I brake for bugs

[WV Sawmiller]

   Mid morning today I decided to mow the grass. When I got to the front yard I spotted a big praying mantis on the grass in front of me. I think they are neat bugs so I stopped and put him on the porch and continued mowing. I had not seen one in years till about 4 weeks ago when returning from a mobile job down on the Greenbrier River I spotted one on the hood of my truck. I stopped and caught him and put him in a water bottle and brought him home for my photographer wife to take pictures of him. She got some really good pictures of him. When I finished mowing I went back and found this one about where he started and got the pix below.
 

 

 

 

   I think they are one of the most amazing bugs around.

[Savannahdan]

When I was young we called those and other stick insects "Go Devils."  Not sure where the name came from and we thought they were something to fear.  There was also a fantastic fishing lure that went by that name as well.  You used it on the end of long cane pole with about a foot of strong fishing line or staging cord.  You just buzzed it across the top of the water and the bass would nail it.  Back to PMs, I also have very much appreciated these things and try to make sure I'm not whacking them with the weedeater.  Now if I can just get them to take care of my neighbors yappy little dogs.

[WV Sawmiller]

Dan,

   Go Devil fishing lure sounds familiar but I can't remember what they looked like. Seems like they might have been similar to something call a Hawaiian Wiggler which was some sort of spinner bait.

   The fishing technique sounds like we used to call jigger fishing or a Joe-mole. Some people used a big Jitterbug lure and dragged it around on the surface on a short line and I knew 2 brothers who used a rubber skirt on a large treble hook on a few inches of line tied to a long pole. It was mostly used on moonlight nights and the brothers told me one sculled at the rear of the boat while the other fished in the front. They said even an electric motor spooked the fish too much so they had to be very quiet. They would slap the top of the water along the bank and under overhanging bushes and such making ripples like a frog swimming on the surface. One brother told me they were catching lots of 9-10 lb bass that summer but had not been catching any of the big ones like they usually did. I don't know what he considered a "big" one but in N. Fla back then I thought a 5-6 lb bass was pretty big. I never did it but heard there was a high risk of heart attack when  big bass suddenly hit a lure on the surface with a limber pole with a short line that close to you. I know they had the line tied again back at the middle of the pole in case one broke it. I don't know how a modern fiberglass pole would stand up to such fishing.

[Peter Drouin]

They are cool looking.

[Woodcutter_Mo]

 Those praying mantis's are neat creatures. I used to hand feed them grass hoppers when I was little.  Any more if I see them in the yard where they might get squashed I'll usually bring it over to the garden to help with bug control. We brought a praying mantis egg cluster in the house one time when I was a kid and the things hatched, talk about hundreds of little tiny praying mantis's all over the house  . Parents weren't super thrilled with that incident so we had to catch them all and let them go in the garden 

[Bert]

I appreciate the pictures and story and its also funny this came up. Last week I was driving home from vacation in NC and stopped at a restaurant in Beckley WV. While the rest of the the family was finishing eating I took my daughter for a walk behind the restaurant to stretch her legs.... shes not quite 2 yet. Anyhow, there was a bunch of those on the side of the dumpster. I just figured they were more common in Southern WV because I might see one a year here if that. Youve got a Mantis Invasion! There must have been 50.

[WV Sawmiller]

Bert,

   Thanks for your patronage. Beckley is where I have to do most of my shopping for bigger, harder to find items my local hardware store or Krogers doesn't have and to take the grandaughters to eat. They love the Cook Out and Chinese buffet there.

   Glad to hear you spotted a big hatch of Praying Mantis here in our state and this close to me. As I mentioned the one yesterday was only the second one I have seen in many, many years. They just seem to have character the way they cock their head and look at you.

   I think somebody could make a mint doing an old style B grade monster movie with a giant praying mantis as the villain. Either that or make a modern space movie where the new planet is run by them with humans as slaves or such.

[Ox]

I haven't seen one in many years.  10 years or better now.... I wonder why?  Things are a bit milder for the most part.

[Bert]

I think the key is to put out a greasy dumpster from an Omelette Shop or maybe a Waffle House would work. They really seem to be attracted to that. Anyhow, they would be scary creatures blown up in film

[grouch]

WV Sawmiller,

We don't need Hollyweird teaching people to fear a good bug! They already make mice cuddly instead of disease carrying, wire chewing monsters, and they make cats evil (for eating cuddly mice). Ok, maybe they got the cats right (hairball spitting flea factories).

I've had quite a few praying mantises (is that the right plural?) this year. Found several of their egg cases, too. Maybe that means we've had a population explosion in the bugs they eat and I just didn't notice. I have mowed around grass or a weed where I spot an egg case -- yep, I'm warped.

[Ox]

I don't think you're warped at all.  I've done stuff like this all my life.  If I can save something I will.  I take spiders outside to turn loose most of the time.  I figure they've been put on this rock with us and deserve to live here as much as we do.  It's good karma too.

I looked up praying mantis egg cases and I recognize them.  I just didn't know what it was.  I've seen them before, but they certainly aren't common.  I haven't seen any in quite a while, years now.  I wonder if they're just rare around here because of brutal winters.

[Magicman]

I Googled it too and have seen many of them (praying mantis egg cases) but I had no idea what they were.  The FF rocks!!   

[Roxie]

Maybe they are becoming more rare because the females rip the males heads off after he helps her start a family.   

[grouch]

Just because you don't notice, doesn't mean they're not out there. The little aliens are coming to eat your bugs!

[WV Sawmiller]

Roxie - no comment. 

MM,

   I also looked them up and realized I have seen them before but just thought it was a moth cocoon so will also be more diligent about protecting them in the future.

[Kbeitz]

I like taking pictures of them too.

 

 

Feeding time.