What Do Praying Mantis Eat?

The praying mantis, in short, is an insect-eater but can also eat arachnids such as small spiders. As it is a carnivorous insect, the praying mantis feeds primarily on other insects such as fruit flies, crickets, beetles, moths and bees. However, it is not uncommon for a larger mantis to consume small reptiles, birds and even small frogs or lizards.

To capture their prey, a mantis uses its camouflage to blend in with the surroundings and wait for the prey to be within striking distance. It then uses its raptorial front legs to quickly snatch the victim and help position the victim so it may eat it better. Any chance of escape is minimized by the vice-like grip facilitated by the rows of hooked spines along the inner part of the mantis' front legs.

The mantis bites its prey's head off first, and indeed the female praying mantis is widely known for her particular habit of biting the head off her partner while they are mating. This cannibalistic act was once believed to be a regular practice. However, and fortunately, it now seems likely that it is much rarer in female mantises in the wild than in captive mantises kept in a cage.

A mantis is a carnivorous insect that takes up a deceptively humble posture when searching for food. Praying mantises do not actively hunt down their prey. Instead, they wait unmoving and virtually invisible on a leaf or stem, ready to seize any passing insect.

They eat mainly small insects. For example: Grasshoppers, ants, moths, crickets, spiders, dragonflies, butterflies, nats, worms, mealworms, grubs, termites, ladybugs, maggots, katydids, aphids, most flies, and some types of water bugs. There are the rare occasions where huge ones eat rats, mice, birds and lizards. Oh I forgot to mention they're also cannibals. They are great for eating pests in gardens and yards. Hoped this helped some of you!!!

The eat Mates only in captivity. A Wild Male Praying Mantis will usually get away. The theory is the people watching will disturb the mating ritual.
A praying mantis will eat any bug smaller than they are. Sometimes they will go for something the same size or a bit bigger.
If you have a Mantis Case in a terrarium, it is important to know that, once hatched, they will eat each other until there is only one left- cannibalism.

Praying mantises usually eat small bugs of various types. They also like to eat small birds and lizards. A baby praying mantis eats aphids. Basically praying mantises can eat all types of small insects.This is the reason because of which mantises are also known as "Farmer's friend". When they are put in the fields for pest control, no insect can attack on fields. Therefore, mantises are considered as the deadly hunters of many insects like grasshopper.

It's best to feed them live food. Drop a couple insects in its habitat of varying sizes (about the same or smaller than your mantis) ever couple of days so that it can choose when it's hungry. Taking out insects that have 'expired' is also a good way to keep the habitat clean and replacing them gives the illusion that it can eat when it's hungry and not feel as though it needs to cram. That doesn't mean you can't over feed it, however. A sure sign of overfeeding is a major discoloration (maybe a green to tan-brown) a day or two after it has shed. You may need to allow a change in diet as well. Even though young manti are small, they need more than just ants. Try catching earwigs or small flies. You can mush them up a little bit and actually hand feed your young mantis by putting the dead insect on the end of a toothpick or a discarded radio antennae. If you've had your mantis for a while, it will take the food off the end of the toothpick or even just munch away on it like a fork.

I have a female praying mantis that decided to live on the screen,in the corner of our screen porch. I put her out but she found her way back in 3 times, so I decided to feed her. I have a flower garden, so I take a clear mason jar, put it over a bumble bee, and then cover it with paper. Bring it to her and eventually the bee will get in her line of path, so she eats it. I try to feed her two a day. I know she catches some of the bugs that get caught in the corner of our porch as well. We have had praying mantis' for about 4 years now. And I love to watch them. But this is the first one I have fed. I know females eat more than males because they lay the egg sac.
Yesterday, I saw a male and female mating out by my humming bird feeder, when I went to change the nectar in it. I took pictures. They turned out really cool!

Well the praying mantis eats when it feels like it, its eating patterns are not defined yet sometimes it eats twice in one day and sometimes not at all. Do not worry, its habits keep changing and it does not mean that it is sick.

A praying mantis will eat other insects..I`ve seen them stalk & catch grasshoppers and moths...praying mantis is good for the garden as they eat the insects eating your tomatoes, etc.  I`m not sure if they eat grass or leaves..I don't think so.

I saw a praying mantis attempt to eat a hummingbird.  I happened to be sitting on the bench 3 feet from the feeder and saw it put the hummingbird in a headlock and start to eat it's head until I rescued the hummingbird....it made it away alive, as I was right there as it happened.  

Lesley

Our experience is limited to mantis religiosa and it shows that it does not. It might not like the taste of a firefly somehow. We have noticed that it will attack a firefly when hungry but invariably will leave it alone after tasting it.

A Praying Mantis will eat any insect it can catch....including any other mantis it can catch. They are eating machine's, and the terror of any insect who see's the mantis too late. I am unsure whether they would eat a small mammal (such as a baby mouse), if one was able to be overwhelmed by it, but I certainly wouldn't be the least bit shocked if it did.

I recently found one of these the other day, the fella was missing his left arm.
I put plenty of leaves in a box for it to eat (not knowing what they eat) he later died a few days after.