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Praying Mantis and Bees
Name: Jonatan
Status: student
Age: 20s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 2000-2001
Question:
A few weeks ago I found a praying mantis in the garden
and have kept it since. I have been researching about them and found out
they eat bees. Until now I have been feeding it flies and crickets, but
there are a lot of bees and wasps outside. Is it safe to feed it
bees? Or can the bee sting it?
Another thing, something really weird happened with the mantis. For some
reason all of a sudden its wings curled up and the mantis got really
sick. It stopped eating for about a week. A friend told me that maybe it
ate a fly that had stood on some insecticide and that probably it would
die. Now the mantis is eating again, but the wings are still curled
up. I've been thinking that maybe its a vitamin deficiency or something
like that. What could it be?
Replies:
I can't answer your questions about exactly what a praying mantis can or
can't eat, I think most any insect they can catch, or about it stopping
eating and starting again. But you should not expect it to live very long at
any rate, adults do not normally overwinter, like most all insects they have
a short lifespan and in the wild will die in the fall after laying eggs.
J. Elliott
Hi Jonatan!
Praying mantis are carnivorous, so they eat insects. They have a frail and
short
life, so your mantis very probably will die soon. It could be that some
insect
you gave it was poisoned, we cannot be sure.
But dear...a praying mantis is a very beautiful natural being, and it is not
a pet...so do not take its freedom ever again, I beg you.
And thanks for asking NEWTON!
Mabel
(Dr. Mabel Rodrigues)
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Update: June 2012
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