Subject: Re: praying mantis

From: [email-masked] (Jeffrey A. Del Col)
Date: 5 Mar 1995 22:57:22 GMT

In a previous article, [email-masked] (Bea Roegge) says:

>any info on the use of praying mantis in gardens.

Mantis religiosa--my all time favorite arthropod.

Yes, they will eat harmful insects.  However, they are completely
indiscrminate about their prey, so they will also eat any beneficial
insect they can catch.  They---love--- honeybees; easy to catch and
apparently tasty.

  Mantises are also cannibalistic, so most of those that hatch 
from the foam cocoons they've wintered in will probably wind up eating
each other.  Eventually, they will also leave your garden in search of
prey or mates.  There's not really any method of keeping them around
once they get the urge to move on.

Love to have them around, though.  They look like exotic robots, something
from a sci-fi nightmare-- a deadly mechanical elegance to them.

J. Del Col
-- 
Jeff Del Col   * "Sleeplessness is like metaphysics.
A-B College    *  Be there."
Philippi, WV   * 
               * ----Charles Simic----

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From: [email-masked] (Bea Roegge)
Date: 4 Mar 1995 20:45:42 -0500

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From: [email-masked] (Stan)
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 1995 17:46:13 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Bea 
  >any info on the use of praying mantis in gardens.

the neighbor kids found some last year, so just to demonstrate the use
of preditors in an indoor garden, i put then on a few tomatoes plants
that had whiteflies, and they eventually won out (with the use of
whitefly parasites too).  too bad for them though, for they then ran out
of food, and died.

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From: [email-masked] (merina chase)
Date: 5 Mar 1995 22:06:14 GMT

>any info on the use of praying mantis in gardens.

I have tried hatching some, but no luck.  I suspect the quality was
not good, they were in the afterthought section of Fred Meyer.

This year a friend of mine smuggles some from another state.  There were
two females and i am not sure how many males.  It was fascinating. 

They ate a lot of crickets, laid a bunch of egg cases, ate the males, 
then died.  i have the egg cases, we'll see.  But just in case I am 
going to order some from Territorial Seed Co. phone 503-942-9547 for 
catalog.

at home in the dirt - merina chase

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From: [email-masked] (Stan)
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 1995 17:46:13 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (merina chase)
Date: 5 Mar 1995 22:06:14 GMT