Mantis range? (US)

[LadySharon]

Hi. I have a feeling this may end up being a dumb question as I just read the thread with people finding them in OR. However, When I got home from the store tonight I saw this long green bug on my door. I was like what the....?

Looking closer I realized it was a mantis. It turned it's head to look at me and crawled up the door. (screen door) I very very carefully opened the door and unlocked my inner door while trying not to jar the screen door much.

but it was gone when I got back with a camera. (do they fly?)

Thing is I have NEVER seen a mantis in the "wild" (so to speak) in Colorado. And I've lived here all my life (35 years).

So I wondered if it was an escaped pet.... and came on here after trying to google it. But now I see someone finding one north of me... so my question is...

how common are they really and do they exist in all continental states? what is their range?

If they are more common in colorado - they must have a set habitate and/or time they are around... if I were to look for one delibrately - how would I go about it?

Thanks

- Sharon

 

[Farom]

Male mantids can fly, so its possible that is what happened. Mantids live in every state, although I'm not sure about Alaska.

Find a place with lots of grasses and shrubs, get a big net, and just start sweeping. You'll have a better chance this way than if you were to try and find them by eye.
Males are attracted by porchlights, but I've found females that way too.

Anyways, the population may not be very dense in your area - either that or they have somehow eluded you until now.

The mantis you found was probably one of the following - these are also probably the most common mantids in the US.
Stagmomantis carolina
Mantis religiosa
Tenodera sinensis

Hope this helps.

 

[arachnidgirl]

I may not be much help as I do not live in Colodrado. I know that we get some mantids here in Canada. I remember constantly scooping them out of my mother's pool when I went to visit her.

 

[LadySharon]

Great! Thanks for the replys.

I don't want to go to THAT much trouble... I don't want to catch one - was just curios what type of environement they could be found in.

- Sharon