# 5" Wild Praying Mantis in Michigan



## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

I raise mantids and release them for pest control, I was living in Las Vegas, but just moved back to Metro Detroit. I have 70 acres next to my house and have found the strangest bugs I have ever seen.

Tonight I found this praying mantis on my garage, she measured in at 5"! She is the largest I have personally ever seen in the wild, especially in Michigan. Is she a Chinese?

Well I thought you may enjoy these photos. She actually flew and once landed on my leg and another time in my hair! Haha! Please tell me what you think!


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## Katnapper (Sep 23, 2009)

She is certainly a _Tenodera sinensis_ (Chinese mantis), and a beautiful one at that!


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## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> She is certainly a _Tenodera sinensis_ (Chinese mantis), and a beautiful one at that!


Thank you! I'm guessing she must be old to be so large, she was right next to the bug zapper which I have unplugged! This is the 4th praying mantis I have found in my yard in a month! I have never found so many so fast before.


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## Katnapper (Sep 23, 2009)

She's likely not that old as adult at this time of year. She's probably right in her prime.


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## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> She's likely not that old as adult at this time of year. She's probably right in her prime.


What is pretty funny is there are a ton of rather large garden spiders living near that bug zapper, she was marching around and destroying their webs. I did not see a single spider. Went back out, do not see her, the spiders are all back out frantically rebuilding their webs. I guess they knew to stay away from her!


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## Orin (Sep 23, 2009)

Nice find! Can you stick her on a ruler for a photo to confirm the 5" claim?


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## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

Orin said:


> Nice find! Can you stick her on a ruler for a photo to confirm the 5" claim?


I think there was another bright green one out there earier around 9pm too, that one flew in my garage, so I will watch for it.

This one I did measure, but did not get a good pic w/ the ruler. She kept flying at me. I am not sure why, I know they are not aggressive toward us. When she landed in my hair, that did freak me out a bit. But yes, if I find her again, I will get a pic w/ the ruler for sure. It's funny, I found a lotus out there I hadn't seen in about 3 weeks. I believe it to be the same lotus I had seen previously, she is missing her rear left jumping leg.


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## planetq (Sep 23, 2009)

I think that's a male Tenodera sinensis.

It definitely is one bulky male, (which is ironic that the bulkiness makes him more feminine...)

but male nonetheless.

The antennas were the give-away.


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## Rick (Sep 23, 2009)

calarts_security said:


> I think that's a male Tenodera sinensis.It definitely is one bulky male, (which is ironic that the bulkiness makes him more feminine...)
> 
> but male nonetheless.
> 
> The antennas were the give-away.


Beat me to it. That is a male for sure. I doubt the 5" claim unless a picture can be taken next to a ruler.


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## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

Rick said:


> Beat me to it. That is a male for sure. I doubt the 5" claim unless a picture can be taken next to a ruler.


I guess I should call it a him, I thought female b/c of the size.

But I will definitely look for him, take a pic w/ a ruler. I did measure him w/ a ruler, that's where I got 5" from. But he kept jumping/flying at and on me, I guess he did not like the ruler?

I have seen quite a few in my yard, so I will keep the camera ready, there was a much smaller one that was living on my screen for about a week. This one was very large, I will keep an eye out for him, thanks!


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## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

Here is a pic by a regular moth, you can kind of tell the size better. He was knocking down spider webs too.


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## Katnapper (Sep 23, 2009)

Male.... oops, my bad. I thought the abdomen looked a little thin, but thought she was just young, hehe.


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## Rick (Sep 23, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Male.... oops, my bad. I thought the abdomen looked a little thin, but thought she was just young, hehe.


The antenna and the colors are very typical of male chinese as well. The spider webs are more of a threat to the mantis than the spider. He was just flying around as they often do.


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## Ntsees (Sep 23, 2009)

Although I've never seen it, I think it's possible for the Chinese to be 5'' and possibly larger. Still, I'd like to see it with a ruler. If that's a male, then some of the females would probably be about the same size or slightly larger. You should have kept it and bred it with a local female that's also large within the vicinity. Breeding selection for large size!


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## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

Ntsees said:


> Although I've never seen it, I think it's possible for the Chinese to be 5'' and possibly larger. Still, I'd like to see it with a ruler. If that's a male, then some of the females would probably be about the same size or slightly larger. You should have kept it and bred it with a local female that's also large within the vicinity. Breeding selection for large size!


