Would a praying mantis cause harm to Juniper?

fred · Yellow Belt Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 91 Location: Harare

I have a Juniper with praying mantis living in one of the branches. Should I leave it in or remove it? Would a praying mantis cause a Juniper any harm?

Thanks

steve

A praying mantis could only be beneficial. They eat other bugs so it may end up gaurding your tree not just living in it.

graham

Post a pic Fred Smile

n33bling · Green Belt Joined: 03 Jul 2008 Posts: 513 Location: Oregon

this is a good bug, the kind that eat other bad bugs. you are lucky to have a guard on duty. have released them and lady bugs at my place in the past. this way you don't have to spray insecticide
it's cool to watch them catching and eating other bugs Very Happy

emorrin

A praying mantis is definitely a good sign. If you do have allot of praying mantises crawling all over your junipers then it could mean that you have an insect problem. In any case , a praying mantis is a good thing.

fred · Yellow Belt Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 91 Location: Harare

thanks

johnbaz

i kept a mantis in a tank a few years ago, it grew to about three inches in length (quiet a big bugger Laughing

)

did you know that they don't need a male to reproduce?, they lay an ootheca (a sort of styrene ball with eggs inside) before they die and this hatches the following spring Shocked

john

Surrey John

Aphids don't need a male either (though occasionally a male appears, and this produces some genetic variation for survival). Bees are the same, and also (I think) many types of ant. The process is called parthenogenesis - virgin birth.

I read somewhere that if every aphid in one season from a single parent were to survive, and all its offspring for the season in turn, there would be enough aphids to cover an area the size of Germany to a depth of 50 ft. Wow!

Confused

SJ.

Bad-At-Bonsai

post a pic Wink

Surrey John

What, of Germany covered to a depth of 50ft with aphids? I don't have one Crying or Very sad

It was a theoretical projection... SJ

daryl

Stick insects reproduce by themselves too. We've got two. They're called Bill and Ben! I wouldn't put them in my trees though - they'd eat all the leaves. They're still quite young so they haven't produced any 'twiglets' yet.

Daryl