do crickets eat praying mantis

 

do crickets eat praying mantis

 

You've Seen the Mantis Hunt Crickets—But Can the Tables Ever Turn?

It's the classic garden drama. A praying mantis, perched motionless on a stem, waits patiently. A cricket wanders too close. In a blur of motion, the mantis strikes, its spiny forelegs securing the struggling insect before it's devoured alive. We've all seen this scene play out. The mantis is the apex predator of the insect world, and crickets are often just items on its menu. But this raises a fascinating and slightly unsettling question: could it ever happen the other way around? do crickets eat praying mantis?

It seems almost absurd. A cricket, with its chewing mouthparts and vegetarian tendencies, against a masterful predator? Yet, in the wild world of insects, the lines between hunter and hunted can blur. Understanding the true nature of this relationship reveals a complex story of vulnerability, survival, and the brutal efficiency of nature. Let's dive into the data and expert observations to uncover the truth about whether crickets ever get their revenge.

The Mantis Menu: Crickets Are a Staple Food

First, let's establish the baseline. To understand if crickets ever eat mantises, we have to acknowledge that mantises absolutely, positively eat crickets. The praying mantis is a carnivore, and its diet consists almost exclusively of other living insects and small animals [citation:1]. According to National Geographic, mantids eat "mainly insects and other small animals," and they explicitly list crickets and grasshoppers among their common prey [citation:1].

Researchers from Texas A&M University's Agrilife Extension confirm that mantises prey upon a "wide range of prey including flies, crickets, beetles, moths" [citation:5]. The mantis is an indiscriminate predator. If it can catch it, it will likely eat it. The spines on their powerful front legs ensure that once grabbed, prey like crickets have virtually no chance of escape [citation:1]. In fact, one study showed that a single praying mantis could consume up to 16 crickets in a single day [citation:7]. So, in the vast majority of encounters, the cricket is lunch, not the luncher.

The Scientific Answer: Do Crickets Ever Eat Mantises?

Now, to the heart of the matter: do crickets eat praying mantis? The direct answer from entomological research is a firm no. Crickets do not actively hunt, kill, or eat praying mantises [citation:2][citation:9].

This conclusion is supported by a fascinating 2018 scientific study published in the Journal of Insect Behavior [citation:2][citation:9]. Researchers from Kyushu University and Newcastle University conducted a detailed study on the feeding behavior of praying mantises (Tenodera aridifolia). They used three types of prey in their experiments: mealworms, honeybees, and crickets [citation:2].

The study's setup is revealing. The researchers considered crickets to be "familiar prey" for the mantises [citation:9]. In the control experiments, where none of the prey were treated with bitter-tasting substances, the mantises "consumed bees and crickets more frequently than mealworms" [citation:9]. This confirms that crickets are not only on the menu, but they are a preferred food source.

Nowhere in this or any other credible entomological study is there evidence of the reverse—crickets preying on mantises. The cricket is, in every scientific context, positioned as the prey, not the predator.

So, Could a Cricket Ever Kill a Mantis?

While crickets don't "eat" praying mantises in the sense of hunting them, there is one very specific, rare, and indirect scenario where a cricket might end up consuming a mantis: scavenging a dead or dying mantis.

Crickets are primarily omnivores or herbivores. Many cricket species are content to feed on plants, decaying organic matter, and fungi. However, they are also opportunistic feeders. If a cricket encounters a dead insect—any dead insect—it may nibble on it for protein. This is scavenging, not predation.

If a praying mantis dies from natural causes, old age, or disease, and its body happens to fall to the ground where crickets forage, a cricket might take a bite. But this is the equivalent of a vulture eating a dead lion, not a gazelle turning around and killing one. It does not change the fundamental predator-prey relationship between the two species.

When Mantises Are Vulnerable: The Real Risks

While crickets pose no threat, praying mantises are far from invincible. Understanding what actually preys on mantises helps put their dominance into perspective.

Natural Predators of Praying Mantises

According to entomology databases, mantises face threats from a variety of larger animals [citation:3]:

• Birds: Many bird species, from orioles to sparrows, will happily eat a mantis [citation:7].
• Bats: Bats use echolocation to find and consume mantises at night. Interestingly, mantises can detect the ultrasound frequencies bats use and will take evasive action, dropping to the ground to avoid being caught [citation:7].
• Reptiles and Amphibians: Snakes, lizards, frogs, and toads all include mantises in their diets [citation:3].
• Spiders: Large spiders, such as orb-weavers, can trap mantises in their webs and consume them [citation:3].
• Other Mantises: Cannibalism is rampant in the mantis world. Nymphs eat each other, and females famously (though less frequently in the wild than in labs) consume males during mating [citation:5][citation:7].
• Mammals: Small mammals like rodents, primates, and even bats are documented predators [citation:3].

Notice who is notably absent from this list? Crickets.

Why the Confusion? Size and Circumstance

The question do crickets eat praying mantis might persist because of a few edge cases. For example, a very large, powerful cricket species (like a king cricket) might, in a stressful, confined environment (like a small terrarium), injure a molting or weak mantis. Mantises are incredibly vulnerable during molting—their new exoskeleton is soft, and they cannot move or defend themselves effectively for hours. In this state, they could be nibbled on by almost any other insect in the enclosure, including crickets [citation:4].

However, this is a artifact of captivity and vulnerability, not a natural behavior. In the wild, a molting mantis would hide itself well. A healthy, adult mantis is simply too formidable for a cricket to consider as prey.

Practical Implications for Gardeners and Pet Owners

Understanding this relationship has real-world applications, whether you're a gardener attracting mantises or a pet owner keeping them.

In the Garden

If you want to encourage praying mantises in your garden for natural pest control, you don't need to worry about crickets driving them away. In fact, the presence of crickets provides a food source that helps keep mantises well-fed and resident in your yard. A diverse insect population supports a healthy predator population.

You can even introduce mantises by purchasing egg cases. Think of these as nature's free samples of biological pest control—a starter kit for a healthier, more balanced ecosystem. By placing these cases in your garden, you're ensuring a generation of tiny predators will hatch in the spring and help manage pests naturally, acting like free samples of organic pest defense for your plants [citation:4].

In Captivity

If you keep mantises as pets, this information is crucial. You should never house a mantis with crickets unsupervised. While the mantis will likely eat the crickets, leaving crickets in an enclosure with a molting mantis is a recipe for disaster. Hungry crickets may nibble on a soft, defenseless mantis, causing injury or death. Always remove uneaten crickets from a mantis enclosure, especially if you suspect a molt is imminent.

Conclusion: The Cricket's Role Is Clear

So, do crickets eat praying mantis? The evidence from entomological research and field observations is clear: no, they do not. Crickets are a primary food source for mantises, not the other way around. The mantis is the predator; the cricket is the prey. While a cricket might scavenge a dead mantis or, in extremely rare and unnatural circumstances, nibble on a vulnerable one, they are not hunters of these apex insect predators.

The next time you see a mantis in your garden, you can appreciate it as the top-tier hunter it is. Its menu is long and varied, and crickets are proudly listed among its favorite meals. The natural order remains intact: the mantis prays, and the cricket is often the answer.