So the time frame to have started this is past. But Kelly and I just found this and wanted to know if anyone had tried these egg cases before for insect control.

Praying Mantis Egg Cases - Cosco.ca


From description:

An excellent general predator! Praying mantis consumes aphids, beetles, flies, mosquitos, moths, caterpillars and any insect they can catch. Praying mantis, an insect with an innate killer attitude, is a great garden predator. One egg case hatches many tiny babies that quickly disperse throughout your garden. Your egg case contains approximately 40 to 400 eggs.

Mating occurs again in early fall and more egg cases will be laid that will hatch the following summer. The egg case is laid as a foam that hardens into a spongy almost indestructible mass, usually laid attached to a shrub, weed, grass, etc., a few feet off the ground. The egg mass survives freezing, thawing, rain and all the elements to hatch in the early summer to start the cycle again.

Features:

Hatching will occur by June
Egg case contains 40 to 400 young mantis
Most often green but sometimes brown
Very territorial, will create a home where hatched
Feeds on anything they can catch
Late summer mating season

How to apply:

Place egg case outside in the spring attaching the egg case using the included mesh bag in a plant, shrub or tree 1 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 ft.) above ground, or to observe, place in sealable white paper bag and place inside in south facing window checking daily. Tiny mantis will hatch in 1 to 8 weeks and all eggs will hatch within 1 to 2 hours, leaving the egg case visibly unchanged. Release tiny mantis immediately outside onto plants after the hatching occurs. They will quickly disperse throughout your yard to mature and lay eggs, continuing your population next season.

How much do I need?

One egg case covers approximately 90 sq. m (1000 sq. ft.)

Specifications:

Egg case dimensions (dia.):
2.54 cm (1 in.)





Sounds like it could be a lot of fun next year to try but just wanted to know if anyone had given it a shot at all and if so what your experiences were?

~Chris~

sounds like the same idea as the ladybugs. i love praying mantis, i see one about every summer in our yard, im due to see one soon i hope.....

I love pray mantis as well! There is just something about them that I think is cute. I always have a family of them on the side of my house every year. The baby ones are so tiny!