Close Up of a Praying Mantis in Lavallette, NJ

Challenge

During a routine treatment of a home in Lavallette, NJ we stumbled upon an interesting pest by the downspout - a praying mantis!

Praying mantids are considered beneficial insects, as they prey on bothersome insects like mosquitoes, moths, crickets, and flies. They are typically green or brown, but many species will take on the color of their habitat. They may mimic leaves, twigs, flowers, grass, and even other insects. The biggest myth about praying mantids is that they are illegal to eliminate. That is actually false as they are not protected by any state or federal laws.

Solution

Although they aren't illegal to exterminate, we carefully moved the praying mantis to a safe location and continued our treatment for the building.