The Praying Mantis Is Your New Smartphone

Benji Bytnar explains how a praying mantis stopped him from doomscrolling

Your phone is killing you, and your attention is fried. You watch television shows instead of feature-length films because you prefer short bursts of activity over the captivation of a feature-length film. You buy books for their front covers, or as collector’s items, with no intention of reading them, and you now think you have several mental health disorders because some random, unqualified person on TikTok is spreading misinformation told you so. Well, I have news for you: you probably don’t — your attention is just shot, and you’re struggling because you chose to engage with a system built for the benefit of a few, not for the many.

A great list for the best beginner species.

Get Yourself a Hobby

Social media has zapped the enjoyment out of everything; a huge portion of people feel simultaneously motivated and depressed, believing they can start a business because that’s what users on every platform would have you believe. You come away from it with hobbies you probably don’t like, or hobbies that hinge on the existence of the internet. But what if I told you there’s a hobby that doesn’t require the validation of others? One that is perfectly okay to keep to yourself, providing you with all the excitement and joy you once cultivated in your life, an age ago? Hear me out, this is going to sound crazy, but… why don’t you keep a praying mantis?

There are a hundred and one reasons to do so, and one of them is that they’re just so freaking cool to look at. Look! Look at them! Don’t they look awesome? That aside, there are layers upon layers to the hobby, and the main impact you get is a strange bond you form with your multi-shaded companion. At first, you start in this weird dynamic of, “Huh, you’re here.” You look weird, but I guess I look like an alien to you too. Spoiler: they don’t look like aliens — ask me how I know.

The Cats of the Insect Kingdom

Each mantis has an odd, cat-like personality. Like most animals, each moment of their life is built upon survival; however, in between hunting and growing (we’ll get to that later), our little green men and women spend a lot of their time fastidiously cleaning themselves. And then, out of nowhere, they notice you, stare into your being, hypnotising you with their strange, cartoon-like eyes. Until they get bored with you — we’re keeping them, not the other way around — as they have better things to do, like being on high alert for food. What they don’t know is that you are in control of that part.

A praying mantis plays a frustrating game.

That’s not the half of it — instead of endless doom-scrolling, there’s a whole world you’ve introduced them to. Each species is dependent on its natural habitat to blend into its environment, which gives you the ability to get creative, allowing you to design and build a mini jungle or flowery utopia for your little buddy to frolic and play. By play, I mean stay in one place for hours on end. I’m not really selling it to you, am I? OK, we’re getting there, promise.

Moulting, Feeding, and Wings!

To grow from a nymph (baby mantis) to a fully grown adult, certain conditions must be met. One, temperature; two, humidity; three, a food source. For the most part, the latter is pretty easy to source; all you need to do is give them fruit flies, and as they mature… cockroaches! “Huuuuuh! You what?” That’s right, roaches! There are levels to this. However, if, for some reason, you’re a wuss, you can always buy bluebottle or greenbottle flies. Most keepers are generally OK with feeding; however, if you’re a bit sheepish, you could try a hybrid set-up by connecting a sweet jar filled with fly pupae to your vivarium using a flexible tube. This will act as a feeder to your Mantid’s home, which you can remove and plug.

But the most fascinating part of keeping mantids is moulting. In order to grow, praying mantises need to shed their skin to reveal their larger, voluptuous selves. Generally speaking, females manage approximately 6–10 moults (huh, Lurantis is evolving??), depending on the species. Males undergo fewer transitions, which is why females tend to end up larger. You’ve probably heard somewhere that females eat the males following copulation; that’s true. Each moult, or “instar”, sees a mantis undergo several key changes, allowing them to eat larger prey until they arrive at the final instar, where they develop wings that allow them to flash a threatening pose.

The first time you witness a moult, it’s going to look pretty odd, like you’re part of a sci-fi movie. For most people, moults happen mostly at night, and you’ll know it’s happened when you notice they’re twice the size they used to be. If you’re fortunate enough to witness it, be sure to capture a time-lapse.

Things to remember, things you’ll need.

The cost is relatively low, but if you plan to keep more, your wallet will feel lighter. Another thing to remember is humidity and temperature, which, if either is too high or too low (again, this is species-dependent), can cause death quickly.

You’ll need a vivarium — if you keep a smaller species, you can start with a sweet jar, and as they get bigger, you can adjust the size. If you choose a glass container, be aware they cannot climb it as easily as plastic, so make sure you have ample climbing material, such as artificial vines and leaves, which you’ll need either way. Below is a list of items you need to create your mantis kingdom:

A praying mantis (the Giant African mantis [Sphodromantis sp.] is a great beginner species)
Vivarium (a sweet jar or equivalent, preferably plastic)
Live foods such as roaches (Turkistan roaches are best), flies, or locusts
Artificial vines, leaves and/or twigs
A spray bottle free from harmful chemicals

When it comes to where you should place your mantis, make sure to keep it away from a window so it doesn’t overheat. Room temperature will suffice for most species, but always comprehensively research your mantis before you commit.

It’s these developments that are the most exciting. Knowing that you have cared for your arthropod means you’ve accrued an astute understanding of your mantid as it metamorphoses into a new iteration roughly every one to two weeks, or more. It’s especially rewarding because this crazy creature provides an experience unlike any other. Just like gardening, mantis keeping inspires and teaches patience while helping you understand how to nurture each species for growth, with a bit of science thrown in. The life cycle of each mantis is an event in itself, and despite having its pros and cons, it will ground you and bring you back down to earth. If it’s a toss-up between doomscrolling and keeping these bad boys and girls? I think you know what my answer will be.

Image credit: Rouibi Dhia Eddine Nadjm

Stanisland Magazine