Praying Mantis Egg Case Relocation

The Praying Mantis is an interesting insect to watch. They slowly stalk their insect prey and don't fly away. You can buy their egg cases, called ootheca [ oh-uh-thee-kuh ], online but we have plenty on our property so I relocated a couple to areas without any.

TOOLS and MATERIALS

Garden pruners

twist ties

HOW TO

Loacate an egg case. They can be found in open or semi-open areas on the upright stems of blackberry, raspberry, large grasses, or young trees, usually one to three feet off the ground. Once I find one I attach a piece of flag tape to a nearby branch so I can find the case later.

In the early spring, when you are ready to relocate the egg case, snip the twig it is on three or four inches above and below the case. Remove side branches from the twig section you have harvested. The first photo shows a case I have flagged. The second photo shows two twigs with cases that I have harvested.

Identify a suitable spot to place an egg case. Trim away small branches on the host, if needed. Securely attach the twig with the case to the host branch one to two feet off the ground using twist ties. The third photo. The eggs usually hatch in mid-June to early July so mark your calendar. Each egg case can produce over 100 offspring.

DO NOT REMOVE EGG CASES FROM PUBLIC SPACES OR FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTY UNLESS YOU HAVE PERMISSION.