While at the chiropractor's office tonight, a 7yr old boy gratuitously informed me that there's a fine in GA for killing a preying mantis...

Funny you should mention that ~ a friend was visiting just yesterday and told me the same thing. So I looked it up and it seems to be a myth that has been going around for a long time. Whew... at least I won't be thrown in the pokey!

http://www.snopes.com/critters...
http://www.straightdope.com/co...

If you google something like "praying mantis eats hummingbird" you'll find lots of gorey videos. Here's one, not for the weak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

They stalk my hummingbird feeder



I had a whole herd of bady ones in early summer, now they're adults


Karen

That's just evil. Go eat some bugs, for pete's sake!

I wish I had PM here.. I haven't seen one at all this year. Last year I saw 2. I'm a bit leery on buying the eggs.. every time I buy ladybugs they always fly away. But I have tons and tons of big grasshoppers that PM are welcome to eat. And wasps. And centipedes. And chicharas (cicadas). I love PMs... and the way I look at it, everything has to eat, so I don't really begrudge anything of a meal. I'm too fat to do that!

Their bite is ferocious and very painful. Nothing like it.

That's not something I'd care to try. Dispatched another PM a couple days ago. heh, heh...

I can't allow the PM's to make supper out of the hummers and butterflies!

That's right! No PM will ever be my friend! Even before the "incident", there was another one years ago when for some crazy reason the PM's took over my deck and would do dive- bomb attacks when I'd step out the front door!

Yes, I thought one on my back deck was very aggressive towards me recently, acting as if he owned the place, so he had to go.
Also one would wait at our back gate. They are predators and would like a bite out of anything or anybody!

That's really creepy.

I have to say not all PM eat humming birds there are several different type and some never get large enough to capture a hummer, they can do a lot of good in the garden also.

As for biting they do not have a mouth part large enough to bite, if you were hurt by one it was probably by the spurs they use to catch and hold their prey. I have kept PM as pets and they are quite interesting creatures, the only agerssive ones are the males and during breeding season they about have to in order to survive.
I think they are getting a bad rap here



This one never gets longer than 2''

Oh, I don't disagree! At my old house we had loads of the little ones, they're no problem. It's those 5-6 inch things that need to dine elsewhere. I'm a certified Monarch Waystation and I take exception to them hanging out on my butterfly plants and leaving me piles of wings.

Had a run in with a big one today. Was out planting the last of the Daylilies in an area surrounded with Viburnums, Magnolias and roses, where I have found other PM's hanging around (lots of hummingbird plants here).
Anyways, I was doubled gloved thank goodness, as when I went to pick up the trowel I had laid on the ground a huge PM was on the handle. Fortunately, he didn't get to take a big chunk out of my hand, like one did a couple of years ago when I was cutting down, without gloves on. My hand swelled for a week then!
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
I think they are very aggressive, even to US!

I love that they eat grasshoppers.... I have a lot of those that like to munch on my plants in late summer.

Wish they would here. I never seem to find PM's where the grasshoppers munch.

Though I know Praying mantids are such good predators, I still welcome them in my garden..letting nature take its course so to speak..just sharing their photos here..

This PM is eyeing his buffet of insects hovering our calamondin tree-photo taken Sept 2011


This PM is belly side up, near our garden sliding door..must be spotting some spiders, trying to look big..with its wings open-photo taken 25Oct2011

Is he dead? Or did he just eat a cow? His belly is bloated enough.

Karen

Isn't that a female?

Awesome pictures. I usually see one here in the late summer and always under the walnut tree in the front yard, and usually when I'm mowing. I saw one eating a cicada over at the neighbor's and it kind of creeped me out too, but, everything has to eat. I cringe over the thought of the hummers and butterflys tho.