Chinese Mantis

Brought from China in the mid 1800's as a source of pest control, the Chinese Mantis has thrived in the Eastern U.S. They are one of the most common Mantis's in this part of the U.S., and preform their pest ridding job excellently! A day's meal for one of these voracious animals can be up to 20 small insects (e.g. crickets, flies, moths, and the occasional worm). Although their table manners are atrocious, they have the amazing ability to do away with their prey as quickly as any child would with a candy bar. This means that even just one mantis can easily keep your garden pests at bay. Many people think that Mantids bite people, so they are mortally afraid of them, which can be understandable seeing that their barbed forelimbs respond in 1/100th of a second, and their mouth parts have several layers to them, but they are essentially helpless when it comes to being in the hands of a human. To them, you are nothing but a warm, pink tree branch, and I have NEVER seen a Praying Mantis eat a tree! So whenever you see a mantis, don't worry, it's keeping your garden naturally free off pests.