Praying Mantises vs a Roach Infestation- One Man's True Story
I've been talking/teaching people about praying mantises on here and on Twitter, and how these little murderers will decimate a bug population like dropping 1000 Navy SEALs in Afghanistan.
I've purchased them for my yard/garden every year since 2011 to keep the bug population down.
Someone shared this man's real life story of how he let praying mantises loose inside his house (of course he's White. Did you even have to ask?) and it was Mantis vs. an out of control roach population.
This is a funny read I had to share
***
My following has demanded my story about 1,000 baby praying mantises. So, here we go. About fifteen years ago, I lived in Tampa Bay. If you've ever been, you know it's hot, humid, and grows bugs big enough to mug you for drug money.
My, ahem, former wife and I had just moved into a larger, cheaper duplex than our apartment, only to discover the reason it was cheaper stemmed from the fact it was infested with "palmetto bugs," which is a polite Florida euphemism for cockroaches.
The trouble was, we were animal people. We had cats, a dog, and multiple reptiles as pets. Traditional extermination methods would have been lethal to one or more of our little brood. So my then wife searched out "Natural" remedies to the problem.
A week later, the answer to our problem arrived in a cardboard box with screens on the sides. Within, one thousand baby praying mantises sat, waiting for their moment to go forth and murder just... everything.
The instructions on the box were simple. Place it in a dark corner of the house, open it, and lay back to let the tiny green slaughter engines do their work.
So, we did.
They were so little at first. Easy to miss. We stepped on more than a few of them.
But there were SO MANY. And they were really good at their jobs. They couldn't take on the adult palmetto bugs at first, but they decimated the young. And they were indiscriminate. We found them in our lizard cages eating crickets meant for the frilled dragon.
And they only got bigger over the next month. We'd have to sweep them off the bathroom sink and shake them off our toothbrushes in the mornings. One night, I woke from a dead sleep to an inch long green murderer on my nose, arms out, threatening to fuck me up.
Every day was like watching miniature Thunder Dome shit in real time. The mantises would eat the palmetto bugs, the cats would eat the mantises, the dog would chase the cats. Just pandemonium.
But eventually, there was no food left for the remaining mantis gladiators. They were two plus inches long now, had eaten everything smaller than them, and most of them had names because that's just how we were about things. They were big enough that the cats were like, naaah.
Which was when they started EATING EACHOTHER. It's not just a weird sex fetish for mantises. They are straight up cannibals. You have never loved anything as much as a praying mantis loves murdering shit. So we threw the like four survivors outside.
We were vacuuming up dead mantis husks for a month after that. But you know what we didn't have anymore? A single palmetto bug. Not one. Our duplex was a cockroach war crime. Word. Got. Around. We lived there for two years and never saw another.
And the handful of champions we released into the backyard spawned generations of mantises who kept it that way. I'm pretty sure I saw one of them eating a bird.
Bugs are some vicious mfs . If they were about a cat's size, they'd fuck people up.
That shit is true. We basically live in the woods in cold ass Ohio. Spiders so big that I thought one was a field mouse one time. All this time in this state and didn't know spiders here were this fucking big.Its not about cleanliness or the lack thereof.
If you live in a tropical area or in the woods, you WILL have an insect problem unless you're having your house sprayed regularly.
True story....Back in the 90's my nasty ass neighbors moved out. A day or two later I'm sitting on the porch and I see what appears to be a large moving shadow moving across my driveway. I step off the porch to get a better look. As I get closer I realize it is more roaches than I have ever seen in my life marching towards my house. I must have yelled because next thing I know I have half the block out there trying to kill all those mf's.You can get roaches from nasty ass neighbors. Especially if you live in an apartment. But I remember a few years ago. A lady here in Cleveland had a roach infestation so bad. That the fucking roaches started traveling outside the house and was starting to infest neighboring homes.
Ate him head first.
DamnTrue story....Back in the 90's my nasty ass neighbors moved out. A day or two later I'm sitting on the porch and I see what appears to be a large moving shadow moving across my driveway. I step off the porch to get a better look. As I get closer I realize it is more roaches than I have ever seen in my life marching towards my house. I must have yelled because next thing I know I have half the block out there trying to kill all those mf's.
Silver fish are beyond annoying. I don't mess with the spiders in certain areas around the house, mainly the garage, cuz they kill insects as well.
Praying Mantises vs a Roach Infestation- One Man's True Story
I've been talking/teaching people about praying mantises on here and on Twitter, and how these little murderers will decimate a bug population like dropping 1000 Navy SEALs in Afghanistan.
I've purchased them for my yard/garden every year since 2011 to keep the bug population down.
Someone shared this man's real life story of how he let praying mantises loose inside his house (of course he's White. Did you even have to ask?) and it was Mantis vs. an out of control roach population.
This is a funny read I had to share
***
My following has demanded my story about 1,000 baby praying mantises. So, here we go. About fifteen years ago, I lived in Tampa Bay. If you've ever been, you know it's hot, humid, and grows bugs big enough to mug you for drug money.
My, ahem, former wife and I had just moved into a larger, cheaper duplex than our apartment, only to discover the reason it was cheaper stemmed from the fact it was infested with "palmetto bugs," which is a polite Florida euphemism for cockroaches.
The trouble was, we were animal people. We had cats, a dog, and multiple reptiles as pets. Traditional extermination methods would have been lethal to one or more of our little brood. So my then wife searched out "Natural" remedies to the problem.
A week later, the answer to our problem arrived in a cardboard box with screens on the sides. Within, one thousand baby praying mantises sat, waiting for their moment to go forth and murder just... everything.
