantis helps keep insect numbers balanced, it’s not selective enough to be considered a targeted form of pest control.
If you already have mantises in your garden, there’s no reason to worry. But buying praying mantis egg cases and releasing hundreds of them isn’t always a great idea. Too many mantises can wipe out both pests and beneficial insects, which might throw your garden’s ecosystem off balance.
Can Praying Mantis Hurt You or Bite?
They are harmless, although their compound eyes might suggest otherwise. A praying mantis doesn’t have venom, and it has no interest in attacking humans.
They can bite, but it’s extremely rare. Bites usually happen only if someone handles a mantis roughly or startles it, and even then, it’s more of a light pinch than a real bite. Their jaws aren’t strong enough to break skin in most cases. If one does bite, just wash the area with soap and water.
Are Praying Mantis Dangerous or Poisonous?
No, they’re not. They don’t have venom glands, they don’t sting, and there’s no toxin in their bite. Even birds or small reptiles that eat them don’t suffer from any kind of poisoning.
In fact, the only real danger a praying mantis poses is to other insects. They’re efficient hunters, capable of taking down creatures their own size or even larger.
So, while the internet is full of dramatic photos of mantises eating hummingbirds or frogs, these are rare exceptions. In everyday gardens, a praying mantis is far more likely to be a quiet observer than a threat.
Praying Mantis Eggs and Life Cycle
Praying mantises go through distinct stages in their lives, and it all starts with the egg case, known as an ootheca. You might spot these foam-like cases attached to branches, stems, or garden stakes in late fall. They’re usually tan or light brown, about the size of a cotton ball, and can blend in easily with bark or dried leaves.
Each ootheca can contain 100 to 400 eggs, depending on the species. During winter, those eggs stay safely sealed inside, protected from the cold. When spring temperatures rise, the ootheca splits open, releasing dozens, sometimes hundreds, of tiny baby praying mantis.
As the mantises grow, they molt several times, shedding their exoskeleton to make room for a larger body. By late summer, they reach full size and begin mating. After laying eggs, most adults die off as the weather cools, leaving the next generation to start the cycle again.
If you come across an ootheca in your garden, it’s best to leave it where it is. Just be careful not to bring one indoors by mistake, as hundreds of tiny mantises hatching inside a warm house can be quite a surprise.
Do Praying Mantis Help or Harm the Ecosystem?
Praying mantises can be beneficial to gardens and the environment when their numbers stay in check. They help control pest populations by feeding on insects that damage plants.
The tricky part is that mantises don’t distinguish between harmful pests and beneficial insects. Pollinators like bees and butterflies can become prey as well.
It’s also worth noting that some non-native species, such as the Chinese mantis, can outcompete native ones. So, if you’re planning to introduce mantis egg cases, make sure they’re local species suited to your area.
Praying Mantis Myths and Interesting Facts
Praying mantises have inspired plenty of myths and curiosity over the years, and not all of it is true. Let’s clear up a few common ones and share some genuinely fascinating facts.
It’s illegal to kill a praying mantis.
There are no laws in the U.S. protecting praying mantises, although most gardeners would agree there’s no good reason to harm them anyway.
They’re dangerous to humans.
Not at all. They might look intimidating, but mantises don’t sting, carry diseases, or pose any real threat.
A praying mantis only eats pests.
They do eat pest insects, but they’re generalists. That means bees, butterflies, and even other mantises can become a meal if the opportunity arises.
Their presence can symbolize patience and balance.
Across different cultures, the praying mantis' symbolism is linked with calmness, focus, and mindfulness, probably due to the way they sit perfectly still for long stretches of time.
Final Thoughts: Should You Welcome Praying Mantis to Your Garden?
If one thing’s clear, it’s that praying mantises are neither heroes nor villains in the garden. They’re skilled hunters that keep many pests under control, but they’re also unpredictable and will eat whatever crosses their path, even the good bugs.
Having a few mantises around is a good sign that your garden’s ecosystem is healthy and diverse. Just don’t go overboard trying to add more by releasing store-bought egg cases, especially if they’re from non-native species.
If you’re lucky enough to have mantises in your garden, caring for them is simple. Avoid using chemical pesticides, as these can harm both the mantis and its food sources. Keeping your garden varied with a mix of flowering plants, shrubs, and tall grasses gives them the cover they need to hunt and lay eggs.
FAQs
Should I remove praying mantises from my garden?
No, there’s no need to remove them. Praying mantises help control insect pests naturally. As long as their numbers stay low, they’re beneficial and cause no harm to your plants.
What is the downside of praying mantis?
The main downside is that they’re not selective hunters. They eat both harmful and beneficial insects, including bees and butterflies, which can slightly affect pollination.
How long does it take for a baby praying mantis to grow?
Baby praying mantises take about three to six months to reach adulthood, depending on temperature, food availability, and species.
Can baby praying mantises eat mosquitoes?
Yes, they can. Baby mantises, or nymphs, eat small insects like mosquitoes, fruit flies, and aphids as part of their diet.
