We Have Babies!

We have babies! Our first praying mantis egg sac hatched in the greenhouse during the night. Most of them had scattered by the time I found them this morning but some were still hanging out.  Praying mantis egg sacs are easily confused with wasp nests and are sadly destroyed. They can be found on plants, twigs and even buildings. 250 to 300 baby mantids hatch from each egg sac. They are beneficial insects and will eat many of the 'bad bugs' who lurk in your garden. Native praying mantis are brown and grow to about 3 inches long. Chinese Mantises are green and brown. They can grow much larger. They grow so large that they have been known to eat a hummingbird. We released 9000 ladybugs in the greenhouse a few weeks ago. Ladybugs go in search of their food while praying mantis will wait for their food to come to them. Good partners for our pesticide-free greenhouse!