do praying mantis eat ticks

 

 

You're Worried About Ticks in Your Yard—Could a Praying Mantis Be the Answer?

It's a growing concern for anyone who spends time outdoors. Ticks. These tiny, blood-sucking parasites lurk in tall grass and wooded areas, waiting to attach to you, your children, or your pets. They're not just a nuisance—they're vectors for serious diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. You've tried repellents, you've cleared brush, but you're looking for a natural solution. Then you see it: a praying mantis, perched on a branch in your garden, looking like the ultimate predator. The question naturally arises: do praying mantis eat ticks?

It's a logical thought. Mantises are ferocious hunters that devour everything from flies to grasshoppers. If they could help control the tick population in your yard, they'd be the perfect garden ally. The answer, however, is more nuanced than a simple yes or no—and understanding it could save you from relying on the wrong pest control strategy.

The Short Answer: Yes, But It's Complicated

If you're looking for a quick answer to do praying mantis eat ticks, here it is: yes, praying mantises are physically capable of eating ticks and will do so under certain circumstances. However, they are not a reliable or effective method of tick control [citation:1].

According to entomology experts and mantis enthusiasts, mantises are opportunistic carnivores that feed on any insect they can catch and subdue [citation:2][citation:3]. Because ticks are small—typically only 4 to 5mm in body length—they certainly fall into the category of prey that a mantis could physically consume [citation:1]. In fact, observations suggest a mantis could eat approximately 10 to 15 ticks in a single day if they were readily available [citation:1].

But here's the catch: ticks and mantises don't often cross paths in a way that makes ticks a significant part of the mantis diet.

The Habitat Problem: Why Mantises Rarely Encounter Ticks

To understand do praying mantis eat ticks, you need to understand where each creature lives. Praying mantises are ambush predators that spend most of their time on vegetation—flowers, shrubs, and branches—waiting for flying or crawling insects to come within striking distance [citation:2][citation:6]. They hunt where the action is, in the foliage.

Ticks, on the other hand, have a very different lifestyle. These external parasites spend most of their lives attached to a warm-blooded host, sucking blood [citation:1]. When they're not on a host, they typically wait on the tips of grasses and low vegetation, in a behavior called "questing," for an animal to brush past so they can climb aboard [citation:1].

According to Insects Authority, "Praying mantis rarely finds them in their environment because they generally live on the host body" [citation:1]. The brief window when ticks are off a host and questing on low vegetation is the only real opportunity for a mantis to encounter one. And even then, mantises prefer to hunt in higher foliage where flying insects are more abundant.

Is It Safe for Mantises to Eat Ticks?

If you're considering introducing mantises specifically to control ticks, you might worry about whether ticks could harm the mantises themselves. After all, ticks are parasites that carry diseases. The good news is that ticks pose no threat to mantises [citation:1].

Here's why ticks are safe for mantises to eat:

• Wrong host type: Ticks need warm-blooded hosts to survive. Mantises are cold-blooded arthropods with hemolymph (not blood), so ticks have no interest in attaching to them [citation:1].
• Digestion destroys them: Mantises chew their food thoroughly before swallowing. Their digestive systems break down tick bodies completely, extracting nutrients without any risk of internal harm [citation:1].
• Ticks don't fight back: While ticks can release distasteful chemical secretions as a defense, these are not effective against mantises, which are determined predators [citation:1].

So from a mantis health perspective, eating the occasional tick is perfectly safe.

How Many Ticks Can a Mantis Eat?

If a mantis does encounter ticks, how many could it potentially consume? The answer depends on several factors [citation:1]:

Factor	Impact on Tick Consumption
Availability	Ticks are not a regular part of their diet, so consumption depends entirely on chance encounters [citation:1].
Mantis size	Larger species like the Chinese mantis can eat more ticks (12-17 per day) than smaller species like the European mantis (7-10 per day) [citation:1].
Season	Both ticks and mantises are active in spring and fall, so encounters are most likely during these seasons [citation:1].
Reproductive status	Females preparing to lay eggs have higher energy demands and may eat more of any available prey, including ticks [citation:1].

On average, researchers estimate a mantis could consume 10 to 15 ticks in a day if they were abundantly available in its immediate surroundings [citation:1]. However, this is a theoretical maximum, not a realistic expectation for tick control in your yard.

