Were you wondering just like me in what ways praying mantises can die? Then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I’ll inform you about 16 different ways that praying mantises can come to the end of their lives. After I’ve given you these 16 possibilities, I’ll answer a few more questions that are closely related and at the end of the article I’ll answer three more related questions, so make sure you keep on reading!
In what ways can praying mantises die? There are a lot of different ways a praying mantis can die. Here are the 16 different ways a praying mantis can die, that I’ve found:
1. After they’ve laid eggs.
2. After they’ve mated.
3. They can die if it is too cold.
4. From complications during their development.
5. Their natural enemies can kill them.
6. Parasites can consume them from the inside out.
7. Because of an infection.
8. Because of starvation.
9. Because of dehydration.
10. From toxic chemicals.
11. Because of old age.
12. They can die if it is too hot.
13. They can drown.
14. If it gets squashed by an object or animal.
15. When they get stuck.
16. They can suffocate.
1. After they’ve laid eggs
A praying mantis dying after it has laid her eggs is a common thing to happen. After the praying mantis has laid her eggs, she has about up to two weeks left before she’ll die. My thoughts for the praying mantis dying after she has laid her eggs was that her young could then eat her which would give her young a greater chance of survival. But online, I wasn’t able to find any confirmation for the thought I had (this does, for example, happen with spiders). It can’t even be the case for praying mantises because the mother praying mantis dies in about two weeks after she has laid her eggs and the praying mantis babies take about three to six months to hatch which would mean then that the praying mantis mother will be long gone already.
2. After they’ve mated
Males dying during or after mating is a common phenomenon in the animal kingdom and is also a common occurrence with praying mantises. The female praying mantis will eat the male to increase her chances of survival, she will also lay more eggs thanks to the received protein of the male meal, and her young will stand a greater chance of survival as well. What usually happens is that the female praying mantis will first bite the head of the male praying mantis and when that’s done, she will eat the rest of his remaining corpse.
Check out the video below if you want to see what happens to the male during or after mating.
3. They can die if it is too cold
Just like any other animal can have a rough time when it gets too cold on this earth, the praying mantis is no exception to this rule. Once temperatures come close to freezing like 5 Celsius or lower than the praying mantises will get it hard to survive. They can survive a few days if the temperature is around 5 Celsius but eventually, they’ll die because of it. If it’s even colder than 5 Celsius, the praying mantis will, unfortunately, not have good chances of survival.
4. From complications during their development
It can happen that young praying mantises will have complications during their development which can lead to certain death. Besides this possibility, praying mantises will have to molt several times during their lifetime, and also molting comes with its risks. The first problem that can occur during a molt is when the praying mantis is unable to completely emerge out of its old exoskeleton. The other problem that can occur is when the habitat of the praying mantis where it is molting in is too dry as a nice humidity level is required for the praying mantis to molt successfully.
5. Their natural enemies can kill them
The praying mantis has many natural enemies like large birds, human beings, bats, frogs, monkeys, snakes, and spiders. It is very well known though that the praying mantis is itself a pretty good fighter and isn’t afraid to stand its ground when it gets to a fight. But that also doesn’t mean that the praying mantis will always win as, for example, larger birds, human beings, monkeys, and snakes are all much larger than the praying mantis and will have an easier time dominating it early on in the fight.
6. Parasites can consume them from the inside out
Parasites are a true enemy to pretty much all the animals that live on this earth. They are extra dangerous because most of the time you won’t even be able to see that they’re present as parasites like to invest themselves within the body of their prey. Praying mantises can’t do anything about it once parasites have found their ways into the body of the praying mantis. An example of a parasite that can infiltrate the body of a praying mantis is the horsehair worm which will leave the body of the praying mantis once the praying mantis dies.
7. Because of an infection
It can happen that if praying mantises are present in environments where the humidity levels are too high that it can obtain a bacterial or fungal infection which can lead to death for the praying mantis. So if you’re, for example, keeping a praying mantis as a pet then make sure that the humidity levels of your enclosure are right (so not too low or too high as both too low or too high humidity levels can result in a dead praying mantis).
If you can’t get enough of learning about insects then I encourage you to check out the “Insects Category Page” which consists of various articles that give answers to insect-related questions.
8. Because of starvation
Praying mantises will have to eat to survive like every other animal that’s present on this earth. In general, a praying mantis has to make sure that it gets new food in its belly from time to time. If the gaps of eating become larger than two weeks then the praying mantis may die of starvation as the praying mantis pretty much has to eat at least every two weeks.
9. Because of dehydration
Praying mantises have to hydrate more than they have to eat and that’s also why dehydration is a more commonly occurring death for the praying mantis. Now, praying mantises don’t drink out of water dishes but they’ll drink droplets from, for example, leaves or plants so if you’re, for example, keeping a praying mantis in your house as a put then you should make sure that you spray the enclosure with water once a day (about two sprays a day will do the trick).
