AusBonsai

Hey guys I was reading a post on bugs and relised i should share my wisdom with all. We are faced with many insects ans pests the best way other then harmful chemicles I have fpund to be are preying mantis's. U can pick em up cheap from pet stores like the living jungle. I usually unleash my guys to walk around my bonsai and they eat all the lil insects and spiders. Someone recently gave me the idea of building a big enough enclosure to put my bonsais in and then allowing them to stay over night. Well that's my lil tip and secret but becareful they can be hard to find amungst larger bonsai

Nice one, I love the idea of patrolling preying mantis bonsaiguards.

I don't know much about them though so I might be making myself look a bit silly here... Do they get tempted to have a little nibble on any leaves as well?

No they are carnivorous
Praying mantis diet comprises beetles, leafhoppers, caterpillars, flies, moths, mites, grasshoppers, aphids, crickets, honeybees and any such insects within reach. Large mantises will even eat nestlings, hummingbirds and tree frogs. They use their spiny foreleg to pierce into the body of the hummingbird or frog and kill their prey. Moreover, their digestive systems have the capacity to handle even lizards, tiny rodents and juvenile snakes. They feed on one another, and this cannibalistic habit of preying causes these creatures to be solitary in nature.

I had the pleasure of witnessing 3 praying mantis willingly patrolling my trees over the Summer season They weren't there in Spring and have all but disappeared for now. I hope to see the little guys again next growing season

Coincidence or not but I found one in the garden the other day and placed it on my willow, this morning I caught a jumping spider to see if it would eat it and the bloody thing scared the crap out of me when it look it from my fingers
Spiders are good too as they catch all types of critters

Careful as praying mantis can pierce ur skin they have sharp forearms that's how they catch their prey and they only live for 8 to 9 months but like all insects breed like anything they lay lavi that hatches usually in the spring around winter they tend to die off but like bonsai if u care for em they can live longer in captivity then in the wild I love em. If u have 2 and find one headless don't be alarmed ur gona be a daddy the female eats the males head after mating lol grusem I know but what a way to die hey! Lol

simonvallone wrote:Careful as praying mantis can pierce ur skin they have sharp forearms that's how they catch their prey and they only live for 8 to 9 months but like all insects breed like anything they lay lavi that hatches usually in the spring around winter they tend to die off but like bonsai if u care for em they can live longer in captivity then in the wild I love em. If u have 2 and find one headless don't be alarmed ur gona be a daddy the female eats the males head after mating lol grusem I know but what a way to die hey! Lol

I have pet Yabbies so a little nip wont hurt me

Lol yea yabbis hurt more praying mantis just feel like a pin prick but they don't mean to do it that's y u use tweezers to feed em n give em live bugs but u can feed em raw meat also the more they eat the bigger they grow

Hi simonvallone,

But I am also under the impression that praying mantis are leaves eaters as well?

Best regards.

Had one of them on my Junipers. He hung around for about a week and ate all the spides, then disappeared. Have a pic of him too but cant seem to be able to post it soz.

Daviet, Preying mantis do not eat leaves only bugs, etc.
There are Stick Insects that eat leaves and some look a bit like preying mantis but don't have the folding front arms to catch bugs so they are in a different insect group.
A few grasshoppers are long and thin and green and eat leaves but grasshoppers have big back legs for jumping but not the folding front arms of a preying mantis so they are different too.

Praying mantis only eats insects well the occasional lizard and frog and apparently baby humming birds don't know if the bird is true tho

My bonsai usually attracts a couple of these guys over the summer, here's one I found last weekend ...

simonvallone wrote:Hey guys I was reading a post on bugs and relised i should share my wisdom with all. We are faced with many insects ans pests the best way other then harmful chemicles I have fpund to be are preying mantis's. U can pick em up cheap from pet stores like the living jungle. I usually unleash my guys to walk around my bonsai and they eat all the lil insects and spiders. Someone recently gave me the idea of building a big enough enclosure to put my bonsais in and then allowing them to stay over night. Well that's my lil tip and secret but becareful they can be hard to find amungst larger bonsai

What are you suggesting, that we don't run for the Confidor as often as the wind changes? How are we going to treat bugs that aren't even there? By proper diagnosis (if there is such a thing )? That's outrageous, totally un-bonsai and frankly sir, just a bit bloody frightening!

Cheers,
Mojo

Hi here's a stick insect, well I think it's a stick insect & it look's like a stick & it's an insect I think, but he was all over this tree & wasn't eaten any leaf's that I could see, but he dose look very cute don't you think.

Regard's The Hacker