There is something quite mysterious and other-worldly about the Praying mantis. They almost look like the quintessential alien drawings from Roswell, New Mexico.  They have large oblong eyes, and move in a bizarre fashion from side to side as they try to distinguish you from your background. They hold extremely still, and explode into full movement with no warning. The name “mantis” comes from the Greek word for ‘prophet’ or ‘soothsayer.’ The “praying” refers to the the tightly positioned arms. Praying mantis are also expert camouflage artists, blending silently into the landscape.

It is almost impossible to see this Praying mantis hiding in Japanese Silver Grass. They can easily blend in to their surroundings color scheme.

Praying mantis (also known as Mantids) are a great predator to have in the garden. Both the European and Chinese Mantids were introduced about 75 years ago to control native pest populations. A Mantid diet consists of crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders and in South America, where they can reach up to 12 in, even Hummingbirds (Sorry Sunshine). Mantids hunt with their  compound eyes, and are thought to be able to see movement  up to 60′ away. They have a free-turning head that has 300 different degrees of movement, making it the only insect that can look over its shoulder. They are also the only insect that can turn their body 180 degrees in one full movement.

Large compound eyes of the Mantid let them detect movement up to 60' away. Photo courtesy of Wiki.Â

Mantids also have ultra-sound ears on their metathoraxes. Some species have hollow chambers within their bodies. It has recently been discovered that these chambers are used to pick up the sonic vibrations of the bat, one of the Mantids worst predators. If the Mantid is in flight, and picks up the vibrations, they will hurl themselves out of harms way.

Mantids have natural color camoflauge. Note the green eyes, and striping on this Mantids head.

Breeding season for Mantids in Michigan is late summer, into early fall. Females mate with the male, and if in captivity or stressed, begin a cannibalistic ritual. Often, even while still in the act of breeding, the female will begin to devourer the male.  It was once thought that this behavior was standard, but has now been challenged by the scientific community as laboratory bias. Further studies need to be done to determine if this is truly a routine behavior in the wild.

Egg cases, called “ootheca”, and are often layed on the sides of buildings, or other flat surfaces. In other species, they are layed on leaves, tree bark and even the ground. Some species even guard their egg cases for some time.  In late spring, nymphs begin to hatch. This process takes several hours depending on the temperature. Often the nymphs will eat a sibling as a first meal.

The ootheca egg case can hold up to 400 eggs, and depending on the species is layed on a flat surface, plant or ground.

Praying mantis are an organic way to help control pests in the garden. Their egg cases can be ordered in early spring for placement in the garden. They can also eat beneficial insects as well, so it is best to keep only one or two egg cases per yard.  The young are extremely small when they hatch, so be sure not to put them in an area with heavy traffic.  It is only legal to purchase the native Carolina species, as others have been deemed invasive. At temperatures of 68-78 degrees, it takes about 3-6 weeks to hatch. If you purchase your egg cases in January, be sure to keep them cool. You can keep them in your garage, or in the refrigerator until the time is right.

Next time you are out in the garden remember the amazing Praying mantis, and its beneficial attributes!

Happy Gardening!

Lacewings are an important part of a natural healthy garden. They are an organic means to extinguish aphids, mites and other garden pests. It is important to keep in mind the benefits of having insects in your yard and  garden before spraying and chemically treating for insects.

Lacewing larvae eat catepillers, scale and mealy bugs as well as many other garden pests. Photo courtesy of Wiki.

Lacewings belong to the order Neuroptera. There are about 85 species of Lacewings in this group, and over 2,000 close relatives  including dobsonflies, ant-lions and alderflies.

Most adults survive on pollen, nectar and an occasional aphid. The real predators of this insect group are the Lacewing larvae aphis-lions (or aphid-lion/aphid-wolves). Adult females lay their eggs on long sticky thread because larvae are so indiscriminate about what they eat,  they would eat themselves into extinction. Once eggs are layed they take about 6-14 days to hatch.

Lacewing larvae or "aphid wolf" stalking prey.

Once hatched, Lacewing larvae grow very quickly, but growth is dependent on the food source available. After 10 days of feeding they cocoon themselves and emerge as an adult within two weeks.

Lacewing eggs are usually laid where existing pests are feeding.

