Names, superstitions and pest control
From an ancient Greek word for a prophet to egg cases sold to gardeners.
The name
Praying mantises get their name from the way they hold up their front legs, as if praying. The word mantis comes from the Greek for ‘prophet’. Amateur Entomologists’ Society: Praying Mantids (Order Mantodea) Britannica gives the ancient Greek word μάντις as meaning ‘diviner’. Britannica: Mantis
Their name and pose have given them pious names in many languages, such as Gottesanbeterin in German and prie-Dieu in French. Britannica: Mantis
Because they eat so much, mantises are sometimes called ‘preying mantids’, but that spelling is a mistake. Amateur Entomologists’ Society: Praying Mantids (Order Mantodea)
Stories and symbols
Many cultures have used mantises as symbols in art, myth and books. The Canadian Encyclopedia: Mantid
Old superstitions said a mantis’s spit could blind people, or that a mantis could kill a horse if eaten. Britannica lists these as superstitions. Britannica: Mantis
Mantises in the garden
Mantis egg cases are sold for garden pest control, but mantises aren’t very good at it: they eat almost anything, including pollinators and other helpful insects. Utah State University Extension: Beneficial insects, mantids
The author of the bird study urged great caution about releasing mantises for pest control. University of Basel study, reported by ScienceDaily (4 July 2017): Praying mantises hunt down birds worldwide
Gardeners sometimes mistake egg cases for pests. Utah State University Extension: Beneficial insects, mantids
Not everything with grabbing legs is a mantis
Mantis flies also have grabbing front legs, but they always have clear wings held like a tent over the body. Australian Museum: Praying mantises (Order Mantodea) Stick insects look a bit like mantises, but their front legs are never built for grabbing, and their heads are often rectangular. Australian Museum: Praying mantises (Order Mantodea)
Grasshoppers and crickets are only distant relatives. Amateur Entomologists’ Society: Praying Mantids (Order Mantodea) Cockroaches are close relatives of mantises, but not mantises. Natural History Museum, London: Small orders collection (Mantodea)
Try telling them apart in Mantis or Not a Mantis?
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