If this young mantis, called a nymph, was an adult, he or she would likely take on this large native bee for a meal. Erin Hauge
Correction: This is a female Carpenter bee, Xylocopa californica
Last season I watched three female praying mantises and at least one male praying mantis in Coyote’s Garden and I saw several mating events that seemed to last for hours. And I found several hardened egg cases on the branches of bushes in the garden over the winter, so no surprise that this year there are a number of young mantises, newly hatched, learning to hunt and survive in the garden. There’s a lot to eat and the big threat is of course, predators – including birds and the nest of paper wasps in the yard.
Each egg case or ootheca, can harbor from 100 to 400 youngsters or nymphs, who hatch fully formed. Mantises experience incomplete metamorphosis which means that there is no pupal form. So they hatch looking like tiny little miniatures of the skilled 3- to 4-inch long adult hunters they will become in a few months’ time.
Since their bodies grow, but their exoskeletons do not, mantises must molt up to ten times to reach full growth at the adult stage. This is kind of like growing kids needing new shoes as their feet grow! Molting lets mantises shed the old, outgrown exoskeleton and the newly formed, larger exoskeleton will be soft at first. It will begin to harden immediately when exposed to the air but during this short time the mantis will be vulnerable.
The California mantis (Stagmomantis californica) is a species of praying mantis native to the Western United States. This species of mantis prefers dry regions such as chaparral and desert environments and thrives below 10,000 feet. In California, they can be found from Southern California up into the Central Valley.
Mantises are formidable predators and eat most other species of insects, including their own kind! They’re also known to eat birds, reptiles and amphibians. Because of their streamlined, agile bodies they can move very quickly when hunting and can also fly which gives them incredible advantage as they chase down prey.
I’ve also seen mantises in Coyote’s Garden perched quietly on the bottom of a hummingbird feeder, waiting for an opportunity while hummingbirds scold and give alarms buzzing the feeder, so the hummers seem to be aware of the danger that mantises present to them. I always relocate the mantis when they’ve picked this hunt spot, and the mantis always returns to the feeder. A mantis was even moved out to the front yard, on the other side of the house and showed up on the feeder again the next day!
Hopeful mantis adult at one of the hummingbird feeders. Erin Hauge
While mantises are excellent for pest control in any garden, the down side is that they also eat beneficial insects, such as butterflies and bees. But then mantises themselves are on the menu of larger birds, opposums and raccoons and other mammals and larger reptiles. A garden where everyone is potentially on the menu is a garden in balance. I still remember the first time I saw a mantis snatch a bee and begin eating – I was horrified, but the fact is that every animal, bird and insect has a predator that is part of a normal life cycle in nature. Even mountain lions must fend off wolves and other predators from their kittens and wolves can be killed and maimed by the very elk and caribou they hunt for sustenance.
See a mantis here, see a mantis there
There are at least five nymphs that can be tracked in the garden at this time, some days I can find them and some days I can’t. Likely not all will survive but several probably will, and one or two may move to other gardens to try their luck at hunting there. I don’t know about mantis home ranges, it would make sense that they would disperse as needed. It takes less energy to stay near your birth place but since mantises can eat one another in a pinch, dispersal is probably a pretty appealing option for some.
Camouflage is key to their survival. For instance, both last season and currently, there is at least one mantis who is a tan color and blends in with the old, dry foliage on the Iceland poppies. He or she can be very well hidden and if we can’t see them, there’s a good chance that predators like birds and wasps will have a hard time finding them, too.
Can you spot the mantis nymph? Erin Hauge
I’ve also seen that bee balm is a preferred hunting spot for the wee nymphs because the flowers have little antenna-looking fronds that look like their spindly legs so wasps and other predators aren't as likely to look for them there. And there are lovely overhangs on this generally three-tiered flower for a mantis to lie in wait, under cover. It’s a total ambush operation!
A nymph at the top of a maturing bee balm bloom - the flowers will be pink but right now the tips of the plants are mantis green with confusing hairy fronds that help the nymph blend in. Erin Hauge
And it seems that some nymphs are either extremely bold or still trying to find their place in the world. This little one was planted right in the middle of a huge squash leaf that was a darker green and that also provided a great landing pad for a wasp! I tracked this youngster the next day and he or she is spending time on the underside of the squash leaves and also on the borage that is growing right next to the squash.
Mantis nymph on a squash leaf - seems like a high risk location but this wee one has been making a go of it for the last week now. Erin Hauge
Another great camouflage flower is the bachelor’s buttons. The long, willowy green stalks mimic the elongated body of the mantis nymph and again, coloration is almost exact so it would be hard for a flying wasp or bird to pick this one out from the stalk of the flower. And the nymphs tend to set up a hunt spot right under a flower head, which is logical as they lie in wait for flies and small bees that will visit the flower.
Pretty good camouflage on a bachelor’s button plant. Erin Hauge
The best part of a praying mantis’ day must be when the waiting is over and the meal is in hand. No doubt mantis hunt success rate varies and involves a long and hard ritual of waiting, watching and waiting some more before making the ambush, and sometimes coming away empty handed. Gray wolves have a 20% success rate on the hunt, generally. That’s like being hungry and heading out for pizza and only actually being able to find a pie 1 out of every 5 times and also never knowing whether this is the trip where you’ll actually get your hands on that pie or not. So when a mantis gets his or her quarry, it means another day of survival and the hunt begins again tomorrow.
Fly in hand means a full belly. Erin Hauge
There’s lots to watch and learn where praying mantises are concerned! Here's hoping for some healthy praying mantis adults to keep the garden low on pests. Just remember to mind the hummingbird feeder!
Mind the feeders! Erin Hauge
Erin Hauge is an Ecologist, Certified California naturalist and wildlife tracker. She is currently earning an A.S. in Biology and writes periodic nature and wildlife blogs.
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