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Anyone Use Praying Mantises In Their Indoor Garden?

LansingAreaCaregiver

By LansingAreaCaregiver,
in The Grow Room

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LansingAreaCaregiver Advanced Member

LansingAreaCaregiver

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So I'm wondering if anyone has experience using praying mantises in their indoor garden. I've always used ladybugs to control mites and other nasties, but am curious about these insect kingdom alpha predators... One of the reasons I ask is that I'm noticing a growing box elder bug population near my grow area. While I don't believe these to be garden 'pests' per se, I would simply prefer they not be in my grow area, and know that come spring time, they'll multiply like crazy and become a huge annoyance. I've read that mantises will eat anything smaller than themselves, so I thought that maybe a mantis army could both take care of mite maintenance as well as nasty box elder bugs. Not to mention, I just think that mantises are really cool looking bugs and wouldn't mind having them around to watch while working in the garden! :thumbsu:

 

 

So, my questions are really, does anyone use these guys indoors? If so, do they pose any challenges (uncontrollable breeding, making their way into other parts of the house, any danger of bites to people/children/pets?) Do people generally order eggs (cheaper) or live mantises?

 

Any input is greatly appreciated!

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CaffeineForAll Advanced Member

CaffeineForAll

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I've caught a few live ones, and ordered pods. If you have any pests that are aphid size or larger they will chow on em. Spider mites however, they don't bother with and will even let them crawl on em. They generally met their fate by getting sucked into my wall mounted oscillating fans. However, they are a blast to just have cruisin your room, and its a fun game to "find the mantis", side effect is you get to know your plants a bit better while searching for em.

 

I've only had a few in the room at a time, an army would be scary as all hell!

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ProPlayer420 Advanced Member

+ProPlayer420

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Mantises is fine as is mantes. :geek:

 

 

I heard they prefer larger things so I don't know how effective they would be on mites. They will eat each other if they don't have enough food.

Its the mantis babies that do all the work. They ship eggs out and the larvae eat the aphids. Sometimes you get lucky and they live to be adults in about 5 months after hatching. I think 3 egg crates cover a very good size indoors.

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MightyMightyMezz Advanced Member

MightyMightyMezz

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Its the mantis babies that do all the work. They ship eggs out and the larvae eat the aphids. Sometimes you get lucky and they live to be adults in about 5 months after hatching. I think 3 egg crates cover a very good size indoors.

 

Thanks for the info. :thumbsu:

 

Lacewing larvae sound like they do a good job on mites. They have a bunch of different things at http://homeharvest.com/beneins.htm

 

Actually, reading it again it says they are for Aphids, Thrips, Mealybugs and Whiteflies.

Edited by MightyMightyMezz
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  • 10 months later...
phaquetoo Advanced Member

phaquetoo

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Mantises is fine as is mantes. :geek:

 

 

I heard they prefer larger things so I don't know how effective they would be on mites. They will eat each other if they don't have enough food.

I heard the females eat their mates after breeding, how about them stick bugs? I was camping not far from my house we had them every where? I am not sure what they realy call them but they are not prayingmantises, they are lil straight sticks with legs! a few dif colors also!

 

I dont like spiders or ants but let them survive if i see them in my grow, it surpising what you will do to help your grow eh? most spiders and stick bugs give me the phaqing creeps!

 

Peace

Jim

 

edit= how about chimps? lmao they eat fleas off of each other, but they may eat the plant also, maybe throw some papers and a match in there and they will just smoke a bud or two while gaurding the grow! oh yea dont forget to put diapers on em, lmao

 

all of my info came from the show big bang theory! plus ive not been doing to well, notice the master of disaster above my pic!!!!

Edited by phaquetoo
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chernobyl Advanced Member

chernobyl

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no other bugs ever used here but ever since i cleaned my rooms and stopped taking in plants from other people and outdoors, i have yet to see a single spider mite. all my strains i start from seed which i get off the internet. if i like it i re veg it and clone from there. i hate spider mites, they can be very tricky to eliminate unless you start over from scratch, sterilize the rooms, and run some pyrethrin bombs. i swear by it though, quit trusting other peoples plants and start them all on your own. but never take in outdoor ones, EVER. all these so called special strains you can order from attitude, nirvana, or single seeds. other growers are just too dirty. i wont even take plants from my closest friends.

Edited by chernobyl
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  • 1 month later...
Hayduke Advanced Member

Hayduke

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You will get literally hundreds of babies from each egg case. I put half dozen egg cases out each summer in our large perennial garden. They are likely to work well when they are small, but they are very very territorial and eat each other as the summer goes on. By late summer early fall only a couple survive.

 

And Jim is right, come fall the boys get their heads bit off by the girls. Definitely a matriarchal society!

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