Most people are able to identify a praying mantis, but many are unaware there are both native and invasive species of mantises in our area. Gardeners often recognize the praying mantis as a guardian against pests.
The benefit of their efficiency, however, is questionable since they do not discriminate on what will be their next meal. The Chinese mantis Tenodera sinensis and the European mantis Mantis religiosa are the two most prevalent invasive mantis species found in this area. Like with most invasive species, their aggressive nature poses a threat to our native mantis, the Carolina mantis Stagmomantis carolina.
The invasive species outcompete the Carolina mantis for food sources and even enjoy the Carolina mantis as a meal. Garden stores and pet stores have aided in the spread of these invasive species, marketing them for sale as garden pest control or even as a household pet. It is important to give our native species the opportunity to thrive without added competition. Encouraging the population growth of these invasive species can be detrimental to the population of the native Carolina mantis.
The Chinese mantis is the largest mantis species in North America and can reach up to five inches in length. It was accidentally introduced to the United States in in Mt. Airy, Pennsylvania. This species has a slender build and varies in color from brown to green. The European mantis was introduced as pest control for the gypsy moth. It is smaller in size than the Chinese mantis reaching about four inches in length. The European mantis is usually greener in color.
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The spines fit into a groove on the lower parts of the leg when not in use. There are three species of mantids in Kentucky, the European mantid Mantis religiosa , Carolina mantid Stagmomantis carolina , and Chinese Mantid Tenodera aridifolia sinensis. The smaller, dusty brown Carolina mantid is only about 2 inches long when full grown, that is, when it has wings.
The pale green European mantid is intermediate in size, about 3 inches in length. The large 3 to 5 inches long Chinese mantid is green and light brown. The Carolina mantid is a native insect. The European and Chinese species were introduced in the northeast about 75 years ago as garden predators in hopes of controlling the native insect pest populations.
During mating the smaller male often jumps on the back of the larger female. Miscalculating the jump may mean the male becomes a meal. If the jump was successful, the pair mate and during copulation the female may turn and devour the male's head. The body of the male is capable of completing the mating, when complete the female will finish eating the male. After mating, the female will lay groups of eggs in a frothy liquid that turns to a hard protective shell.
This is how these insects survive the winter. Small mantids emerge from this case in the spring. Often, the first meal is a sibling. It takes an entire summer or growing season for mantids to mature to adulthood.
The Kentucky mantids have only one generation per year. Praying mantids have an association with many diverse pharmacological and religious beliefs. The Greeks called them "Mantes", which means prophets. The Chinese write of the mantis as curing anything from impotence to goiter. They believed that roasting the egg cases and feeding them to your children will stop bed wetting, but suggested not eating the egg cases on an empty stomach for it will surely make a person sick.
These myths are interesting but there have been no findings to support the ancient claims.
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