Praying Mantis, three egg cases
Praying Mantis, three egg cases are an exceptionally good biological insect control friend. This small warrior eats almost any damaging garden insect that they can catch...and they can catch almost anything. They are particularly effective on insects such as flies, mosquitoes, bees, wasps, crane flies, grasshoppers and crickets.
The Praying Mantis comes to you in an egg case containing about 200 eggs inside. Simply hang it in a tree or bush by running a needle with thread through the edge of the egg case and then tying a loop to hang it on a branch. The egg case can even be placed in the middle winter, allowing the eggs to hatch when the temperatures are spring-like. Hundreds of these little wonders will spill out in May or June. If you see them emerge you can then distribute them all over your yard.
You may not see your praying mantis's again until fall when the adults will be more noticeable because of their size. Females are larger at 4"-5" and males smaller at about 3". They will frequently sit on south facing exterior walls to catch the last remaining rays of the day. The females will lay several egg clusters and then, along with the males, die over the winter.
Praying Mantis consume all sorts of damaging garden insects.
Key Garden and Human Benefits:
What do they do? Praying Mantis attack many flying and crawling pests that eat your plants and flowers.
How do they come to me when I buy them? They come as an egg case with about 200 eggs inside that will hatch outside in May or June in most areas.
Note:Praying Mantis are available to ship form January to mid-May each season. If you are wanting some help out of the mantis season, then order lady bugs since the eat some of the same smaller insects.
