Next in our look at Ohio’s beneficial predatory arthropods: Mantids, aka mantises. From their CFAES fact sheet:
“How can one not be captivated watching a mantid stalk its prey? These charismatic garden predators are often called praying mantids because most species are sit-and-wait hunters that hold their front legs together as if in prayer while they survey their surroundings for a potential meal.
“Their prey can include both pests and other beneficial arthropods such as bees and spiders.
“Although they are a large predatory insect, mantids do not bite humans.” Read the fact sheet.