Hummers, bumblebees and preying mantis

I took this photo this past summer of this praying mantis hanging out by my hummer feeders. This mantis was on this fence post for about a week catching and eating bumblebees. The fence post is under 2 feeders within 2 feet. When a bee flew close he would attempt to snatch it rigth out of the air and was successful many times as the photo shows. The mantis also tried to catch the hummers. I didn't think he could catch a hummer but I have read here that they do. It was a very large mantis, larger than some of the hummers. The bees and the hummers seem to go to war every day. The bees try to chase the hummers away, some but not all of the hummers chase the bees just like chasing another hummer away from the feeder. Has anyone ever seen a praying mantis catch a hummer or is that an urban myth?

This message was edited Jan 21, 2009 9:14 AM

I've never heard of it but your mantis is HUGE...my mantis didn't get that big but then I didn't see it often. Hopefully this year I'll be able to hatch more.

Warning this site is showing graphic pictures!!!!!!!
Yes it is true. http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/backyardbirds/hummingbirds/mantis-hummer.aspx?sc=birdwireJul2005

Oh my goodness Sheila_FW that is amazing. I know the mantis eat butterflies & I am always worried it's going to keep the butterflies away. However I think it's best to have a mantis instead of using pesticides. I wonder if this year I will be ok without a mantis.

After running across 10 or 12 last year around my butterfly host plants, I have been destroying the mantis egg casings that I find. I had one mantis grab and kill a Monarch right in front of me last year too. I used to love to watch them, but I like to watch my bfs more.

edited to add the pic of egg mass.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/2114/

This message was edited Jan 21, 2009 8:05 PM

I am glad she didn't catch a hummer. If that had happened I would have dirtied my dity. Well from now on I will chase the large mantis away from the feeders. I won't be able to kill them. I have a lot of those guys around, almost like pets. I had one on a pine tree and she defended her home vigorously. Whenever I approached her tree she would put on a theating display of spreading her wings and scurry around the tree as I circled the tree keeping me at bay. I could get her to 360 the tree by just walking around the tree. She was a real trip, I spent alot of time teasing her. She was on the tree all summer. Late in the summer her empty skeleton was still on the tree. I suppose she got a new set clothes and went on her way. That is the only mantis that I have ever seen do the threating display with their wings as if I was a threat. She never took her eyes off me. She would notice me coming from quite a distance a start displaying her wings.

Sheila. Thanks for the pic of the egg casing. I have egg casings everywhere. I often wondered what critter was creating things. Thanks to you I now know. I do have all the critters at my place. No insect poison here since 1991, pre my ownership of this former wheat field and brush thicket that any rabbit loves. The rabbits are another story, they love to eat my crepes. They have nipped to the ground about 20 that I planted in Nov and Dec.

Last summer I had an ongoing "war" with matids hanging out ON or near my hummy feeders - I kepl close watch when I could, & "relocated" 5 or 6 manti (mantises? mantids?) across the yard to keep "my" hummies safe! Of COURSE - my DH thought I was NUTS-o - until I showed him that video. Then, he alerted me, but wouldn't move them himself - he was scared!!! LOL Samantha

I don't get many hummingbirds anyway but I want to get a butterfly bush to host the BF & I don't think I will be having a problem with mantids as Iast year I was the one to introduce them to the garden & I don't know if the only survivor is still alive.

Iwent for years not seeing any then when I started raising caterpillars there they were. I inspect the host plants very carefully to collect the eggs and cats; where I didn't look that closely before. PMs seem to be slow movers unless they are hunting or disturbed.

here is a video link... warning graphic material

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp-6ugJm_II

Samantha,

How do you "relocate" them?

I'm going to try to look out for the praying mantis, as I don't want them getting the BF's and Hummers.

Marilyn

Well, I just picked her up on my trowel, & carried her over to another place across my (large) yard. Samantha

Samantha,

That's a good idea, as I don't want to touch them!

We don't have a big yard so, it can't be to far that I can move them here. :-(

I've been thinking..... One Summer recently, as I was watering the plants and containers (they always seem to show themselves, as they don't like water on them), one showed up around my group of Agastaches that I plant for the Hummers. I bet now, that it was hanging around for a Hummer to show up. YIKES!!! :-(

I better make a 'memory note' to myself that next time I see one on my flowers, to move it!

Marilyn

praying mantids don't bite humans but are scary to look at I agree...I don't know what happened to my one survivor..maybe I'll see her this year.

