Another pest control insect in my home = praying mantis and growth of my horn banana (pisang tanduk)

I happen to saw baby praying mantis this morning on my sour sop tree when I was spraying my organic pest control solution to it.

Few information that I have found for praying mantis as pest control officer in my garden as listed below 😍:

For pest control [2]

Gardeners who prefer to avoid pesticides may encourage mantises in the hope of controlling insect pests.[88] However, mantises do not have key attributes of biological pest control agents; they do not specialize in a single pest insect, and do not multiply rapidly in response to an increase in such a prey species, but are general predators.[88] They eat whatever they can catch, including both harmful and beneficial insects.[87] They therefore have "negligible value" in biological control.[88]

Although mantises are often praised as beneficial insects for eating a raft of destructive insects such as flies, caterpillars, beetles, and roaches, in truth they're garden-neutrals. They'll eat anything they can overpower, including bees, butterflies, small lizards, and (horrors!) even hummingbirds [3]. 

Moths, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, and other insects are usually the unfortunate recipients of unwanted mantid attention [4].

Praying mantids are carnivores, eating mainly insects and other small animals. Many gardeners and farmers welcome mantids, because the insects they eat are often pests that hurt crops. In addition to insects such as crickets and grasshoppers, mantids eat spiders, frogs, lizards, and even small birds. Praying mantids have long necks topped by a triangular head. They can turn their heads 180 degrees—an entire half circle [5].

Conclusion: praying mantis is good for pest control. However, they eat too much till also eat beneficial insect 😅.

The look of my horn banana (pisang tanduk) today.

Close up from below and back of the tree

Taken using normal phone camera. Very high.

Till then, have fun in taking care of your praying mantis in your garden 😉.

References:

[1] http://serinurulbeauty.blogspot.my/2017/05/eggs-under-leaves-with-lots-of-small.html

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis#cite_note-Doutt-88

[3] https://www.southernliving.com/garden/grumpy-gardener/pet-your-praying-mantis

[4] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/p/praying-mantis/

[5] https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/praying-mantis/#praying-mantis-eyes.jpg