How Do I Create A Garden With A Focus On Attracting Beneficial Praying Mantises For Pest Control?
As gardeners, we all want to keep our plants safe from pest problems. One of the most natural and effective ways of doing this is by attracting praying mantises. These praying mantids are a great solution for garden pest control and can help safeguard your garden plants in a natural, eco-friendly way.
Attracting praying mantises to your garden requires some effort, but the results are well worth it. Here are some points to consider when trying to attract praying mantids to your garden:
1. Choose the Right Plants
Praying mantids love to hide in bushes, plants and tall grasses. Therefore, it is important to select suitable plants that provide them plenty of hiding spots to lay their eggs. Choosing plants with small flowers can be helpful as they tend to attract insects, which are the ideal prey for praying mantises.
According to research, plants such as milkweed, daisies, lilacs, salvia, cosmos, and fennel are some of the plants suitable for attracting praying mantids to your garden. Therefore, plant these flowers regularly to attract praying mantids.
2. Don't Use Pesticides
Praying mantids are beneficial insects that feed on other pests in your garden; hence, it is harmful to use pesticide sprays in your garden to control insects. Pesticides not only kill the bad bugs but also kill the helpful ones, including praying mantids. Therefore, avoid using insecticides or other harsh chemicals in your garden.
3. Provide Water and Food Sources
Praying mantises require a steady source of food and water to thrive in your garden. Hence, it is essential to create enough water and food sources for them to survive. You can achieve this by placing shallow bowls of water in your garden or by leaving shallow puddles in some areas in your garden to help attract praying mantids.
Another way of providing food for praying mantids is by providing food for the insects they eat. You can do this by planting other insect-attracting plants in your garden, such as sweet alyssum, marigolds, and zinnias. These plants will attract the insects that praying mantids prey on and, in turn, attract them to your garden.
4. Use a Praying Mantis Egg Case
If you live in an area where praying mantids are not prevalent, you can purchase a praying mantis egg case from a local gardening store or online to attract these beneficial insects to your garden. You can hang them on sticks or place them in tall grasses, and the praying mantid nymphs will emerge during the spring season.
5. Avoid Using Artificial Light
Praying mantids are nocturnal insects that hunt at night. Artificial lights in your garden may interfere with their natural biological rhythm, causing them to disorient, stop feeding, and ultimately leave your garden.
Therefore, it is best to use natural light sources in your garden or avoid using outdoor lights altogether. This will not only help attract praying mantids to your garden, but it will also keep them from leaving it due to the artificial light.
6. Provide a Safe Environment
Praying mantids need a safe environment to thrive in your garden, so it’s important to avoid disturbing them. It is best to leave their egg cases undisturbed and refrain from using garden equipment that can harm them or their egg cases, such as lawnmowers or heavy pruning tools.
You can also provide a safe environment for praying mantids by designating a wildflower area in your garden. As a result, your garden can become a sanctuary for these beneficial insects, helping them to maintain the natural balance of your garden ecosystem.
Conclusion
Attracting praying mantises to your garden is a great way to keep it pest-free without the use of harsh chemicals. By choosing the right plants, providing water and food sources, using a praying mantis egg case, avoiding artificial light, and creating a safe environment, you can attract these beneficial insects to your garden.
Praying mantids are great for pest control, and they also serve as a natural means of maintaining a healthy garden ecosystem. So, what are you waiting for? Start attracting these gorgeous and highly beneficial insects today for a better garden tomorrow!