The instructions on the box were simple. Place it in a dark corner of the house, open it, and lay back to let the tiny green slaughter engines do their work.
So, we did.
They were so little at first. Easy to miss. We stepped on more than a few of them.
But there were SO MANY. And they were really good at their jobs. They couldn't take on the adult palmetto bugs at first, but they decimated the young. And they were indiscriminate. We found them in our lizard cages eating crickets meant for the frilled dragon.
And they only got bigger over the next month. We'd have to sweep them off the bathroom sink and shake them off our toothbrushes in the mornings. One night, I woke from a dead sleep to an inch long green murderer on my nose, arms out, threatening to fuck me up.
Every day was like watching miniature Thunder Dome shit in real time. The mantises would eat the palmetto bugs, the cats would eat the mantises, the dog would chase the cats. Just pandemonium.
But eventually, there was no food left for the remaining mantis gladiators. They were two plus inches long now, had eaten everything smaller than them, and most of them had names because that's just how we were about things. They were big enough that the cats were like, naaah.
Which was when they started EATING EACHOTHER. It's not just a weird sex fetish for mantises. They are straight up cannibals. You have never loved anything as much as a praying mantis loves murdering shit. So we threw the like four survivors outside.
We were vacuuming up dead mantis husks for a month after that. But you know what we didn't have anymore? A single palmetto bug. Not one. Our duplex was a cockroach war crime. Word. Got. Around. We lived there for two years and never saw another.
And the handful of champions we released into the backyard spawned generations of mantises who kept it that way. I'm pretty sure I saw one of them eating a bird.
Palmetto bugs, water bugs...roaches.
When my kids saw " water bugs" for the first time in Atlanta...they bugged out!
The only thing about praying mantis, those things can get huge/big!! While in the Army in Hawaii, while doing field duty I've seen sum huge azz praying mantis!! I didn't think they got that big!! They also had centipedes about a ft long and heard their bite felt like someone put a smoke out on ur skin!! Just saying
If they're anything like them giant flying roaches in Jamaica, especially the ones that be in the outhouses, then you'll want them praying mantises be as large as possible. Them mofos look like they're str8 up outta a cross between Starship Troopers and Mimic and will snatch up young pickneybruv you gotta explain to these guys what a palmetto bug is and what we really dealing wit in Florida.
When I see a Praying Mantis I'm like Kevin Heart's uncle.I've always heard if you see these to always let these be.
Praying Mantis and dragonflies.
Mantis are Marines
Dragonflies are the Airforce...they eat hundres of mosquitos and flying insects a day.
Helpful, especially if you have a creek or water source nearby.
hornets are more solitary. Probably why they evolved to not die when they sting you. They will, of course, attack in clusters if you disturb their nest.Interesting video but this was only one hornet verses one mantis. I'm asking, hornets don't attack like bees? What happens to a mantis if attacked by a swarm of hornets?
bruh, they have them shits here in san antonio. growing up on the east coast i'd never seen one before. I'm in tech school and trying to watch a redskins game. I kicked what i thought was your typical roach. You could HEAR it hit the wall. Then it flew in my direction. I screamed like a bitch. Them shits are huge.If they're anything like them giant flying roaches in Jamaica, especially the ones that be in the outhouses, then you'll want them praying mantises be as large as possible. Them mofos look like they're str8 up outta a cross between Starship Troopers and Mimic and will snatch up young pickney
Don't worry. I'm helping repopulate them. I bought them for my yard and garden every year since 2011. After they grow wings most of them leave the yard, but every year I find 3-6 egg cases to start the process all over again and I still purchase 10-50 moreI don't know wtf this is abut..... but it's illegal to catch/trap mantises in Jersey....... I saw one about 25 years ago in Irvington.... used to see them everywhere growing up..... not no more....
.
That's pretty much why I quit killing spiders that are in the basement unless it's like a Black Widow or something.Mantis are fascinating creatures. My rule is that if they eat other insects and stay out of the way they are cool.
That's pretty much why I quit killing spiders that are in the basement unless it's like a Black Widow or something.
I don't know wtf this is abut..... but it's illegal to catch/trap mantises in Jersey....... I saw one about 25 years ago in Irvington.... used to see them everywhere growing up..... not no more....
.
Praying Mantises are in Queens NY and they do get big
Anyway, I would rather have Praying Mantises and or Gecko's in the house than roaches any day
Ate him head first.
True story....Back in the 90's my nasty ass neighbors moved out. A day or two later I'm sitting on the porch and I see what appears to be a large moving shadow moving across my driveway. I step off the porch to get a better look. As I get closer I realize it is more roaches than I have ever seen in my life marching towards my house. I must have yelled because next thing I know I have half the block out there trying to kill all those mf's.
If they're anything like them giant flying roaches in Jamaica, especially the ones that be in the outhouses, then you'll want them praying mantises be as large as possible. Them mofos look like they're str8 up outta a cross between Starship Troopers and Mimic and will snatch up young pickney
Naw man.... there were always so many of them years ago. you didn't have to look for them... and I sit in my yard for about 45 minutes when I take my dogs out.... those shitz are getting rarer and rarer..... just like Blue Jays....... never see those anymore....Don't worry. I'm helping repopulate them. I bought them for my yard and garden every year since 2011. After they grow wings most of them leave the yard, but every year I find 3-6 egg cases to start the process all over again and I still purchase 10-50 more
The thing is, they're so small and so still , unless you're looking for them you won't see them. When you were a kid you were looking for them as an adult your mind is somewhere else
Don't know...... but I remember growing up you could get a mantis container to keep one in when you caught one.... then they became illegal....Why are many is illegal to catch on Jersey??