Praying mantis saga continues

Julie, yours looks like a reptilian insect from a sci-fi movie!

hehehe Check this one out too John :-)

Ha, looks like he is either praying or you taught him how to beg.

Begging me to leave him alone while he's trying to hunt is more like it. LOL What's funny is that this particular little guy was just that....little...only about 1 1/2 inches long. In my pics he looks like a monster from one of those bad 60s (???) horror movies "Attack of the Preying Mantis" (Attack of the Giant Tomatoes!" ;-). He cracks me up, looming over the plant like he does in that first pic of mine. LOL

-Julie

Yeah..... they are really neat creatures. :-)

Great thread Seedpicker, have been checking in and watching for the birth. Nice to see others have babies, that one of Jody's is certainly great documentation of what happens when they hatch. I could see the 'second moth' looking like a hitchiker for sure.

I had a lot of ladybirds in my garden this year but only saw a couple of mantis, guess I need to open an all night diner. Next year I'll keep a light burning into the evening. But I'm a 'dark sky' person so can't leave it on into the night sky viewing time.

The ladys did a great job on the aphids tho, hardly any major problems in the garden this yr.

The babies haven't hatched, although I really thought they would by now. We've had record heat for the last two days, but...I'll keep watching...

I do have new photos of the mother getting pregnant, again! lol...but haven't had the time to post the pictures. I'll try to get them posted soon.
-seedpicker_TX

Thanks .. for 'checkin in' tho' .. !! ha!
(hee hee) ...
Gonna keep a lookin' fer 'birth announcements' soon, surely .. 'ey!

- Magpye

How are you guys finding the egg cases? I mean unless you stumble upon them. I read that it's really hard to find them b/c they blend in so well. I had twin manti(or mantises?) living on my deck this year and one seemed to dissapear so I wonder if they mated.

Great series of photos.

Hey .. T (seedpicker_TX) .. what's the latest with the bambinney manti .. ?

hee

- Magpye

Nada...Nada thing....
I hope they aren't waiting until Spring...you know, we've had really nice warm weather, ...I would think they'd have hatched by now...
I'll bet the minute I give up, they'll hatch while I'm not looking! Aaa!
-T

((hands on hips)) Wellllll .. I'll be!! ...
LOL

- Magpye

Sure can't be the weather can it? Maybe like plants, day length plays a roll?

yes, John, supposedly they hatch now if weather is warm, but if it gets cool, they wait until Spring.

I'm going to have to order some this spring. Didn't even see one this year.

Do they live through the winter some how? I would think they would be better off waiting and spending the winter as eggs?

Thats what I'm thinking, too, ecobioangie.

They'd be way better hatching in the spring. They'd be mighty chilly buglettes this winter LOL

Maybe it'd be like the ladybugs and you'd wind up with your house invaded! lol Probably way less ladybugs in the house this winter that way. :(

Wow, I missed this thread. Thanks for the great photos seedpicker - and all. Loved all the stories
I'm new to these beasties being around, don't have them in the UK. I saw a very fat one about a week ago, wonder where she laid her eggs - she was next to my cold frame :)

I'll be waiting for those new baby pics along with everyone else seed - even if it's in the spring LOL

Hi, philomel!

Hi John :)