by hatfield13

Birthday Critters

My 13-year-old son just gave me one of my favorite birthday presents ever.

No fancy perfume for this mom.  I got…

Ever the practical kid, J ordered these because I’ve been lamenting the fact that bugs are eating my roses.  Not any more.  Within a few weeks, the literature says,  this egg case will hatch "about 100-200 tiny mantises, all at once."  I especially love the way Gardeners Supply Company describes the praying mantises’ promise to wreak havoc on garden pests. 

"Being strictly carnivorous, they’ll eat almost any insect of a size they can overcome.  Waiting in quiet ambush for hours at a time, when an insect comes wandering by, they suddenly jump out and attack — always biting the neck first."

How cool is that?

We attached the egg case to the rose bush this afternoon.

Watch out, aphids!  The Terminators of the insect world are on the way.

46 Replies on “Birthday Critters”

  1. COOL!

    Nice work, J!

    Call me when they hatch…I LOVE those things…they look like aliens.

    And happy birthday, because really, I don’t know if I’ve told you in the last few hours or so! 🙂
    (May we have a celebratory lunch when your guests leave?)

  2. COOL!

    Nice work, J!

    Call me when they hatch…I LOVE those things…they look like aliens.

    And happy birthday, because really, I don’t know if I’ve told you in the last few hours or so! 🙂
    (May we have a celebratory lunch when your guests leave?)

  9. Happy Birthday! I had no idea you could actually buy these in a shop! LOL.

    What happens if they don’t hatch? Or rather, what would be the reason? A praying mantis (or possibly two different ones) laid two eggs over the space of a few weeks on the outside of my window sill and nothing has happened with them (this was probably 5 or 6 weeks ago now). I’ve been watching them constantly, eager to see them hatch…but nothing. I wonder why it didn’t happen? :o(

  10. Happy Birthday! I had no idea you could actually buy these in a shop! LOL.

    What happens if they don’t hatch? Or rather, what would be the reason? A praying mantis (or possibly two different ones) laid two eggs over the space of a few weeks on the outside of my window sill and nothing has happened with them (this was probably 5 or 6 weeks ago now). I’ve been watching them constantly, eager to see them hatch…but nothing. I wonder why it didn’t happen? :o(

  11. I just love Gardeners Supply Company.I was looking at their catalog just a few days ago for some decorative plant hangers.

    By the way, Happy Birthday!

  12. I just love Gardeners Supply Company.I was looking at their catalog just a few days ago for some decorative plant hangers.

    By the way, Happy Birthday!

  23. Re: COOL!

    Thanks for the birthday wishes!

    And actually, I don’t think I’ll know for sure when they hatch because the handout they sent with the egg case says the little guys just squeeze out through folds in the case, hang there by threads and dry out for an hour, and then disappear into the brush. The case doesn’t change in appearance after they hatch, so you’d be unlikely to notice unless you were standing there, stalking them…

    …which I might just do.

  24. Re: COOL!

    Thanks for the birthday wishes!

    And actually, I don’t think I’ll know for sure when they hatch because the handout they sent with the egg case says the little guys just squeeze out through folds in the case, hang there by threads and dry out for an hour, and then disappear into the brush. The case doesn’t change in appearance after they hatch, so you’d be unlikely to notice unless you were standing there, stalking them…

    …which I might just do.

  31. Interestingly enough, your praying mantises might have already hatched. The handout they sent with the egg case says the little guys just squeeze out through folds in the case, hang there by threads and dry out for an hour, and then disappear into the brush. The case doesn’t change in appearance after they hatch, so you’d be unlikely to notice unless you were standing there.

  32. Interestingly enough, your praying mantises might have already hatched. The handout they sent with the egg case says the little guys just squeeze out through folds in the case, hang there by threads and dry out for an hour, and then disappear into the brush. The case doesn’t change in appearance after they hatch, so you’d be unlikely to notice unless you were standing there.

  35. I sure hope to take pictures… but I don’t think I’ll know for sure when they hatch because the handout they sent with the egg case says the little guys just squeeze out through folds in the case, hang there by threads and dry out for an hour, and then disappear into the brush. The case doesn’t change in appearance after they hatch, so you’d be unlikely to notice unless you were standing there, stalking them.

  36. I sure hope to take pictures… but I don’t think I’ll know for sure when they hatch because the handout they sent with the egg case says the little guys just squeeze out through folds in the case, hang there by threads and dry out for an hour, and then disappear into the brush. The case doesn’t change in appearance after they hatch, so you’d be unlikely to notice unless you were standing there, stalking them.

  45. Happy belated birthday! I don’t know why but praying mantis make me think of Sylvia Plath. That’s such a cool present. I want to see before and after pictures of the plants they will save!

  46. I hope you get a photo of one of those buggers. They are so cool. Well, first I hope your son didn’t get ripped off and sent a cotton ball dipped in caramel.