Happenings in the insect world
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Published on: October 15, 2012
One thing's for certain--a praying mantis does not like to get wet.
If it were human, it would not dip a toe in the water and yell to its friends: "C'mon in, the water's fine!"
Water is not fine--not to a praying mantis.
While watering the tomato plants recently, we discovered a praying mantis beneath the leaves. Looking quite defensive, it emerged from its hiding place, not to prey but to check out the spray.
Then it quietly slipped back beneath the leaves, its long khaki-colored body looking quite conspicuous against a solid green background.
P. Mantis took a few minutes to remove the water droplets and then clumsily flew away.
Enough of that water bath!
Praying mantis, accidentally splashed with a water, tries to remove the droplets. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Drenched praying mantis raises a foreleg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Tags: praying mantis (130), tomato plant (1)
Comments: 1
Comments:
by Bernadette Brown
on August 25, 2022 at 8:01 AM
I was spraying some environmentally safe and pet-safe ant roach and fly killer outside around my front door.. I did not see the praying mantis until when he rushed out of the area underneath the little ledge. Fortunately, he was quick and I stopped immediately. Up until about a week ago we had a lot of praying mantids in the area and they were doing really good keeping the bug population under control. But the landscapers came along and I watched them sweep them all away, I don't know why. Oh my God, I felt so bad.. I took a mist of clear water and sprayed around the area and him a little bit. I know they don't like water. I pray to God he lives; I feel as awful as if I would have accidentally ran an animal over with a car. Since I now know that the mantis has not left I will not absolutely not spray anymore safve or otherwise pesticide outside because I know it's their job to kill the bugs.
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