I did think about keeping him, but my worry was he was old! I thought he would die and then I'd feel terrible. He probably must get around good to be so big, but when it gets colder here in MI, will they not just die?

Also, I pulled the webs off of him after I took these photos, then he ran to the back of the garage. You can't miss him if he's out again, I could see him from far away. Thanks!


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## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

This is who was bright green and flew into my garage, a 3" leaf bug. I moved him/her into the woods, I think it is cute! Look at those feet!


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## massaman (Sep 23, 2009)

wow never found any of those where I use to live in Saginaw,Michigan and never found anything like that where I live now either in Sanford,Michigan and all I ever found were the europeans and not much else of interest but few days ago did find something or well my mom did I never seen before in all my years a house centipede which I never seen before until now and so I am slowly seeing things I never seen in my growing up and cant explain it but never did see any chinese until this year but only cause I got them from katnapper!


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## ABbuggin (Sep 23, 2009)

Female katydid. They make very interesting pets (they eat oak).


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## AmandaLynn (Sep 23, 2009)

Wow! That is a big insect! Is it a type of katydid?

Haha, you guys answered my question, before I finished asking. ^_^ It is really pretty.


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## ismart (Sep 23, 2009)

Thats a nice katydid you got there!


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## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

I guess I am not very proficient at the ruler/camera combo, it was 3", I did measure, but it started flying all over. I put him/her in the woods, maybe I'll try again.

Are these common??? I was thinking it was a leaf bug? I have tons and tons of grasshoppers and locusts, which I know all 3, w/ the katydid, are related. Thanks!


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## Rick (Sep 23, 2009)

asylum23 said:


> I guess I am not very proficient at the ruler/camera combo, it was 3", I did measure, but it started flying all over. I put him/her in the woods, maybe I'll try again.Are these common??? I was thinking it was a leaf bug? I have tons and tons of grasshoppers and locusts, which I know all 3, w/ the katydid, are related. Thanks!


That sounds about right.  Most common mantis in the US.


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## Ntsees (Sep 23, 2009)

asylum23 said:


> I guess I am not very proficient at the ruler/camera combo, it was 3", I did measure, but it started flying all over. I put him/her in the woods, maybe I'll try again.Are these common??? I was thinking it was a leaf bug? I have tons and tons of grasshoppers and locusts, which I know all 3, w/ the katydid, are related. Thanks!


Wait a sec...are you talking about the katydid being 3'' or the mantid being 3''?


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## Ntsees (Sep 23, 2009)

asylum23 said:


> I did think about keeping him, but my worry was he was old! I thought he would die and then I'd feel terrible. He probably must get around good to be so big, but when it gets colder here in MI, will they not just die? Also, I pulled the webs off of him after I took these photos, then he ran to the back of the garage. You can't miss him if he's out again, I could see him from far away. Thanks!


The size of a mantid doesn't determine how old it is. Based on your photos, that mantid was still in his prime. And yes, they'll die when the cold sets in.


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## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

Ntsees said:


> The size of a mantid doesn't determine how old it is. Based on your photos, that mantid was still in his prime. And yes, they'll die when the cold sets in.


Yes, I figured, I'm used to raising them in Las Vegas where it didn't get that cold, not like Detroit. The katydid is 3" and the Chinese is 5", I measured both and both flew when I did the ruler. Tho neither seemed too proficient at flying.


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## Rick (Sep 23, 2009)

asylum23 said:


> Yes, I figured, I'm used to raising them in Las Vegas where it didn't get that cold, not like Detroit. The katydid is 3" and the Chinese is 5", I measured both and both flew when I did the ruler. Tho neither seemed too proficient at flying.


Oh. Thought you mean't the mantis was 3.


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## massaman (Sep 23, 2009)

thought the european was more common in Michigan then the Chinese?


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 23, 2009)

I cant believe the size of that katydid!


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## asylum23 (Sep 23, 2009)

hibiscusmile said:


> I cant believe the size of that katydid!


Are they usually smaller? I haven't seen one since I was little, always called them leaf bugs. I put him in the forest on leaves that looked just like him, so he should be safe. I have locusts here too that are super huge, I know the female is larger, so it's the females I'm seeing who are huge.


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