Praying Mantis for indoor grow?

PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
I was thinking of getting some praying mantis egg sacks as a preventative measure for my indoor organic grow, and was wondering if any one of you guys have experience with them. I have always thought they were really cool insects, but am wondering if it's a good idea for an indoor grow. Thanks.
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Did a quick search and it appears the benefit would be minimal.

Will praying mantis eat mites?
A: People buy praying mantises to control common vegetable garden pests — cucumber beetles, aphids, spider mites, relatively small prey. ... A praying mantis will... also eat beneficial insects. So if people want to buy them and release them, fine, but they won't get a big change in pest control.
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Hmmm... I was hoping for a bit more info on this! I'm looking for something to help with spider mites and praying mantis seem like one option.

My main grow is in my basement and though I really want to order a few of these I can't help but imagine my wife coming home to 300 baby mantis all over the house!

I wonder if they would stay by the plants or wander around the house with no regard for my hopes. :)
 
I have a couple mantis eggs in the mail now, along with some ladybugs and lacewings.

I'm just experimenting with my houseplants for now.

I've used ladybugs on the houseplants many times, but the others are gonna be a fun learning experience.

I've prepared a couple jars for the mantis eggs, but I'm only gonna do one at a time, and keep the other egg in the fridge. They're supposed to be here this week and it's gonna be fun. Can't wait, lol.
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Dish said:
Hmmm... I was hoping for a bit more info on this! I'm looking for something to help with spider mites and praying mantis seem like one option.

My main grow is in my basement and though I really want to order a few of these I can't help but imagine my wife coming home to 300 baby mantis all over the house!

I wonder if they would stay by the plants or wander around the house with no regard for my hopes. :)
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if you have spider mites then you want to use live predators called
Phytoseiulus
 
Dish said:
That is option #2, but I fear the same issue would arise...

Furious wife storms in and interrupts my meditation time (Call of Duty matchmaking) shaking her scrubs covered in lady bugs. Husband explains it's because of mites. Wife then interrogates husband about "what fucking mites" and then all chaos ensues.
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Well there's your mistake. As soon as my Mrs came in shaking ladybugs around I'd of been like woah woah woah don't come shaking your bugs in my games room in fact I never even heard the secret knock. OUT
 
Dish said:
That is option #2, but I fear the same issue would arise...

Furious wife storms in and interrupts my meditation time (Call of Duty matchmaking) shaking her scrubs covered in lady bugs. Husband explains it's because of mites. Wife then interrogates husband about "what fucking mites" and then all chaos ensues.
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Same with lacewings. I actually have ladybugs on my houseplants in the living room. They don't always stay where they're supposed to. And I just got some lacewing eggs to play around with now too on the houseplants. I have a feeling they're gonna be great until they become adults and start flying all over my living room, lol.

The only predators I have in my grow rooms are hypoaspis miles, rove beetles, and a few springtails so far, but I might add a few praying mantis if they cooperate with the houseplants.

It would be a good idea to screen all the fans if you want ladybugs or lacewings. I've heard of people's mantis going through them too, but nothing like ladybugs or lacewings.
 
Off topic, but here's my new ladybugs. I store them in the fridge and when I see any bugs on the houseplants I throw some ladybugs on them. They last months in the refrigerator.

Sometimes I do a 50/50 Iso spray the day before I add the ladybugs.

I'm mainly just having some fun and using my houseplants for experimenting.
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Got to love the Mantis.
lokie said:
I see them not as often as I would like.

When I was 9 we found some egg casings in a bush. Not knowing what would hatch,
I put them in a jar and waited.

about 3 months later I got home from school and all of my worldly
possessions, bed and night stand too, were out in the front yard.

WTF! the casings, 3 of them, had hatched.
if you did not know before i will tell you now
mantis egg casings hatch about 300 nymphs each.

My mom freaked, there were hundreds if not 1000's crawling all over the house
for days. She never let me bring insect larva inside again. lol
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As long as there is a substantial amount of food why not, I found a baby last year on an outside plant brought it in the tent immediately lol he lasted weeks and then one day he was gone think my cat had a little snack but, it can’t hurt especially if u got mites, maybe a handful of real ladybugs , don’t get the Orange kind those aren’t lady bugs, but Japanese lady beetles they eat plants
 
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