I love mantids; they are really fascinating to watch. I had several moonflower vines growing on posts on my front patio last summer and they had a couple of resident preying mantids. I love to watch them hunt their prey - they are really good hunters and can be very fast (well obviously if they can catch a hummer). Of course, while I found it interesting to watch them catch ants and leafhoppers and flies and other annoying pests, I would have been mortified if they caught a hummer or butterfly in front of me. My policy now is to move them to the veggie garden (they are useful there) or take them to a far away corner of my 'yard', away from the hummer and butterfly-friendly plants. But I would never kill them. Of course, I'm a little weird in that I don't kill anything. Even the scorpions and black widows get moved back out to the 'boonies' behind my house instead of killed.

I wouldn't kill them. I try to would move them away from my Butterfly and Hummingbird plants. :-)

Scorpions and Black Widows, now those are scary!!! Thank goodness we don't have those in KY! (at least I don't think we have BW's) They give me the creeps! :-(

In some places it is illegal to kill mantids, including a steep fine. They are one of my favorite insects, are safe to pick up and I just move them from places where they could hurt a butterfly or hummingbird. Pretty amazing that it can catch a bumblebee. The help they do by destroying pest insects really outweighs the harm. But I agree, I would be appalled if I saw one grab a butterfly or hummingbird.

As for the egg cases. I would relocate them, or even see if you can offer them to other members on DG. I know many people would be thrilled to have them.

The mantis can grab a bumblebee out of the air faster than the eye can follow. They use the same technique when attempting to catch a hummer. I saw that mantis make many attempts to grab a hummer. At the time I thought noway it could catch one. Boy was I wrong. Big mantis are now are on my list to move to the roses.

I have to move mine off to our front wooded lot. Sure don't want them in my butterfly garden and can't let them in my veggie garden because, for now, that's where I'm raising all the herbs for the butterflies to lay their eggs on. So far they've left my hummer feeders alone :-}

Well.. I only had one mantid last year so I don't know if it will be here this year..however I have seen A LOT of lady bugs which I have never seen before.. I love them & am seeing them in several places around my yard..today I moved one to my fron garden as there were about 9 in the back yard!!!!!! On ONE shrub too! hahaha

OMG great info! I love the mantis' and have several egg casings. I don't use pesticides so wanted to encourage them. Glad to know I need to move them away from the hummer feeders.

Cactuspatch..... Also watch them on the butterfly host plants! I am sure you get a lot of bfs in your area and the mantis will feed on those caterpillars too.

Will do but will just relocate them. We do get plenty of BF here.

Note to Marilynbeth...

There are Black Widows in KY and one species of scorpion. (I've never seen the scorpion, but have seen plenty of the BW) I'm in far west KY west of the Lakes, but I'm pretty sure that they are in your neck of the woods as well. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...

Speaking of BWs, cleaning up one of DHs wood piles stashed behind my potting shed and came upon THREE BWs! Hope they didn't move into 'my' shed over the winter and have babies. :-(

i saw a mantis last year try to grab one of my baby hummers who followed us around the yard alot. knew when i filled the feeders i guess. daughter picked it up on a stick to move it away. now i keep my feeders where nothing can get to them i hope. heres the mantis

That's a big mantis. I don't think he'd have any trouble taking on a poor little hummer :-{

Wow! I can't believe what I have read here. My Praying Mantis hangs oddly enough on my garage wall. He can stay there for days or sometimes he is on my garbage can. I catch some in the garden on my salvia and sometimes I move them with some fountain grass to where I think he is most needed. However the one I move from my garbage can to my garden, seems to make it back to the garbage can later on that day? huh odd. I thought they eat aphids and insects, but I had no clue that he ate butterflies and hummers. Do they eat Lady bugs? Sometimes I put him in my ladybug garden. Ahhh, poor ladybugs. Thanks for all of the intresting information.

Mine like to hang around my outside light over my garage. They have such a buffet with all of the night flying insects, they would rather dine at night.

They do eat flies as you see here in this pic, he had room service by my fly trap! LOL!

that's awesome!

The ultimate fly trap! Next time I find one I need to relocate I think I'll try putting him in my garage. He can intercept all those flies before they get into my house :-}

I have just found 4 swallowtail caterpillars in my garden!!!!!! Eating my zinnia seedlings..BUT I am SO HAPPY.. this has made my day!!! I am very sure it's swallowtail as I saw an adult one a few weeks ago around my garden! I have never had this happen before so I am really thrilled! I will NOT be getting any preying mantids this year as I seem to have plenty of ladybugs around.. something I haven't had before..& I prefer ladybugs! Only wish they'd eat the grasshoppers!! hahahaha

Don't we all Cindy!! Tell me what the caterpillar looks like, or better yet, take a picture.

I have taken a picture Sheila.. only I am not digital... sorry!