Is mantis a beneficial insect or a pest? What kind of food do you eat? How long is the life span?

Mantis, also known as knife mantis, invertebrates, is a carnivorous insect. In addition to the polar regions, it is widely distributed all over the world, especially in the tropics. More than 2000 kinds are known in the world. About 147 species are known in China. So is praying mantis a beneficial insect or a pest? What kind of food do you eat? How long is the life span?

Is mantis a beneficial insect or a pest?

The praying mantis has a medium or large body, an inverted triangular head, large and bright compound eyes, slender antennae, and a freely rotating neck. The body is yellowish brown, taupe or green. The chest has 2 pairs of wings and 3 pairs of feet; the forechest is slender, the forefoot is a pair of thick sickle-shaped trapping feet, and there are hooked thorns on the legs and tibia to catch pests, so they are beneficial insects.

The praying mantis has a long body, mostly green, and also has brown or speckled species; its head is triangular and can rotate flexibly; it has protruding compound eyes with 3 single eyes; chewable mouthparts with strong upper jaw. The forefoot captures the foot, and the middle and hindfoot are suitable for walking. The eggs are laid in the egg sheath, and there are 20 eggs in each egg sheath, arranged in 2-4 rows. Each female can produce 4-5 egg sheaths, which are hardened by foamy secretions and adhere to branches, bark, walls and other objects. The newly hatched nymphs are "pre-nymphs" and become adults after peeling for 3 or 12 times. Generally, one generation a year, the life span of a praying mantis is about six to eight months, and some species are parthenogenesis.

What kind of food does Mantis eat?

Mantis is a carnivorous insect. Mantis can prey on more than 40 kinds of pests, such as flies, mosquitoes, locusts, moths, butterflies and their larvae, exposed pupae, crickets and other small insects, cicadas, migratory locusts, katydids and other large insects. It can be used as the natural enemy of aphids, wax borer, corn borer, rapeseed butterfly, Tuyuan, yellow powder insect and other pests in the field and forest areas, so it is a beneficial insect.

How does the praying mantis hunt?

Mantis has a protective color, some and mimicry, similar to its environment, in order to prey on a variety of pests. And sensitive, it takes only 0.01 seconds to hunt, eating only live worms and firmly clamping its prey with prickly forefeet. When frightened, he rustled his wings and showed a bright warning color. Common in plants rather than on the ground, the body can be shaped like green or brown dead leaves, twigs, lichens, flowers or ants, relying on mimicry not only to avoid predators, but also not to be detected when approaching or waiting for prey.

Attached: the meaning of the mantis catching cicadas and the yellow sparrow behind.

After the mantis catches the cicada and the yellow sparrow is behind, this idiom satirizes those who only care about the immediate interests and ignore the disasters behind, and warn such people who are short-sighted, blind and ignorant of the future troubles. It also means that some people want to plot against others, but did not expect that someone is plotting against their own people. Let's take a look at the idiom that roaches catch cicadas and yellow finches.

The original text of the mantis catching the cicada yellow sparrow

The king of Wu wanted to cut down the bauhinia, so he told him that he would die if he dared to remonstrate. If he dared not remonstrate if he had a few children, he would play the ball, swim in the back garden, and show his clothes, such as San Dan. King Wu said, "when you come, why do you bother to dress like this?" He said, "there are trees in the garden, on which there are cicadas, and cicadas live high in mourning and drinking dew. I do not know that the mantis is behind, and the mantis is attached to the body and wants to take the cicada, but I do not know that the yellow sparrow is beside it, and the yellow sparrow stretches its neck and wants to peck the mantis, but it does not know that the bullet is under it. All three want to get their former benefits, regardless of the subsequent troubles. " King Wu said, "how good!" He is not a soldier.

Translation of mantis after catching cicadas and yellow finches

King Wu wanted to crush the State of Chu and told the left and right ministers, "I will kill all those who dare to advise me to send troops!" A young man in King Wu's servant tried to remonstrate King Wu but dared not, so he wandered around the backyard with a bullet in his arms and a slingshot in his hand, and the dew soaked his clothes for a few days. King Wu said, "Why do you have to wet your clothes so hard?" The young man replied, "there is a tree in the garden, on which there is a cicada. the cicada is high, screaming and sucking dew, but it does not know that the mantis is behind him. The mantis bends its body and clings to its forelegs to pick the cicada." but the yellow sparrow stretched its neck to peck the mantis, but did not know that the slingshot and projectile were under him. All three must want to get immediate benefits. Without considering the hidden dangers behind. " King Wu said, "good!" So King Wu stopped the war.