Larvae feed with the help of specialized mandibles. They have a mouth-part that is similar to a straw, and once clamped onto its prey can suck the insect dry in less than a minute. This leaves only the shell of the aphid exoskeleton. The larvae may wear and arrange the exoskeletons for cover (which makes it a part of a group of insects called “trash collectors”). An average larvae can eat up to 100 aphids in its cycle.

Debris from eaten aphids and insects are collected on the back of the larvae for protection. Photo by Susan McCann.

Lacewing adults have quite beautiful wings, and pale green-brown bodies depending on the species. They are most active at night and can usually be found circling porch lights. Their main goal as a adult is reproduction during their 4-6 week adult stage.

Lacewings are arguably the most beneficial of all garden insects. They kill all life stages of pests, including the eggs, making them important in prevention as well.  Remember to look for the Lacewing and “aphid-wolf” in your garden!

One of my first memories as a small child was watching a bumblebee (or bumble bee) on a flower in front of our house. He was fumbling about in a clumsy manner and then started to “fall”. Quickly, I put my fingers out to catch him….and then… the pain. I was only two, but I forgave him quickly with the help of my mother. She calmly explained that the bee didn’t mean to hurt me, and that he needed to get back to work. This two-year-old explanation still applies today to how we should treat bumblebees.

Bumble bees are not normally aggressive unless provoked. They are much less aggressive than the honey bee. Care should be taken not to disturb nests. Nests can be found in trees, abandoned debris and underground.

Bumblebees are important pollinators for native food plants, such as potatoes, blueberries, cranberries, eggplants, and raspberries, and for important crop plants such as red clover, alfalfa, and cotton. Further, bumblebees are the only insect capable of pollinating the Solanaceae family (see blog post “Don’t Eat these Greens!”), a plant family that contains important crops such as tomatoes, peppers and tobacco. Approximately 8% of the world’s described 250,000 species of flowering plants, the angiosperms, rely exclusively on bumble bees for pollination.

Bumblebees are a ground-nesting bee, although they can also nest in other protected areas such as stumps and debris. Their nest holes are usually less than the size of a quarter and have a short trail leading into the hole (a landing strip of sorts). The nest usually consists of about 200 bees per colony, with only the Queen surviving the winter.  In early May, the Queen emerges to start her colony. She begins this process with a mass collection of pollen that she moistens with nectar called “Bee Bread” or Ambrosia (meaning the food of the Greek gods) that she will use to raise the first generation of workers.

Bee pollen that has nectar added for food is also known as "Bee Bread". It contains special fungi and bacteria for larvae development.

Nectar is stored in wax “pots” and pollen is stored in the wax “cells” with the larvae which they will feed on themselves.  Because bumblebees are incapable of feeding each other directly, so they must use indirect transfer methods such as storage.

Bumble bees store nectar, pollen nearby larvae for feeding. The nectar is in wax capsules that larvae can feed on by chewing through cell walls.

After the initial brood of about 20 bees, the colony begins to establish with reproducing males and females that mate during flight (if you have ever seen two bees that appear to be fighting in the sky, that is actually what is happening).  Reproduction, aside from the Queen, is unusual for bees because usually workers are sterile. The young produced from the male and female  workers will only be male.

The bees continue the process of collecting pollen to feed their young:

Can you hear the buzz? Bumblebees are capable of what is known as “Buzz-Pollination” or “sonication”.  A buzz caused by rapid contractions of their flight muscles causes vibrations to roar through the flower at about 400 hertz (Hz). This means that tightly held pollen is vibrated loose from plants, allowing it to be captured for use, and set free to cross-pollinate crops. The pollen is captured on the bee in its tiny hairs and in “pollen baskets” on their hind legs that can be seen in the video above.

Bumblebee with a load of pollen known as a "pollen sac".

Through the season new Queens are born. Depending on the species of bee, there can be up to 30 queens born per nest. Males born from workers and the queens are driven out of the nest. They will continue to feed and pollinate, and eventually mate. The males will die in the fall and the queens will over-winter until the process begins over again in the spring.

The large queen bee, the female worker, and male drone. Only the queen and workers can sting.

Unfortunately, Bumblebees are on the decline. Over-use of pesticides, disease,  habitat loss and over-all misunderstanding of the bees have resulted in a loss of many species. Others are threatened or endangered. This has resulted in a subsequent decline in the species of plants that they pollinate. Through understanding and respect we can do our part in saving this very important part of our ecosystem and garden.