If you want a natural pest controller in your garden, learning how to attract praying mantis is a perfect project. These fascinating insects are expert hunters that can significantly reduce bothersome bugs around your plants.
It’s easier than you might think to invite them in. With a few simple changes, you can make your yard a mantis magnet. This guide gives you garden-friendly tips to create a welcoming habitat.
How to Attract Praying Mantis
Creating a good home is the first step. Praying mantises need food, water, and shelter, just like any other creature. Your goal is to provide these things without using chemicals or making a complicated setup.
Start by looking at your garden from a mantis’s point of view. They want safety from birds and a good spot to hunt. They also need places to lay their eggs for next year. Let’s break down exactly what to do.
Stop Using Pesticides
This is the most important rule. Broad-spectrum pesticides kill all insects, including mantises and their food. If you spray, you remove the very reason a mantis would stay.
Switch to organic gardening methods. Hand-pick large pests. Use soap sprays for aphids only on serious infestations. A healthy garden has a balance, and mantises help maintain it.
Provide the Right Plants and Structures
Mantises use plants for camouflage and hunting. They prefer plants that attract their prey and offer good perches.
- Flowers that attract small insects: Plant marigolds, cosmos, dill, fennel, and yarrow. These draw in aphids, flies, and moths, which provides a ready food source.
- Shrubs and tall grasses: Leave some areas a little wild. Ornamental grasses, raspberry bushes, and shrubs give mantises excellent cover from predators.
- Vertical structures: They love to climb. Use trellises with vines, sunflower stalks, or even garden fencing. These make perfect hunting grounds.
Ensure a Water Source
Mantises drink water droplets from leaves. They rarely use a deep bird bath.
Just make sure you have some morning dew available. You can help by lightly misting your plants in the early morning during dry spells. A shallow dish with pebbles and water placed near the ground works too.
Let Some Weeds Grow
This might sound counterintuitive, but it helps. Certain “weeds” are fantastic insect hubs. Clover and alfalfa attract plant-eating bugs, which in turn attract mantises.
Designate a small, sunny corner of your yard to let these plants grow. It becomes a natural insectary that supports your whole garden’s health.
Offer Overwintering Sites
To have mantises year after year, they need places to leave their egg cases, called oothecae. These are often attached to sturdy stems, twigs, or even fences.
- Don’t do a full garden cleanup in the fall. Leave some dead plant stems and brush piles until late spring.
- When you find a tan, foamy egg case on a stick, leave it right where it is. It will hatch in the spring.
Buy and Release Egg Cases Responsibly
If you don’t have mantises yet, you can introduce them. Buy egg cases from a reputable garden supply store. Make sure they are for a species native to your area.
Here’s how to do it right:
- Place the egg case on a branch or twig in a sheltered spot.
- Secure it loosely with string or a rubber band. Don’t use glue.
- Put it near a good food source, like your flower patch.
- Be patient. They will hatch when the weather is warm enough.
Remember, each case can hold dozens to hundreds of tiny nymphs. They will disperse quickly, so don’t expect to see them all.
Create a Safe Haven
Protect mantises from there main predators. Birds and large spiders are a threat, especially to young nymphs.
Dense, bushy plants offer the best protection. Having lots of hiding spots means more mantises will survive to adulthood. Also, keep bird feeders away from your prime mantis habitat areas.
What Praying Mantises Eat (And Why You Want Them)
Understanding their diet shows their value. Mantises are ambush predators. They eat a wide variety of garden pests.
Their menu includes:
- Aphids
- Caterpillars
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Grasshoppers and crickets
- Moths and butterflies
- Small beetles
They are generalists, meaning they’ll eat almost any insect they can catch. This makes them incredibly useful. A single mantis can clear a rose bush of aphids in a few days.
It’s good to note they might also eat beneficial insects like bees or ladybugs. However, the overall reduction in damaging pests is usually worth it. They contribute to a balanced ecosystem.
Be Patient and Observe
Attracting wildlife doesn’t happen overnight. It might take a season or two for mantises to find and settle in your garden.
Spend time watching. Look for them on sunny days, often standing still on leaves or flowers, waiting for a meal. Their excellent camouflage makes them tricky to spot, so look closely.
What to Do When You See One
If you see a mantis, consider it a sign of a healthy garden. Avoid handling them too much, as they are fragile. Just enjoy watching them.
If you must move one, gently coax it onto a stick or leaf. Let it walk on its own onto a plant where you want it to help with pests.
Common Questions About Praying Mantises
Are praying mantises good for the garden?
Yes, they are excellent for natural pest control. They consume many common insects that damage vegetables and flowers.
Will praying mantises hurt my plants?
No. Mantises are strictly carnivorous. They only eat other living insects. They cause no harm to plants whatsoever.
How can I tell if I have a praying mantis egg case?
Look for a tan, walnut-sized, foamy blob attached to a stem, fence, or even a wall. It has a distinct ridged pattern. They are often left in fall and hatch in spring.
Do praying mantises stay in one area?
They are not territorial in a strict sense, but they will stay in an area with plentiful food. If your garden is a good habitat, they are likely to remain there for there entire life cycle.
Can I attract mantises if I have a small garden?
Absolutely. Even a container garden on a balcony can attract them if it has the right flowers and no pesticides. Every little bit of habitat helps.
What is the best time of year to see praying mantises?
You’ll see adults most often in late summer and early fall. Nymphs (juveniles) are common in late spring and early summer after the egg cases hatch.
By following these simple tips, you can encourage these amazing insects to take up residence in your green space. The key is to work with nature, not against it. Provide food, water, shelter, and safety, and you’ll likely be rewarded with a fascinating ally in the garden.