Can you remember the post I did on the Praying Mantis laying her egg sac? Well, I nearly stepped on the new-born mantis babies today!! I have taken these close up shots of the egg sac (see how the marauder insects are tackling it!) and the baby manti-do’s! So cute! I could not tell how many have hatched but there were quite a few scurrying around!
[one_half]Hi, I’m Daryll….
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[one_half_last]Here’s my other brother Daryll!
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They are literally the size of two ants – thats all. They actually look like ants if you are not careful. Here (above) this one’s on my thumb.
“Run, Forest, run!”….. Shame – he was in a great hurry to get outside! I don’t blame him. The other insects (the ants are the most vicious!) were grabbing hold of the babies. Spiders ready with webs, I tell you! I had a major rescuing mission set out for these little guys – he was the cutest!
Here you can see the individual egg pouches broken open and inside the foamy bread-looking sac there are compartments. Very clever of nature to design this “incubator”. It was foamy when mommy-mantis laid the eggs and is as hard as stale bread now! It is still cemented to the floor (argh! Don’t look at the dust on the tiled floor!) Great design! It was 1 month to the day (6th of December when she laid the egg sac!)
Well I hope you enjoyed the photos and I’ll keep you posted on them if I catch them in my roses!
Happy Gardening xxxxx
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41 replies on “Praying Mantis babies have hatched”
I purchased an egg sac from my local farmers’ market, and I’m very anxioiusly awaiting the hatching. My garden desperately needs these little guys! And I’ll have my camera ready!
Great photos. I purchased an egg sac from my local farmers’ market and am very anxiously waiting for them to hatch. My garden desperately needs these little guys! And my camera will be ready…
WOW! This is fascinating! Just the other day I found a mantis egg sack on my iron hanging basket. I see them every year, but I’ve never seen the babies hatch. Truly amazing to witness this so UP CLOSE and personal! Thank you for sharing these with us!!! I’m adding your blog to my sidebar 🙂 Enjoying your blog!
Now this is AMAZING! Absolute little microscopic Tiger’s Eye look-a-like bugs… so smooooth, glossy and seethru’!! Congrats to a stakeout well done + awesome camera angles and technique. Can’t wait for the next installment.
Very nice photos you have taken – what camera and lens were you using?
Hi Barbs
Great pics! Not really a fan of anything bug-related, but I know these are great for gardens, so congrats on your new additions. Love the brother Darryl and other brother Darryl reference. Wonder how many people recognise that 🙂 Remember it was always a source of amusement in our houses.
Awe thanks Stef! I do remember those days! Was wondering if anyone would pick it up! 🙂
Amazing captures Barbie.
Hi Charles -thanks!
Astonishingly edible looking in their cakey thing.
Mantis are very good for gardens. I don’t think I have any in my garden. Where can I buy some mantis?
Wish I knew! Maybe “borrow” some! 🙂
OMG! What amazing photographs of the Praying Mantis babies!!! This is a very special post – thanks so much for sharing with us!
Glad I could share this! I think one day later and they would have been all gone! Just lucky! 🙂
Aren’t they so cute? I raised some once, in the classroom. They hatched in March, however… and in Iowa, that’s WAY too cold to let them go. I didn’t know what to feed them, and unfortunately for many of them, they took care of the food issue themselves. There were only about 10 left to release by Spring!!!
I remember feeding our first mantis flies, but babies? I think gnats! But they are so small!
I remember the post about the egg sac. How awesome to see the little babies all hatched! What a great experience! I feel like I should congratulate you or something 🙂
Awe – thanks! :-). It was luck, really!
We don’t get these over here except as pets or at Butterfly and insect farms for children. Wonderful to have them in their natural environment. Great phtos with your husband’s macro lens..
How exciting! I have tons of egg sags in my shrubs but I have never seen them hatch or the babies. I know they do since I have lots of mantis in my garden. Your photos are outstanding! Those babies better run from their siblings otherwise they may be their next meal!
How amazing, I love your photographs. I did buy a mantis egg sack at our local nursery (sold next tot he baggies with lady bugs), but I don’t believe they ever hatched 🙁
I didn’t know you could BUY them!!? wow – a new for me!
oh my gosh, those pictures are amazing! They really do look like ants. I’ve seen adults and young mantids in my garden, but never any sacs. You have me curious to check for those now.
Wow! I always thought of mantis as very regal because of their long graceful arms and legs but I’ve never seen a baby mantis before. I’m impressed at how you took those close up shots. The babies seemed to love the camera. 🙂
Great photos! Love the post.
These are great close up photos. They are so darn cute and tiny. At first I did think they were ants, but the ants will run when these guys get bigger.
WOW !Look at those big black eyes! Those are some of the cutest little predators I’ve ever seen. Thanks for a great look at such a special event!
I’m not sure I’ve seen baby mantises before. Incredible shots! Thanks for keeping us posted about their progress!
Thanks!! I could only take these shots with my hubby’ssuper macro lens. They were too small for my normal 18 – 50mm macro lens.
That is so interesting! If I saw this on the floor, I’d think it came from a dirt dabber! And how wonderful that you were watching and saw these babies! They are adorable! I wouldn’t have recognized them, either – they do look like ants! I hope they make it fine now that you’ve worked hard to get them through ant and spider traps!
I know – if I wasn’t aware, I would have just vacuumed them all up!! argh! How tragic that would have been!
That is just too cool…I loved Forrest and Darryl oh and Darryl!! hat a great find….
Heehee!!!! 🙂
Barbie those are excellent photos! I don’t think I’ve ever seen baby mantids looking quite so adorable, and photogenic! I so wish we had them here. I had mantids all over our last garden, and really miss them having them around.
Thank you so much. I would miss them too – I’m glad that they have come back. Last year I did not see many. Now it’s all green and they are all over! AND ladybugs too!
They really are adorable but hide a vicious nature as adults. Nevertheless I love them.
Me too! 🙂
Awesome photos Barbie and very interesting too. I have lots of Mantises in my garden – and I’ve seen these sacs before but never knew what they were. (Haven’t seen any recently though). Great post!!!
Thanks my buddy! 🙂
Baby mantises are one of my absolute favorite things in the garden, and these are fantastic photos! Thank you for being observant!
If you relocate some of these guys to a favorite plant, they’ll most likely stay there for most of the summer, and you can check on their progress and growth. It’s fun!
Hi Alan – me too! Them and the baby chameleons – I really have an assortment of insects and animals. It is only because I am so into my garden that I see all of them.
The next bug post is for you 🙂