Praying Mantises: All About This Beneficial Insect for Your Garden

Praying mantises are some of the most fascinating beneficial predators you’ll find in the garden. Known for their triangular heads, long necks, and front legs held in a prayer-like pose, these carnivorous insects are part of the order Mantodea and are anything but passive.

Beyond their unique appearance, praying mantises are natural pest control allies, feeding on all kinds of insect pests and helping to keep bug populations down without relying on chemical sprays

In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of having praying mantises in your garden, how to attract them, and how to encourage them to stay. While they often show up naturally, a little help can go a long way in making your garden a place they call home.

1. The Benefits of Having Praying Mantises in the Garden

Natural pest control that works with nature

Praying mantises are one of the few insects that can handle all kinds of insects from aphids and cucumber beetles to larger prey like grasshoppers, small tree frogs, and even small reptiles or rodents. 

Efficient ambush predators

Mantids are excellent ambush predators, blending into dense foliage or hiding among tall grasses until a soft-bodied insect or small creature wanders close. Their lightning-fast front legs grab potential prey before it knows what happened.

Less reliance on chemical inputs

Because praying mantises reduce bad bugs naturally and coexist with other beneficial insects, there’s less need for sprays and dusts, meaning good insects aren’t wiped out by broad-spectrum pest control treatments.

A low-maintenance, long-lasting solution

Once established, adult mantids stay throughout their growing season which is from early spring through late summer and into early fall, laying mantis egg cases in late fall that hatch the following year thus establishing a self-sustaining cycle of natural predators right in the garden beds.

Free biology lesson

Their unique appearance and behavior make praying mantises an interesting tool to teach kids about the life cycle of beneficial predators and the role they play in managing insect pests naturally.

2. How to Attract Praying Mantises Naturally

Attract their food source

Start by attracting the insects they prey on, this means planting flowers that draw in soft-bodied insects like flies, beetles, aphids, and the young nymphs of other species. Blooms in the dill, aster, and raspberry families, for example, are excellent choices for attracting this kind of potential prey.

Add height and structure with native plants

Consider growing tall grasses, native shrubs, or even tomato plants to give mantids structure, cover, and hunting perches that serve as ideal ambush points.

Skip the chemical pesticide sprays

Chemical pesticides, even a single application, can kill praying mantises, deter adults, and destroy hidden mantis egg cases. Since praying mantids are natural pest control agents, avoid using broad-spectrum sprays to protect them and other beneficial predators like ladybugs and parasitic wasps.

Leave a little wild space around the garden

Allowing a patch of overgrowth or undisturbed ground creates the kind of microhabitat where mantises can safely lay egg sacs and find prey. These tucked-away areas support the life cycle of native mantids and encourage them to remain in your garden area year after year.

3. How to Encourage Them to Stay

Watch for mantis egg cases in late fall

As the growing season winds down, adult mantids look for places to deposit their frothy egg sacs, often attaching them to twigs, plant stems, or even garden stakes. Leaving these mantis egg cases in place through winter increases the odds that native or non-native species will return in early spring.

Don’t over-tidy during winter cleanup

Leaving a few dried stalks or dead annuals standing in garden beds is important because clearing beds too thoroughly can remove praying mantis egg sacs, expose young nymphs, and eliminate essential hiding spots.

Avoid disrupting their life cycle

Although it can be tempting to move egg sacs or tidy up early, allowing mantids to follow their natural rhythm, from egg to nymph to adult, supports a healthy population over time.

Too many can backfire

Since praying mantises are solitary and cannibalistic, releasing too many egg cases at once can reduce survival rates. Spacing a few mantis egg cases across garden beds encourages a balanced population that effectively controls pest insects without threatening other beneficial insects.

Final Thoughts

Praying mantises stand out as some of the most effective natural pest controllers in any garden. Their impressive hunting skills and diverse diet make them indispensable allies for organic gardeners looking to maintain a healthy, balanced ecosystem. Simply avoiding sprays and protecting their egg sacs creates a safe habitat where mantises return year after year, quietly handling pest control for you.