Looking into how insects live can be pretty interesting.
You can quickly tell how your interactions with certain insects will go at times.
Sometimes, insects that look harmful are gentle and will not hurt you unless you provoke them.
One type of insect that you might find fascinating is the praying mantis.
If you fear getting hurt by certain insects like the praying mantis, you can start by learning about them to overcome your fears.
For instance, once you know about a praying mantis’s features and feeding habits, you get to discover if it can hurt you or not.
It is a great place to start.
Once you start looking into the life of a praying mantis, you will be baffled at how much you assumed or didn’t know.
For instance, did you know that the average praying mantis is two to five inches long?
Their appearance is either green or brown.
Also, an interesting fact about these insects is that adults have wings that they don’t use.
Do Praying Mantises Bite or Sting?
Nature does not intentionally make it that mantises should bite humans.
However, even though they are tiny, they have a powerful defense mechanism that gets them noticed.
A praying mantis can camouflage and bite.
When you do not know if an insect-like praying mantis can bite, it’s always best to steer clear from their paths.
Avoid causing unnecessary disturbance to animals in their natural habitat.
A praying mantis is likely not to take human disturbance kindly.
The insect is only likely to bite you if it feels threatened.
Otherwise, paying mantises are generally gentle insects, especially if approached gently.
Some people like to have them around to watch their fascinating life cycle.
You can even let one crawl on your hand, come out of the experience unharmed.
How to Treat Bite by Praying Mantis
Sometimes getting bitten by a praying mantis may happen without you knowing, such as when you happen to disturb it by accident.
One thing that should give you comfort is the fact that they are nonvenomous.
The treatment process for the bite is relatively straightforward.
If you experience a bite from a praying mantis, you can start by wetting your hands with warm water.
After applying warm water, you can put on some soap.
Then lather your hands and rub them for about 30 seconds,
Rub the back of your hands and between your fingers well.
Next, ensure that you rinse your hands using warm water until all the soap clears.
Finally, dry your hands using paper or cloth, and you are good to go.
Taking a painkiller will help to get rid of the pain if you are bitten by praying mantise.
Always keep in mind that praying mantises are far from poisonous, so you don’t have to do too much to manage the bite.
Once you rid yourself of the pain, you can carry on as if nothing happened.
You can wear gloves when gardening if you have a garden with praying mantises.
Doing his will keep praying mantis bites at bay.
Also, ensure that you expose little skin as possible when in the fields to keep you safe.
Interesting Facts about Praying Mantises
A praying mantis has six legs which are typical of an insect.
The thing that distinguishes a praying mantis from other insects is that they use only the four back legs to walk.
That leaves the front legs that have spikes to help with hunting.
They are equipped to grab prey swiftly.
Praying mantises like to rest on leaves, shrubs, or grass, which are their hunting fields.
They can survive attacks from animals using their camouflage.
Also, they can easily blend in with the leaves so that it is almost impossible to spot one.
Another fascinating trait about a praying mantis is the fact that its head can rotate 180 degrees.
It is the only insect species with this behavior.
Also, a praying mantis has excellent eyesight that can reach at least 60 feet away.
Praying mantises, especially female ones, are known to behead the male after mating.
This kind of behavior gives the female mantis access to nutrients to help nature her eggs.
Rumors and Myths about Praying Mantises
You are likely to come across rumors about praying mantises at least once in your life.
One of the most common myths is that a praying mantis can spit venom into your eyes.
The source of this rumor is the behavior of a close cousin of the praying mantis called walking sticks.
They spray a bit of acid, which is a defense mechanism.
This insect can pour its acidic juices up to two feet.
There are different species of praying mantis, some of which have a close resemblance to walking sticks.
You must understand that a praying mantis does not spit or spray any venom, and neither is its bite dangerous.
Only small insects have a high likelihood of entirely eaten by a praying mantis.
How do Praying Mantises help the environment?
Praying mantises are essential to the environment for several reasons.
Try to keep that fact in mind the next time you see one.
The most general use of praying mantises is their effectiveness as a natural method used to eliminate pests.
If your farm has plenty of praying mantis, then you owe nature some gratitude since your garden probably has a low pest population.
By feeding on tiny pests in your garden, you get to have thriving crops and better yields.
Cultures in some parts value the praying mantis since they believe it has plenty of benefits.
For instance, the Chinese believe that consuming raw mantis eggs can cure illness ad bedwetting.
It is one of the leading spiritual benefits that a praying mantis has to offer.
Praying mantises serves as a spiritual purpose in France as well, where praying mantises are believed to help lost children find their way home.
Also, the Greeks believe that the praying mantis influences the amount of profit a person gets
Conclusion
The chances of you getting bitten by a praying mantis are relatively low.
Praying mantises enjoy insect-based snacks.
You will only receive a bite if you provoke it or if it feels threatened. Its bite is not lethal.
All you have to do is wash your hands with warm water and soap and dry them in case of a bite.
Soon after the bite, you forget all about the experience since you don’t experience harm.
You can ease anxiety about a praying mantis biting you by dressing well when gardening.
Try to conserve these bugs the next t time you come across them for the environmental benefits they have to offer.