Sun Pest Management
Feeling Social?
  • Home
  • Services
    • Lawns
    • Commercial
    • Termites & WDOs
    • Tree Injections
    • Bareground Treatments
  • Info Sheets
    • Termites
    • Carpenter Ants
    • Ants
    • Cockroaches
    • Bed Bugs
    • Fleas
  • Videos | Pics
    • Wasps, Etc.
    • Bed Bugs
    • Termites
  • Safety Info
  • Pay Online
  • Contact Us
    • Mission Statement
    • Privacy Policy
  • PestBlog
  • Coupons
  • Employment
  • Reviews

Don't Tease the Mantis

8/15/2017

4 Comments

 
("Don't Tease the Mantis" is not a follow-up sequel to The Blue Oyster Cult's hit, "Don't Fear the Reaper," but it should be.)
Picture
We've all had that moment when for a split second, your brain isn't sure what you're looking at, and it quickly runs through a few likely scenarios:
​
Is that a toy someone dropped?
No, it's a Tinkertoy or something.
Wait--it's a tiny alien, and now I'm freaked out.
Oh, it's a praying mantis. And I'm still freaked out.


There's something unnerving, unnatural, and intelligent about the way the mantids move around that makes a lot of people instantly wary. Their articulating legs, their hypnotic, swaying motion, and the freaky way their heads track you as you walk around them, working up the courage to shoo it away.

Picture
It's the worst when you find them at your door, blocking the entrance to your own home. You feel bullied and ashamed that this tiny alien-like arthropod is denying you access to your own property.

As predators of other arthropods, they are beneficial, in that some of the insects they eat probably would have harmed your vegetation. However, a lot of the other ones they eat would have helped your vegetation, so there's debate about how much good they actually do in your yard. They don't focus on a single type of prey, so they end up eating the good with the bad insects. But even though they are freaky, we don't go out of our way to kill this insect.

Picture
I'll never forget Mrs. Alan's 3rd grade class. Brian brought in a grasshopper from recess to feed the mantis in the aquarium in the back of the room. The boys gathered around for this exciting learning opportunity which was sure to end in gruesome gore--as much gore as you can expect to get in a 3rd grade class, anyway.

After a few seconds of sizing up its prey, the grasshopper pounced on the mantis, defeated it, and began eating. This is not what we expected at all, but we were still excited to have seen something gross.

So they're not undefeatable! And they're not actually all that ornery, although you can rile them up by poking them with grass, getting too close to their strange heads, or by insulting their mothers.

But if you happen to find one on your leg, like I did last night, you may at first think it's a shoelace. But when kicking your ankle sideways doesn't cause it to fall away, and you look down and see two large eyes looking back at you, you needn't freak out. Just scrape him off onto the nearest bush, and congratulate yourself for being so brave. And the longer it takes your camera to focus at that distance, the braver you are.

4 Comments
Chris link
8/15/2017 09:21:01 pm

What about those spikes on their forearms? They could give a good poke I'm sure.

Reply
top custom essays link
8/22/2017 04:49:59 am

I always wanted to take care of a mantis. A mantis describes a calm and patient mannerism, that should be practiced by everyone. A mantis is calm and peaceful, and won't instigate a fight unless needed. A lot of people are scared of these bugs, because they don't know their background and characteristics. They're peaceful and loving insects, who won't do any harm unless provoked.

Reply
Pest Control Hamilton link
1/8/2019 08:39:14 pm

I am thankful to you for sharing this post. In your own words, you told us about the life style, really I mean that very good. Nice experience.

Reply
Pest Control Kapiti link
7/15/2020 01:25:50 am

Hi, thank you for such a brilliant post. I have been reading some blogs that gives me more knowledge about don’t tease the mantis; I must say this is one of the best among them. You have done a great research for I feel, thanks for sharing. If possible visit this website https://www.thepestman.co.nz/ to gain more idea or tips on the same.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Sun Pest Management Team

    Archives

    December 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    February 2014
    October 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012

    Categories

    All
    Bareground
    Cockroach
    Disease
    Dormant
    Fruit
    Fungicide
    Fungus
    Garden
    Gravel
    Hobo
    Lawn
    Mold
    Patches
    Pest Control
    Pre-emergent
    Preparation
    Roses
    Spider
    Sterilant
    Tegenaria
    Trees
    Weed Control

    RSS Feed

Serving the Inland Northwest since 1969. Especially Lewiston, Pullman, Moscow, Clarkston, Walla Walla, Enterprise, Joseph & all points in between!
Copyright 2005-2019 Sun Pest Management. Created & maintained by Russ Craber.