How to attract praying mantis to my garden?

[homeiyi]

Hello all,

We're starting to see an increase in Harlequin Bugs in our backyard and our chooks aren't the least bit interested in them. I've read that praying mantis are natural predators of these pests and would love to roll out the red carpet for them. Any suggestions for attracting praying mantis to our backyard?

Cheers,
Trish

[permup]

These bugs also dislike lavender and grape vine, so planting those will help deter.

Take a vacuum cleaner up into your back yard (I kid you not) and vacuum them all up. Keep doing it whenever you see one and this will reduce their population and hold over the area.

Make sure you have ponds in your garden to attract beneficial insects, birds, frogs and lizards, and you can start to create the type of system which will control itself rather than having a domination of one species.

Make sure you feed your soil regularly, as this helps your plants to repel pests also.