10. From toxic chemicals
Insecticides are largely used across the world to get rid of insect pests and these lethal chemicals can also mean the end of a praying mantises life as they won’t survive most insecticides. There are certainly called “pesticides” though, that will only be lethal to insects where the pesticide is intended for. So, for example, there could be a pesticide sprayed on wasps that will be lethal to the wasps but if the praying mantis happens to get in contact with the pesticide then it wouldn’t kill it.
11. Because of old age
Every animal on this earth can grow old even though the term “old” will be different in the minds of human beings (as an old age for us would be like 80 years old or 90 years old). For the praying mantis though, very old age would be one year and two months as the praying mantis will reach maturity within four to six months, and after it has reached maturity, it will have another three to eight months to live until it will die of old age. This number will highly differ from praying mantis to praying mantis though as smaller praying mantises will in general live less long than larger praying mantises.
12. They can die if it is too hot
Pretty much all animals will die if temperatures get too high. The ideal temperature for praying mantises lies between 20 Celsius to 25 Celsius. If the temperatures happen to get a bit higher than these temperatures then the praying mantis will not get in trouble as long as it has access to water and insects that it can eat regularly. I wasn’t able to find the exact hot temperature that will give praying mantises a hard time to survive but you can be sure that a crazy hot temperature will be lethal to many insects and so will such a temperature be to praying mantises.
13. They can drown
Praying mantises are insects that need to breathe to survive and that’s why they wouldn’t be able to survive in environments that lack oxygen. If the praying mantis is kept underwater then it will eventually die of suffocation. So make sure that if you want to get rid of a praying mantis in your house that you don’t drown it or kill it but just put it outside where it belongs.
14. If it gets squashed by an object or animal
There are so many different animals living on this earth that can squash a praying mantis easily. Animals that come to mind are human beings, elephants, bulls, cows, sheep, and reindeers. It’s a dangerous world out there for praying mantises and that’s why I encourage you to check where you’re walking if you happen to walk through a grassy environment. If everybody would do this, the praying mantis will automatically have one enemy less which would be us.
15. When they get stuck
Praying mantises can get many of their body parts stuck during their lifetime. When they get their body stuck in between two rocks or when you’ve, for example, caught a praying mantis and forgot to release it. The praying mantis will in both cases be stuck and remain stuck until it is either dehydrated or if it dies of starvation.
16. They can suffocate
Praying mantises need oxygen so if, for example, you would catch them and put them into an enclosure that doesn’t have any holes where oxygen can come through then you can be sure that the praying mantis will eventually die of suffocation.
What are possibilities where the praying mantis won’t die from?
Many different situations can occur which would result in the praying mantis not dying. It can, for example, come close to dying if it has an infection but then not die in the end or it might lose a leg during its lifetime and then still survive because it still manages to catch prey.
If the praying mantis is a strong individual it will have a decent chance to survive. Also, if the praying mantis runs into one of its natural enemies there will be cases where the praying mantis will survive because it got lucky or because it was able to get away from its enemy before things got out of hand.
How do you find out if the praying mantis is either molting or dying?
Two clear signs of a praying mantis entering its molting stage are when the praying mantis is hanging motionless upside down or when the praying mantis gets swollen wing buds which are the spots where its wings will grow. A sign of a dying praying mantis is when its color starts to change to brown.
A praying mantis losing its appetite is another sign of a praying mantis going into a molting stage. But the problem with this sign is that it is also a sign that will occur if the praying mantis happens to die because of, for example, an infection or an infiltrated parasite.
Check the video below if you want to see a praying mantis molting.
What can you do when you think a praying mantis is dying?
You have to make sure that the praying mantis isn’t dying because of you. Like not feeding it often enough or not spraying its enclosure daily with water for appropriate humidity levels. If the reason for dying is out of your control though then there’s nothing you can do.
Keeping the praying mantis at a temperature that it likes is important as well so make sure that the temperature within the enclosure isn’t too cold or too hot.
Can praying mantises die during the fall?
They can die during the fall. But that doesn’t mean though that they will all die during the fall. It can, for example, also happen that praying mantises emerged from their eggs, close just before the fall starts, and will therefore possibly make it through the fall and die a bit later.
Every praying mantis is going to have a different lifespan as one might be stronger and survive longer and another might get into a fight with a common enemy just after it has emerged from its egg. All in all, the moment of death is pretty random which is the case for every animal on this earth.
Related questions
What does it mean to see a dead praying mantis?
It doesn’t have to mean anything when you see a dead praying mantis because it is something that can occur in everyone’s life. But if you believe in spiritual meanings then it could mean something. Check out this article if you want to know what encountering a dead praying mantis could mean.
Does a praying mantis play death?
Just like many other animal species, praying mantises can play death if the situation asks for it. If, for example, the situation is a threat for the praying mantis then it will surely play death if playing death could mean the difference between life and death for the praying mantis.
How long can praying mantises live?
Once the praying mantis has come out of its egg, it will reach maturity within four to six months and once it has reached maturity, it will have another three to eight months to live until it will die of old age.
Conclusion
Now you know that there are many different ways a praying mantis can come to the end of its life and also that there are many situations where it won’t come to the end of its lives. One thing is certain though, in the end, every animal must die.
