Q: I’ve heard that not all of our praying mantis types are native. They’re all good for garden pest control though, right, or are some bad instead? A: Maryland is currently home to five species of ...

No matter how many times I come across one, I always get a kick when I find a praying mantis egg case. The tan-colored egg cases are somewhat common but hard enough to find that it makes them a bit of ...

At this time of year, some nurseries start selling the egg cases of Chinese mantis as a biological control for the garden. These alien-looking insects are praying mantis and are harmless to humans, ...

I found a praying mantis on my garage floor recently. I carefully moved it (they are known to bite) into my garden. It was light brown, about 3 inches long. The turning head and upright posture of ...

It was truly a Zen moment as I basked in the first warm sunshine that we’ve had after the recent spell of chilly, foggy fall mornings. Yes, it’s easy to be spoiled by our typically mild weather. I was ...

Even though it happens every fall, I’m always pleasantly surprised to find a praying mantis egg case. In our garden, I found the first one a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure there were others around ...

I have several phobias, one being an irrational fear of spiders. The other day I spotted a large spider eying me from the carpet a few feet from my office desk. Certain that it was about to charge and ...

“Hey, guys, come quick! Look at this!” exclaimed one of our most senior Master Gardeners at the West Valley Food Garden last week. Our small herd of workers hurried over to see what she was so excited ...