Learn All About This Backyard Beneficial Insect!
The praying mantis is an insect that has fascinated humans for centuries. A master predator in the garden, mantids have an abundance of lore surrounding them—including whether they eat hummingbirds. Here are some of our favorite facts and folklore about praying mantis.
Mantis or Mantid?
We’ve often been asked about the difference between “mantis” and “mantid.” The first term, “mantis,” refers only to members of the genus Mantis, like the European mantis, Mantis religiosa. “Mantid” refers to this entire order (Mantodea) of insects. In common usage, the terms are essentially used interchangeably, and we say you can call it what you wish.
What Do Praying Mantids Eat?
- Often considered a beneficial insect, praying mantids are actually “generalists” (i.e., willing to eat a variety of things) that prey on both bothersome insects and beneficial ones.
- A carnivore, mantids dine primarily on insects like flies, crickets, moths, grasshoppers, and mosquitoes. They can even feast on prey over three times their size, including small animals such as frogs, lizards, and—yes—even hummingbirds.
- Because of their voracious appetite for insects, praying mantids are sometimes considered a friend to farmers and gardeners since they work well as a natural form of pest control. However, remember that they will eat the good bugs, too!
- These insects will even eat each other! In fact, praying mantids are famous for being cannibalistic: a female will sometimes eat a male just after—or even during—mating.
- Although they may eat other beneficial insects (and, occasionally, each other), they prefer the insects that coincidentally do the greatest damage to crops, such as grasshoppers, beetles, and other small insects.
Non-Native Mantids and Hummingbirds
Recently, mantids have gained some notoriety for preying on larger animals such as lizards or small birds. Generally, the species of mantids native to North America—including the Carolina mantid (Stagmomantis carolina)—are not large enough to take on prey as big as hummingbirds.
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However, there are several non-native species—introduced in the 1800s to help control insect pests—that have become naturalized in North America. The Chinese mantis is one of the most widespread and the largest, growing up to 4 inches in length. This species, in particular, perhaps in part because of its size, has been known on occasion to catch a hummingbird at a feeder, especially if it is very hungry or if it mistakes the bird for a bee or other insect that seeks the sugar water.
To avoid this unfortunate occurrence, move any hummingbird feeders away from surrounding bushes and branches, so that the mantids are easier for the birds to see. It also can help to add a broad cover over the top of the feeder, to discourage mantids that cannot fly. If you do see a mantid on the feeder, coax it onto a stick and move it gently away.
The other prominent non-native mantid in North America is the European mantis, Mantis religiosa. This mantid is smaller than the Chinese mantid and is generally not a threat to hummingbirds.
How to Tell Carolina, European, and Chinese Mantids Apart
Wondering which praying mantis you’ve seen in your backyard? There are many, many species of mantids in North America, but the three mentioned in this article are the most widespread. Here are the key differences between these species:
| Carolina Mantid | European Mantid | Chinese Mantid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 2-2½ inches | Up to 3 inches | 3-4 inches |
| Color | Green or mottled gray/brown | Light brown to dark green | Green or brown, often with a green-yellow stripe down the wings |
| Identifying Features | Females have short wings that don’t cover the entire length of their abdomen. Egg cases are flat, often laid on vertical surfaces. | Black and white “bull’s eye” markings can be seen under the front legs. | Pattern of vertical stripes on the forehead (between the eyes). Egg cases are more globular, often laid on branches. |
Facts About Praying Mantids
- Mantids are found on every continent except Antarctica. Of the 1,800 or so known species, most are between 1 to 3 inches in length. Some tropical species may grow to 8 inches or more, though!
- Most praying mantids are able to fly, although some females might not be able to.
- Mantids have triangular heads and long, flexible necks bend easily, allowing them to turn their heads 180° from side to side, giving them a 300° field of vision. They can spot the slightest movement from up to 60 feet away.
- They have two large, compound eyes and three other simple eyes located between them.
- Masters of disguise, praying mantids are rarely seen. They are typically green or brown, but many species will take on the color of their habitat. They may mimic leaves, twigs, flowers, grass, and even other insects. Some tropical species so closely resemble flowers that pollinators will land on them in search of nectar!
- Females will lay hundreds of eggs regulary and the nymphs hatch out looking much like smaller versions of their parents.
Nature’s Perfect Predators
- The strange praying stance of the praying mantid is not an act of reverence but rather the position that this fierce predator takes while patiently waiting to ambush other insects. They are the martial artists of the insect world.
