Mantis nymphs
July 6th, 2008 by ktula
About two months ago, i bought a mantis egg case from the Home Depot on 1st Ave. There really isn’t any need for a biological pest control in my backyard since the few plants that attracted tons of aphids last year were no longer there. Last year, the three pepper plants in the backyard were infested with aphids so i introduced two batches of lady bugs to eliminate the aphids problem. The only reason for getting the mantis case is to satisfy my curiosity.
The instructions on packaging material mentions that the eggs hatch in about 10 days after the temperate reaches at least 70 degrees. This had been a relatively cooler spring and summer so daytime high did not hit the 70s until a week or two ago. After inspecting the egg case at least once a week for the past month, i gave up the idea that i would see mantises in my backyard.
Yesterday afternoon, i was inspecting the recently planted Irish Moss and to my surprise, i found several mantis nymphs!
Tiny mantis nymph on my thumb.
A mantis nymph hidden in Irish Moss.
I am a little concerned that i may not have any food in my backyard for the mantises. I may have to introduce some pest just to feed my mantises!
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