Praying Mantis Life Cycle Lessons from My Garden

I least expected to get Praying Mantis Life Cycle Lessons  from my balcony garden. My tiny balcony garden is home to many species. Most of them are pests destroying my fruits of hard work in my balcony garden. Some of my spare time goes into tending the plants and watering them. However I found one helping hand from praying mantis!

Praying Mantis I read up on it and to my surprise praying mantis is more a friend of garden and not a foe. They eat aphids, grass hoppers, mosquito larvae, baby caterpillars and other soft-bodied insects. Some aggressive ones, bigger in size, the carnivorous mantises are known to devour little birds like humming birds.

Praying Mantis Laying Eggs in my Balcony Garden

And this incident happened a few months back.

We saw this pregnant Praying Mantis perched on the wall so gracefully. All of us crowded around her, but she didn’t budge from that place or pose. Downloading the shots we noticed the bulge, it was quite unusual from the other pictures of Praying Mantis we saw in our Google search. My daughters were confident it was going to lay eggs.

We have never seen praying mantis laying eggs before. We didn’t even know what is the life cycle of praying mantis? When does the praying mantis egg hatch? So this was exciting.

Female praying mantis after mating has this kind of swollen belly like in the picture below. It was obvious she was going to lay eggs soon.

 Praying Mantis in my Balcony garden

In some cultures, a praying mantis can be a sign of good luck or fortune. For example: Native Americans believe the insect came before the creation of man and Earth. The bugs represent wealth, success, large families and the cycle of life.

Not sure whether this sighting will bring me luck, but it surely did give my daughters a learning experience in nature.

Praying Mantis Life Cycle

Next day morning my daughters rushed to see whether the Praying Mantis was still there. It. Was. There. Out came the camera and click, click, click they went. They downloaded immediately to see if the shots came out well, they didn’t want to take any chance. The shots came out well. One look at the Praying Mantis’s face we decided not to disturb her at her most private moment.

It was one whole sack of eggs. The egg case of praying mantis is called the ootheca.

Do you know the heads of praying mantis are flexible? Yes, permitting 300 degrees of movement, allowing a great range of vision.

Praying matis ootheca

The Praying Mantis was still laying eggs in to the egg case. We kept a watch on her from a distance. After her job was done, she flew off without turning back to see her egg case even once.

After that day it was a patient ‘wait and observe’ for the next few weeks. Lot of reading and study went on: how long does it take for the babies to come popping out of the egg case, ootheca? What if they are at school then? I was given the responsibility of guarding it.

Then one day when the kids were at school, almost six weeks later, I noticed three tiny ones moving around. OMG! They have hatched! Often their first meal is one of their siblings, I had read!

At least twenty five to thirty babies are expected from one ootheca. Have the other nymphs escaped or did they get eaten up? I was imagining how disappointed the kids would be to know the babies hatched in their absence. Rushed for my camera, placed one baby praying mantis in my palm and here is one precious shot.

 Ootheca of Praying mantis

Praying mantis egg case.

Those baby mantids, the nymphs that survive eat leafhoppers, aphids or small flies. It was a great learning experience to know what are the Praying Mantis life cycle stages.

Egg stage: Praying mantises begin their lives as eggs, which are laid by the female in a frothy mass called an ootheca. The female dies soon after egg laying they usually die. The ootheca hardens soon and protects the eggs from predators and harsh weather.

Nymph stage: Once the eggs hatch, the young praying mantises emerge as nymphs. At this stage, they are small and vulnerable and undergo several molts as they grow larger. They shed their skin many times to reveal a new larger skin underneath. This is called moulting.

Adult stage: After completing the nymph stage, the praying mantis reaches adulthood. At this stage, they have fully developed wings and reproductive organs and are capable of mating and reproducing. Adult mantises can vary in size and color depending on the species.

Praying Mantis life cycle timeline

Egg stage typically lasts 3 to 6 weeks
Nymph stage lasts the next 4 to 8 weeks
Adult stage lasts several months. The female outlives the male.

praying mantis nymph

praying mantis nymph

Praying Mantis Life Cycle FAQ section

What is the life cycle of a praying mantis?

Praying mantises only have one life cycle a year. A praying mantis goes through three main stages in its life cycle: egg, nymph, and adult. The praying mantis nymph stage is divided into several smaller stages, during which the mantis molts and grows larger.

What month do praying mantis lay eggs?

Praying mantis egg laying occurs right after mating in late September through early October.

How long does it take for a praying mantis egg to hatch?

Praying mantis eggs typically hatch in 3 to 6 weeks, depending on environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity.

What do praying mantis nymphs eat?

Praying mantis nymphs are carnivorous and primarily feed on small insects and other arthropods.

Are praying mantises beneficial to garden?

Yes, praying mantises are considered beneficial insects as they help control pest populations by eating other insects that can damage plants. However, they may also eat beneficial insects, so it’s important to use them in moderation and not rely solely on mantises for pest control.

Can praying mantises fly?

Yes, praying mantises are capable of flight. They primarily use their wings to glide short distances or to make controlled descents from high perches and not large distances.

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