Will Praying Mantis Eat Ladybugs? (7 Interesting Facts)

If you own a pet praying mantis, you may have an interest in knowing whether the mantis can eat ladybugs. There are also those who may want to know whether mantises can eat ladybugs out of pure curiosity. Read on, to find out whether praying mantis can eat ladybugs.

Will praying mantis eat ladybugs? Yes, if a praying mantis finds live ladybugs, it will eat them. Normally, a praying mantis ambushes ladybugs, grasps and snuffles them using its forearms, and then proceeds to feed on them.

Thus if you keep a pet praying mantis, one of the things you can feed it on is ladybugs.

There are nonetheless those who may still harbor doubts on whether the mantises can really kill ladybugs. Thus the best place to start may be by exploring that angle: of if praying mantis can really kill ladybugs.

Can Praying Mantis Kill Ladybugs?

Praying mantis can kill ladybugs.

There are people who have had the opportunity to see praying mantises killing ladybugs. So it is something that praying mantises are capable of doing.

There are even people who have managed to record praying mantises killing ladybugs. Therefore it is quite a common phenomenon.

Indeed, people who are conversant with these insects would consider the question of if praying mantis can kill ladybugs to be too rudimentary. To them, the more meaningful question would be on how do praying mantis kill ladybugs?

And that turns out to be by ambushing them, then snuffing them using their powerful forelimbs.

Will Praying Mantis Eat Ladybugs?

Yes, praying mantis will eat ladybugs, if it gets a chance to do so.

That has several practical implications.

For one, it means that if you keep a pet praying mantis, you may feed it on ladybugs. Just capture live ladybugs, and present them to your mantis. The mantis will (usually) appreciate them.

Further, it means that if you keep ladybugs as pets, and you happen to see a mantis around, you should view it as a potential predator.

It can also have implications with regard to how to attract ladybugs and praying mantis. Having ladybugs around may attract mantis: who often view the ladybugs as easy prey.

And if you were wondering, do ladybugs and praying mantis get along, now you know the answer. They obviously don’t get along: as the mantises can eat the ladybugs.

Here, by turning the whole issue around, someone may raise an interesting question: do ladybugs eat praying mantis on their part? One may be more specific and ask, do ladybugs eat baby praying mantis?

And that is indeed a key question in this sort of discussion.

So, indeed, will ladybugs eat baby praying mantis? The answer is that there is a possibility of ladybugs eating baby praying mantis. But praying mantis bodies are usually rather tough, and the ladybugs prefer insects with softer bodies.

How Do Mantis Eat Ladybugs?

So far, we have seen that praying mantises can indeed eat ladybugs. The next logical question is on how do praying mantis eat ladybugs?

Normally, a mantis will start by ambushing the ladybug. The colors of praying mantises – typically green and brown – give them very good camouflage cover. This in turn translates into easier ambush.

Thus rather than running after a ladybug, all that a mantis has to do is lie quietly in wait. The ladybug, fooled by the camouflage, comes right into the mantis’ grasp.

After the ladybug falls into the mantis’ ambush, the mantis snuffles it using its strong forelimbs. Then using the same forelimbs, the mantis pulls the ladybug to its mouthparts, with which it proceeds to devour it.

Final Verdict – Will Praying Mantis Eat Ladybugs

Praying mantises do eat ladybugs. They however only eat live ladybugs: not those that they find already dead.

The praying mantises catch the ladybugs by way of ambush. Then, using their strong forelimbs, they snuffle the ladybugs, after which they eat them.

Thus if you keep a pet praying mantis, there is the option of feeding it on (live) ladybugs.

And if you keep ladybugs as pets, you need to view any praying mantis hovering around as a potential predator.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet mantis a good and comfortable life!

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! ❤️