What Mantises Actually Prefer to Eat

To understand why mantises aren't tick-control superheroes, look at what they actually prefer to eat. Praying mantids are generalist predators, meaning they feed on virtually anything they can capture [citation:6][citation:8]. But they have clear preferences based on what's most abundant and easiest to catch.

According to Iowa State University Extension, mantids feed on "moths, crickets, grasshoppers and flies" [citation:3]. The Ohio State University Extension adds that their prey includes both pests and beneficial arthropods like bees and spiders [citation:8].

Here's a more complete picture of the mantis menu from multiple university sources [citation:2][citation:3][citation:4]:

• Common prey: Moths, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, mosquitoes, caterpillars, beetles
• Occasional prey: Small vertebrates like lizards, frogs, and even hummingbirds (in larger species)
• Incidental prey: Aphids, leafhoppers, and yes, ticks—but only when encountered

Notice that flying insects are at the top of the list. Mantises are ambush predators that thrive in vegetation where flying insects are abundant. Ticks, which are slow-moving and ground-dwelling, simply don't register as a preferred food source.

Can Mantises Help Control Tick Populations?

This is the practical question behind do praying mantis eat ticks. If you release mantises in your yard, will they reduce the tick population? The evidence suggests they won't make a significant difference [citation:1][citation:3].

According to Insects Authority, "Praying mantis can efficiently lead to a decline in population by eating many of these parasitic insects in one day" in theory, but "it is not considered an ideal approach if there are many ticks because you cannot fill your house with a bulk of praying mantis" [citation:1].

Furthermore, multiple university extension services caution that mantises are not the most effective biological control agents. Iowa State University notes that their impact in the garden "is probably negligible" because they eat beneficial insects along with pests [citation:3]. The University of Maryland Extension agrees, stating that mantises' tendency to eat beneficial insects and cannibalize each other "gives them limited value as bio-control agents" [citation:6].

Ohio State University puts it bluntly: "releasing these into your garden may not necessarily improve pest suppression" [citation:8].

What Actually Works for Tick Control

If mantises aren't the answer, what should you do about ticks in your yard? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and extension services recommend integrated approaches that target ticks directly [citation:6][citation:8]:

Habitat Modification

• Keep grass mowed short
• Clear leaf litter and brush
• Create a barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas

Targeted Natural Enemies

While mantises are generalists, there are natural predators that specialize in ticks or are more effective at finding them:

• Guinea fowl and chickens: These birds will actively hunt and consume ticks
• Opossums: These mammals groom themselves thoroughly and can consume thousands of ticks in a season
• Nematodes: Beneficial roundworms can be applied to soil to target tick nymphs

Chemical Control (When Necessary)

• Targeted acaricides can be applied to tick hotspots, but should be used sparingly to avoid harming beneficial insects [citation:6]

What Mantises ARE Good For in Your Garden

Just because mantises aren't tick terminators doesn't mean they aren't valuable garden inhabitants. They are fascinating creatures that contribute to the biodiversity of your yard and provide natural pest control—just not for ticks [citation:8].

If you want to enjoy mantises in your garden, you can even introduce them by purchasing egg cases. Think of these as nature's free samples of biological pest control—a starter kit for a healthier 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 like aphids, flies, and caterpillars, acting like free samples of organic pest defense for your plants [citation:8].

Just remember: they'll eat beneficial insects too, so don't rely on them as your sole pest control strategy [citation:3][citation:6].

Conclusion: Appreciate Mantises for What They Are

So, do praying mantis eat ticks? Yes, they are physically capable of eating ticks and will do so if the opportunity arises. A mantis might consume 10 to 15 ticks in a day under ideal conditions [citation:1]. However, ticks are not a preferred or common part of their diet because mantises and ticks occupy different habitats. Ticks spend most of their time on hosts, while mantises hunt in vegetation for flying insects.

The bottom line: enjoy mantises in your garden for their fascinating behavior and their contribution to biodiversity. They'll eat some pests, including the occasional tick. But if you're serious about tick control, you'll need a more comprehensive approach—one that targets ticks directly where they live.

This summer, when you see a mantis in your garden, appreciate it for the remarkable predator it is. Just don't expect it to solve your tick problem.