Can Mantis Eat Mealworms? (7 Fascinating Facts)

Praying mantis are invertebrates with a versatile palette. They eat almost anything, even other mantis. Mantis can eat wildlife besides insects, such as lizards, hummingbirds, frogs, mice, and even worms.

Can mantis eat mealworms? Praying mantis eat mealworms, but not mantis’ regular food in the wild. Mealworms remain on the ground and do not climb into the praying mantis’ hunting area.

You can give mealworms by bringing them closer to the mantis or directly giving mealworms to the mantis’ reach. Let’s read this article discussing mantis eating mealworms.

Can Mantis Eat Mealworms?

Yes. Praying mantis can eat mealworms or other types of worms. Offer mantis the worms with tweezers and place it near their heads. When mealworms move, praying mantis will grab and eat them.

Can Praying Mantis Eat Mealworms?

Mantis need their prey to move before hunting them. Mealworms include slow moving, dull, and sitting on the floor. If the mealworms sit motionless, the mantis will not chase them.

But can mantis eat meal worms? Yes, mantis can eat mealworms, although they are far from the best feeder insect for mantis.

Do Praying Mantis Eat Mealworms?

Typically, praying mantis do not eat mealworms because mealworms remain on the ground. Mantis only hunt prey that is close to them by detecting their movements. Mealworms are slow animals and rarely move, so keep them close to the mantis.

Praying mantis can eat all kinds of worms when in the garden or in captivity. Can praying mantis eat hornworms? Yes, praying mantis do eat hornworms. You can give your mantis a variety of foods with hornworms or mealworms.

Can Praying Mantis Eat Dried Mealworms?

Praying mantis can eat dried mealworms, but it depends on how you feed them to the mantis. Dried mealworms will not move, and mantises will have difficulty seeing prey that is not moving.

Most often, mantis eat alive mealworms when you hold it with tweezers, and the mealworms squirm.

What Should I Not Feed My Praying Mantis?

Avoid feeding praying mantis poisonous insects, such as spiders or bees. Praying mantis may be subdued by poisons, although mantis can eat them.

The praying mantis are insectivores, and do not give them vegetables or fruit. These foods are uncommon for praying mantis, and there is no nutritional benefit when you give them.

What Insects Can Mantis Eat?

There are many numbers of feeder insects for mantis. Choose the suitable insects for your mantises with the list below.

Can You Feed A Mantis Mealworms?

Yes, you can give mantis mealworms because there are several solid reasons to use them as a part of the mantis diet. Mealworms are easy to handle, cheap to buy, and available in any sizes. Try to put the mealworms near the mantis, or consider hand feeding the mealworms directly to the mantis.

Sometimes, mealworms are not taken by mantis because mealworms sit still in their place, and mantis will not ambush prey that is not moving. Do mantids eat mealworms or the beetles they turn into? Yes and no. Mantis eats them, but needs your help to hand it over to mantis or force it on them.

If you only drop them near the mantis, most mantis will not eat them because mealworms and beetles are insects that rarely move.

Do Mealworms Pose A Threat To My Mantis?

Mealworms do not pose a threat to mantis. It’s just that mealworms are not a regular diet for mantis. Mealworms have empty calories. There are still many food choices that provide more nutrition for mantis, such as beetles, crickets, or flies.

Final Verdict

Yes, mantis can eat mealworms. Bring the mealworms closer to the mantis using the tweezers, and wait until the mealworms squirm and the mantis takes it from the tweezers.

Praying mantis may not take mealworms near them because mealworms are insects that rarely move, and mantis will not hunt insects that are not moving.

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️