Brand: Hirts: Beneficial Insects Feature: Eat a wide variety of insects; beetles, caterpillars, grubs, aphids, grasshoppers & more Label: Hirt's Gardens Manufacturer: Hirt's Gardens Publisher: Hirt's Gardens Studio: Hirt's Gardens
Features
Eat a wide variety of insects; beetles, caterpillars, grubs, aphids, grasshoppers & more Tend to stay in the area where released. Harmless to people and pets! Harmless to the environment!
These ferocious looking creatures eat a wide variety of insects: beetles, caterpillars, grubs, aphids, grass-hoppers, almost anything that moves. But they are so much fun that many people buy them for pets. And since they don't fly, they stay right in the area where they are released. Like ladybugs, preying mantids are completely harmless to people, pets, and the environment.
RELEASE: Put the egg case in a bush, hedge, limb, or anything more than two feet above the ground. The egg case may be inserted in the fork of a branch or hung with a piece of string or needle and thread run through the outside of the case. Hanging will help keep birds and rodents from eating the eggs in the case. If ants are in the area oiling the string will help keep them away.
LIFE CYCLE: Praying Mantids hatch out of their egg case along the seam that looks like louvered windows with some mud packed on top. They hatch in the Spring when the weather warms, the warmer the temperature, the sooner they hatch. Unlike most insects the Mantids do not hatch as larvae, they emerge as miniature adults, about half an inch long. They will grow through the Spring and Summer until they reach a length of 5 to 6 inches, shedding their skins several times.
While most insects are constantly searching for food, Mantids are content to stay in one area and wait for their food to walk by and then grab it with their strong forelegs. This is why they are good to use early in the season, before there are pest problems, and use other insects after pests arrive.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: This company is inconsistant logistics and rude cust service Comment: Ordered live lady bugs and praying matid eggs they took my money for 2and day delivery but did not follow through. They also said they could not deliver becouse of hot weather however after returning from my trip I found the package had been delivered but full of ants and no good. They charged me any way! I also complained to Amazon heard nothing Customer Rating: Summary: praying mantis Comment: excellent product for schools or personal use came delivered in great condition hatching in 10 days the other in 16 days very interesting to watch gave one to a child who loved the experience do it every year through hirts also order live lady bugs great addition to my garden Customer Rating: Summary: praying mantis babies Comment: arrived quickly, great directions, they hatched, I released them but haven't seen them since; hopefully they're hiding and growing. Customer Rating: Summary: fast shipping Comment: I recievd my mandid egg sacks fast and packed well...I put them outside on trees, and they both have dissappeared...Ihope nothing ate them, I don't see any praying mantids yet...hope to though. Customer Rating: Summary: fun and beneficial Comment: This is a great purchase. Our family enjoys watching the mantis egg cases hatch, and they are so beneficial for the garden. A true wonder of nature to see all those little praying mantis all over the tree like tiny staples.
