Is a Praying Mantis the Hell’s Kitchen Superhero to Fight Spotted Lanternfly?

The fight to slow the spread of the Spotted Lanternfly is starting to read like a Marvel comic — with the arrival of a Praying Mantis as the superhero.

Earlier in the week, we reported that the Spotted Lanternfly had been seen in Hell’s Kitchen. Since then, multiple reports have come in of other sightings around the neighborhood. The Spotted Lanternfly is billed as the “the worst invasive species in the United States in 150 Years” and even NYC Parks has put out a request to terminate the insects, saying: “Harming our city’s wildlife is prohibited, but in an effort to slow the spread of this troublesome species, we are putting out a one-time call: if you see a spotted lanternfly, please squish and dispose of this invasive pest.”

To read more on this story, click here: Is a Praying Mantis the Hell’s Kitchen Superhero to Fight Spotted Lanternfly?

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Spotted Lanternfly — “Worst Invasive Species in 150 Years” — has Landed in Hell’s Kitchen

 

When the Spotted Lanternfly arrived in Pennsylvania from China, NPR reported that it could be the worst invasive species in the United States in 150 Years. Yesterday, it was spotted in Hell’s Kitchen for the first time — after reported sightings in the Upper West Side and Central Park earlier in the week.

The first Hell’s Kitchen sighting was at 610 W58th Street between 11th/12th Avenue yesterday just before 2pm. The insect was climbing on the outside of the building and briefly showed its bright red inner wing before walking up the side of the luxury tower.

To read more on this story, click here: Spotted Lanternfly — “Worst Invasive Species in 150 Years” — has Landed in Hell’s Kitchen

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Wildlife Photographer Pang Way Captures Amazing Photos of Beautiful Mantises

 

Although many refer to a member of this group as a 'praying mantis,' mantis refers to the genus Mantis. Only some praying mantids belong to the genus Mantis. Mantid refers to the entire group. Mantids are very efficient and deadly predators that capture and eat a wide variety of insects and other small prey.

Mantises are an order of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae. Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks.

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30 Million-Year-Old Praying Mantis Is Preserved in Pristine Piece of Amber

 

Embedded within a clear piece of amber, a small praying mantis sits at attention, frozen forever in time. The piece, which measures just slightly over one inch tall, was sold via Heritage Auctions for $6,000 in 2016. The pristine piece of amber, which comes from the Dominican Republic, gives a rare view of this incredible mantis.

The amber itself derives from the extinct Hymenaea protera, a prehistoric leguminous tree. Most amber found in Central and South America comes from its resin. Amber from the Dominican Republic is known as Dominican resin, which is noted for its clarity and a high number of inclusions.

To read more on this story, click here: 30 Million-Year-Old Praying Mantis Is Preserved in Pristine Piece of Amber

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Woman Finds Gorgeous ‘Flower Mantis’ Living in Her Garden

On a September day in South Africa, Margaret Neville made a fascinating discovery in her back garden. Resting among her lavender bushes was a flower mantis, a type of praying mantis which has evolved to appear incredibly “floral” as a method of camouflage. The particular flower mantis found by Neville is a female with a large swirl pattern on her back and protrusions that look like lavender buds along her legs. Astonished by the insect's beauty, Neville named the mantis “Miss Frilly Pants” in reference to her purple “pantaloons.”

To read more on this story, click here: Woman Finds Gorgeous ‘Flower Mantis’ Living in Her Garden

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Researchers Find A Preserved 12-Million-Year-Old Praying Mantis

We all remember the scene in the original Jurassic Park where dinosaur DNA was removed from a prehistoric mosquito stuck in amber. It’s perhaps the one thing that we all think about when we see pictures of insects stuck in amber – at least that is where my mind always goes to.

This one piece of amber doesn’t have a mosquito in it, but a praying mantis. The piece of amber was quite translucent and pale yellow in color, so it perfectly showed off the 12-million-year-old that was perfectly preserved inside.

To read more on this story, click here: Researchers Find A Preserved 12-Million-Year-Old Praying Mantis

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Do People Really Keep Insects at Pets? Would You Ever Keep One as a Pet?

WARNING: If you don't like bugs, you should skip reading this post.

Children are fascinated by insects, but many of us eventually grow out of wanting to catch a firefly and keep it in a jar. For the people who never lose that urge, though, it can lead in directions that might be surprising.

"Roaches actually make really good pets," says Scott Martin of Rockville, Maryland.

Used to skeptics, enthusiasts will explain that not all cockroaches are created equal.

Orin McMonigle is author of more than a dozen books on keeping pet insects, produces a magazine for hobbyists and even has a species of roach named after him. He doesn't like vermin scurrying about his kitchen any more than you do.

"I do not like pest cockroaches, I do not like mosquitoes, I do not like lice, I do not like German cockroaches. I just like the neat ones," says McMonigle, who in fact used to be a licensed pest control operator. "By knowing the difference, I'm able to appreciate the neat ones."

The most common pet roach is the hissing cockroach, 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.6 centimeters) long. Its name comes from the sound it makes when disturbed, although it may lose that habit when it gets used to being handled. Hissers make a good display not only due to their size, but also because they don't instinctively hide.

If one were to escape, McMonigle says, the only danger would be to the insect itself. Hissing cockroaches can't survive on their own in the typical home, where the temperature and humidity are unsuitable and they can't find food.

"If you let a thousand hissers loose in your house, they're not going to do anything," he says. "There's over 4,000 species of roaches, and only about 25 are classified as pests, and only five of those are any good at it."

A parallel might be to an escape by guinea pigs, he says: Just because they're related to mice doesn't mean they can take up residence in your walls and start breeding.

Hissers aren't the only roaches kept by hobbyists, and McMonigle says there are even species that only exist in captivity. One mutation with white eyes, originally discovered in a deep coal mine, has been bred since the 1940s. Another species that was found only around a cave that was destroyed by mining is extinct in the wild.

If you're still not convinced about roaches, McMonigle notes that their closest relative is an insect that many people love: the praying mantis.

Yen Saw of Katy, Texas, has been keeping mantises for nearly 10 years, since his son got interested in them. "But then he conveniently left the hard work to me and I got hooked," Saw says.

With insects, you can breed many generations in a limited space and over a short time. And unlike more conventional pets, they don't just get larger as they grow, but metamorphose through several different forms.

"I love the process of seeing them growing," says Saw.

Owners of some kinds of insects can also observe a natural behavior that might be too gruesome with other pets: predation. Insect keepers typically raise insects to feed their insects — in fact, Martin started out keeping spiders and raising roaches as food, before getting interested in the roaches for their own sake.

Mantises, despite their charm, are hunters, and have no mercy even on their own relatives. When asked how many mantises he has right now, Saw laughs and says, "The number keeps changing because praying mantises, as you know, they eat each other."

Since hundreds hatch at a time, this behavior helps keep the size of a collection manageable. It's also one of the insect's claims to fame: The female has a habit of eating the male's head after mating, although the frequency of that has been exaggerated, Saw says. He's watched mantises breed many times, and says, "The males are really careful trying not to lose their heads." And in captivity, the risk can be minimized simply by feeding the female first, so she's not hungry.

If you doubt how devoted a person can be to what others consider creepy and crawly, here's one last fact about Saw: When he started to develop allergy symptoms and his doctor diagnosed an allergy to roaches, he realized that also meant he was allergic to his pet mantises. "It was devastating for me," he said.

But that didn't stop him. Now, he says, "when I go into my insect room, I have to wear a mask and gloves. But I love my hobby so I'll do whatever I have to."

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