Praying mantis

Hello,
I am trying to get a head start on ridding my spring garden of Beetles and grubs. Someone told me to buy praying mantis in the spring and they will eat the beetles. Does anyone know if the mantis over populate? Do they cause any damage?
Thank You
Angela

Not sure if praying mantis will control beetles and certainly not grubs (in the ground grubs I mean). They are a good predator to have around and I doubt if they would ever overpopulate unless you have plenty of food for them. They do no damage that I can think of. Maybe a bit scary for some people due to their size but not certainly not harmful.

If you are talking about Japanese beetles you might look up Milky Spore. It takes years to completely innoculate your yard but it does seem to help quite a bit.

Hcm dole,
Thank you for the tip. My cousins already told me that if I have beetles and praying Mantis in the yard they will never be over for a swim in my back yard.I will look up milky spore.
Angela

Praying Mantis is an indiscriminate hunter, it will eat good bugs as well as bad bugs. They are welcome in my gardens but not imported.
When I see them, I run for the camera. They make nice subjects and will let you get pretty close.
Milky Spore has worked for me. ten or so years ago I applied it, (not cheap) and the problems with Japanese beetles are much reduced. It only works on the Japanese beetle grub, no other of consequence.
Andy P

I love mantises .. I transplant them from neighbors gardens into mine .. they do seem to keep bad bugs in check. This is one of my favorite pictures of a mantis that is nose to nose with my kitty Poppy. Poppy died a year ago this month. I really miss him.

Xeramtheum

I've never known of a mantis to do any damage, and I love having them around. They help keep the balance of things without chemicals.

I welcome mantises in my gardens, and am hoping to spot one this year to show my little nephews, who love exotic bugs. I wish I had enough of them to control tent caterpillars!

I know that birds love to eat beetles. In fact they dive right into my roses to get the beetles, especially in the white rose bushes. Do you have some nesting sites in your yard for birds? If not, a few evergreens for winter shelter would help and perhaps more birds will result in fewer beetles.

Hello Maru 0114,
Thanks for the tip,

I have some Italian cypress I don't know if the birds nest in them .
I built an arbor last week with dipladenia and pink jasmine planted on both sies. The birds are already sitting on it and a few birds have been hiding in the cypress since I built the trellis.I also made my first water garden and they seem to like that too. Thanks again
..
Angela