- Their powerful forelegs are armed with rows of overlapping spikes, which are used to snare their prey and pin it in place while they devour it with strong, sharp mandibles. They use their entire arms like razor blades, with reflexes that are so rapid that they are impossible to gauge with the naked eye.
- With flexible necks and two over-dimensioned eyes, praying mantids fixate the distance to their prey rapidly and in 3D.
Praying Mantis Folklore
- The French once thought that a praying mantis would point a lost child home.
- In some parts of Africa, it is considered good luck if one of these curious creatures lands on you.
- The Greek word mantis means “prophet” or “seer.” When at rest, the insects hold up the fronts of their bodies and position their huge forelegs, appearing to pray for insight.
As with many of nature’s predators, hunters often become the hunted. The mantid’s natural enemies include birds, bats, spiders, snakes, and lizards. With so many enemies to worry about, perhaps praying mantids actually are saying their prayers!
Learn More
Find out about other fascinating and beneficial insects like fireflies and dragonflies!
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I grew up in a suburban area in Ohio, not too far from the country and miles of nothing but farms. I was getting off work one night and as I approached my car in the parking lot, there was maybe a dozen bright green huge Mantids, all over my car, under and around it. Almost as if they were guarding it. I didn't know what to do. I was clearly outnumbered. I left and came back an hour later. By then they were gone. But it was the weirdest thing seeing so many in a parking lot in the 'burbs.
It was early November, 1999 when a mantis was observed at our basement window. We captured her and placed her in a shoebox, and then left for the evening. Upon returning, we opened the box, and to our surprise, she seemingly had escaped. She had actually just hung herself up under the lid.
The next morning, we contacted a professor at our local college, an entomologist. He told us what to feed her, and offered basic care guidance.
She lived with us until early February the next year, and what we learned literally changed our lives.
These are very sentient creatures. Communication is possible using symbols. They easily recognize concepts such as “play”, “eat”, “protect”, “fight”.
Each mantis needs their own room, they are not happy in [mesh] hampers.
A couple of years ago I opened my front door and found a praying mantis on my screen door. I relocated it to a plant on my front porch. Next morning it (or another one that looked like it) was on the screen again. I relocated it a bit farther away on a bush at the front of the yard. Next day, guess what! Another one on the INSIDE of my screen. This one was brown, the other one was green. So I moved it to a tree in the back of the house. No more sightings on the screen door after that. I did find a small one yesterday while pulling weeds.
I was just noticing how much the praying mantis wings look like green leaves; prob. a camouflage~
When I was a kid in Ohio, our science teacher had us collecting egg cases in late spring from a field trip. Our rural community was in the middle of large cornfields and insects were constant inhabitants. We didn’t know what kind they were but she put them in her vented metal cupboard over the summer vacation. When school started again in September, millions of 1 inch baby praying mantis had hatched! The janitors had to sweep them up and throw them outside. They were everywhere!! Even after we were allowed back into the building, I could hear girls scream when they encountered some of the “escapees”. I laughed when I heard these screening ninnies!
Another time, I wasn’t so brave. It was late fall and the corn stalks had dried in our large garden. I heard a really loud commotion in the middle of the cornfield, cornstalks were thrashing all around. I was cautiously curious and quietly walked near enough to see what had caused the commotion. Two huge 4-5” brown mantids were fighting!! They were jumping and flying all around the dry cornstalks. I didn’t stick around to see the outcome but have always wondered about this behavior. Are mantids territorial? Was this a mating ritual? I never found out, and am still just as curious.
What a storyteller you are. Yes, mandids will fight each other, even do the death. It’s quite ruthless. Often they fight to mate—and the losers will get eaten by their own kind!
Just noticed him(?) on plant I was trying to trim. He's brown, about 4 inches biggest I've ever seen. Watched him, looked like he was stalking; then I saw the lanternfly. Mr. mantis went after him, they both fell down the plant so I couldn't see. However the next day I saw just wings of the lanternfly stuck in what looked like some sort of sticky web on my plant. It would be great if more mantises could be a predator to get rid of these lanternflies.!!!
Mantis, of course. The timbre of The Old Farmers Almanac is becoming questionable, at best, and you can print that. Geez!!
I have two in my yard this summer. One is brown and the other is green. Both are about 2 inches long.The green one I picked up in the grass and showed it to the neighbors. It was looking around at the people and back at me. A very unique and calming experience.
I have been watching a mantis all week on my screened porch. She is the biggest one I have ever seen. Over 4 inches and 5 or so with her arms out straight. Beautiful specimen.
