Mrs. Gray's Second Grade Class mrsgray

OUR PRAYING MANTISES

Our Egg Cases

A wonderful person donated our praying mantis cocoons. We had thousands of baby praying mantises which we observed and then released.

Tiny Nymphs
PRAYING MANTIS INFORMATION
adult praying mantis

    The adult PrayingMantis can be over 3 to 4 inches long. The body is tannish-borwn with long forewings edged in green. Prey are held securely between the spiny forelegs which close like a knife blade back against its handle.
    In the fall the female Praying Mantis lays eggs in a large mass or cluster in a frothy substance it glues to tree twigs, plant stems, and other objects. The female dies a few weeks after egg laying . The egg case overwinters and in the spring tiny nymphs emerge from the egg mass in the spring or early summer.
    Mantises are carnivorous and feed on smaller insects and other small animals.
    The praying mantis plays a very important part in nature's insect control plan. The Praying Mantis is the only predator which feeds at night on moths and the only predator fast enough to catch mosquitoes and flies.

Populations of the Praying Mantis appear to be increasing throughout Ohio. They do not bite humans, damage household furnishings, nor spread disease. Sometimes when handled, their spiny-like forelegs can feel like a "sharp pinch." The "Praying Mantis" is not an endangered species nor protected by Ohio or federal law.
We have lots of Praying Mantis egg cases. We have observed several hundreds of tiny nymphs emerge from them. We have released them to their natural environment.