Some kind of egg casing? Good or bad? >> Carolina Mantis

[applestar]

OK -- it's so nice out I was giving my garden a once over patrol and discovered this half way up on the main trunk of my little ginkgo tree -- t's only knee high and can't afford any munchers.

It looks like an egg casing -- approx. 3" long from top to bottom. Hopefully someone can help me ID before it's too late.

[ElizabethB]

Hey Apple - something is tickling the back of my mind. I have seen this before but can not put a finger on it. Maybe send a pic to your university entemology department.

Let us know what you find out.

[shadylane]

Applestar that is a praying mantis egg...the babies will be the same color as the egg when they emerge

[rainbowgardener]

I'm not sure. I'm sure Applestar is very familiar with the praying mantis ootheca (egg case). They are usually rounder



https://www.hiltonpond.org/images/MantisEggCase01.jpg

Can't say for sure it isn't the praying mantis, but if so it is a very unusual one.

[LA47]

If no one can identify it, I would gently try to remove it, place it in a jar with a cloth cover, and let it hatch.

[applestar]

I would ... Except it's on the trunk midway so removing without damaging will be difficult. I'd cut it off if it was on a branch of something I didn't care about. Well, we'll see. I'm still hoping for positive ID.

You know my first thought was that it looks -- texture, color, etc. -- like praying mantis ooth except it's the wrong shape like rainbowgardener said. The picture she posted is the one I'm familiar with. It's also kind of spread out. Is it possible a female started to create the foamy ooth and lay eggs but was interrupted and scuttled off, trailing the stuff along the little trunk? The tree is in a somewhat open area.

[rainbowgardener]

maybe something like that, or maybe it is a different variety.

I went looking and found a picture of a mantid ootheca that looks somewhere between the ones I am familiar with (as pictured) and yours:



https://www.backyardnature.net/pix/mant-egg.jpg

They do say "Mantids from other parts of the world produce cases looking slightly different." So maybe you have a foreign one?

You are so ingenious, Applestar. I'm sure you can figure a way to put netting around it without damaging your tree. Wrap netting around the tree and tape it above and below the egg case?

[applestar]

Encouraged by shadylane's positive sounding reply -- and she usually knows her wildlife -- and rainbow's post, I also searched for praying mantis eggs images, and look what I found here:

https://homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/mantises.html

Identified on the website as CAROLINA praying mantis egg case.

Now, considering the VERY mild winter we had last year, and somewhat mild winter we had this year, maybe there is a new kind of praying mantis in my garden to join the Garden Patrol.

[LA47]

I'm glad you were able to identify it. Praying Mantis are terrific hunters.

[shadylane]

thank you applestar...that little bugger realy knew how to fly.

[mahciap]

hi

Hi! This is many years after your original post so maybe you know this by now, but the mantis egg case you found belonged to a Chines mantis, which is an invasive species. Since the adults are much larger than our native Carolina mantises they out-compete the smaller natives which are now uncommon to rare in some places. It's up to you but I wouldn't be in a hurry to save any Chinese mantis or its eggs.

[applestar]

Hmm... I couldn't read the article without logging in/registering.

I have the opposite ID. The long narrow one I found is the native Carolina mantis ootheca, and the rounded triangular ones I have always had in my garden and with which I'm more familiar are the Chinese. So actually, I think it's a good thing that the Carolina mantids are now also inhabiting my garden (even though it might be due to somewhat warmer winter temperatures)?

How to Tell a Carolina Mantis Eggcase from a Chinese Mantis Eggcase (What's an Ootheca?)
https://www.appalachianfeet.com/2010/03/ ... n-ootheca/

[Gary350]

I have seen those eggs on in my garden but never knew what type bug they are. I have always picked them off the plants but now that I know it is praying mantis eggs I will level them there. Wikipedia says, that egg cluster will become several praying mantis they eats other bugs. August when I had an aphid problem on tomato plant leaves I was thinking, I wish I had some praying mantis. Wikepedia says, there are 2200 varieties of praying mantis. An army of these little guys would be good for mites and aphids. Until now I always though there was 1 type praying mantis only 1s I have ever seen are Green about 2" to 4" long. Praying mantis could be much better than my 14 bird houses I don't think birds spend much time eating micro small bugs.

[applestar]

I’m still seeing the Carolina praying mantis during the growing season since discovering that first ootheca. I do also see the more slender green Asian imported praying mantis as well, but it looks like the Carolina species have managed to establish here and they are co-habiting in my garden




I saw a mating pair in 2016, too —
Subject: 2016 Backyard bird and butterfly (and dragonfly too) watchin
Sep 09, 2016

I was reaching to harvest this cucumber from a vine that climbed up the elderberry when I realized it was occupied



...I loved seeing that she is clutching a snack -- I vaguely recall that males bring a gift when courting a female (mostly to keep her busy busy while he approaches her, I believe )

[applestar]

I have seen those eggs on in my garden but never knew what type bug they are. I have always picked them off the plants but now that I know it is praying mantis eggs I will level them there. Wikipedia says, that egg cluster will become several praying mantis they eats other bugs. August when I had an aphid problem on tomato plant leaves I was thinking, I wish I had some praying mantis. Wikepedia says, there are 2200 varieties of praying mantis. An army of these little guys would be good for mites and aphids. Until now I always though there was 1 type praying mantis only 1s I have ever seen are Green about 2" to 4" long. Praying mantis could be much better than my 14 bird houses I don't think birds spend much time eating micro small bugs.

@Gary350 — I realized after a 2nd look that you are holding this clear winged insect on your fingertip. I think what you have there is a MANTISFLY — tiny but still a good Garden Patrol and adults will handle the tiny pests although they do parasitize spiders to rear young — but the spiders need some checks-and-balances, too.

Subject: Winter Indoor Tomatoes and Garden 2017-18
Mar 12, 2018

Sooo excited — I came across a new to me insect!
- Found in the Winter Indoor Garden.
- tiny — only about 1/2 inch long
- gorgeous light green with lacewing like wings
- looks like a tiny baby praying mantis? ...with wings????



~~~ of course I had to look it up. Almost immediately found a reference in list of NJ insects... which led me to this BugGuide listing

Zeugomantispa minuta - Green Mantisfly - BugGuide.Net
https://bugguide.net/node/view/40288

Range
e. US: NJ-WI south to FL-TX (rare in northern part of range); Central America to Venezuela(2)(3)(4)

Food
Predatory: larvae feed on spider eggs; adult small insects.

Life Cycle
Larvae penetrate spider egg sacks and develop as parasitoid

...and this...
Real Monstrosities: Mantisfly
https://www.realmonstrosities.com/2014/09/mantisfly.html