Mantis in Michigan--HELP

[michigan33]

Hello!

I am in the process of growing several plants and various insects are causing much disturbance. I thought of a potential solution to my problem, a Mantis!!

I am trying to avoid going to buy one, so that only leaves me one option....

I live in mid-Michigan, and am surrounded by forest.

So i ask you all for your help...

AM I GOING TO BE ABLE TO GO IN MY WOODS BEHIND MY HOUSE (ABOUT 20 ACRES) AND FIND ONE?!?!

I know they blend in very well so they are hard to see, but I have never came accross one in my life. I am told they are fairly abundant, but I want to know whether it will be worth my time to try and find one outside or not??

If so, anywhere or any specific type of vegetation to look at to get one? and kind of ''mantis tracks'' or specific things i should be looking for to find one? Trees, bushes, plants, flopwers, etc..?

any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much!!!

 

[lancaster1313]

I can never find any mantids when I look for them. I have found 1 by accident, and 1 ootheca when I was actually looking for mantids.

I know that I live in a different climate than you do, but not everyone has the eye. :lol:

Finding one will be the best way to get a native mantis, just look in areas with tall grass, weeds, and lots of other insects.

I actually picked up 2 Chinese mantis oothecae(they are established but not native) at my local Sears garden center, for $9.95. If you have Sears up there, you could try that. Also, some forum members have very reasonable prices and you don't have to go anywhere.

If you do end up buying mantids for OUTDOORS please be sure that they are native or already established in your area. I have released many native mantids and seen nothing to show for it. :mellow:

Warning: It is questionable whether mantids are actually beneficial to a garden. If they survive, they will eat almost any insect that they can catch, including beneficial ones. Also, they are not likely to be able to eat all of the pests.

They do make great pets for certain people.

 

[angelofdeathzz]

I live in south east Michigan and was able to find some Chinese and some ooth in a field behind my old work a few years back but when I go back there now I can't find any, and I didn't take but a couple out of many ooth's? So it's kind of hit or miss on finding them. In the morning and mid afternoon seemed to be the best time to catch them sunning themselves.

 

[massaman]

I never seen a chinese mantis when I lived in Saginaw and never seen any where I lived now for years which is Sanford and mostly I think was europeans at least and just bought like nine chinese ooths and most of them have hatched or are hatching right now so should maybe have a nice population of them around.

 

[Rick]

Welcome. If you look in the right places. Woods are generally not the best place. You want weedy meadows or overgrown lots, overgrown fence lines and weedy field edges. Weedy ditches as well may work. Places with a lot of feeder insects. It can take a good eye to see mantids. Some people can find them and others cannot.

 

[Termite48]

I do not live in Michigan, nor am I an expert in using mantids for pest control. I have spent six years in the pest control business and I can tell you that even having one hundred hatched and hungry Chinese or Europpean mantis in your garden is not going to help you much. If you had a green house, that would be a hrose of a different color as there you could insure that the mantids would remain yours. In the outdoors they will migrate after the feeding in your yard is no longer to their liking. It takes lots of aphids and unfortunately lady bird beetles and the like, even bees to keep a herd of mantids well fed. My advise is to try mantids inside and get some sort of a small mesh netting for the outside where you want to keep mantids outside. Keeping them in the netting causes the outside influx of feeder insects from entering, so in effect, you are raising mantids and having to bring food for them. It does not look like to various options are condusive to the theoretical value of having native mantids for pest control. I use Safer products, and they are a better and more sure way of pest control using plant materials and soaps.