UK: Praying mantis species spotted in Cornwall.

[m0lsx]

There have been sightings of praying mantises in the wild in parts of south west England for the first time.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT) said two separate sightings of the European praying mantis had been recorded in gardens near Truro and Mousehole.
It said the sightings of the insects which are about 3in (7.62cm) and native to southern Europe, were the first recorded in Cornwall.
The charity said it believed the mantises might have been blown over to Cornwall on strong winds or "hitchhiked" in someone's luggage.
CWT added it could be possible the insects had escaped from a pet collection, but thought this was unlikely as the mantises were spotted in two different locations and nobody had come forward to claim them.
European praying mantises, which eat a variety of insects such as crickets and flies, have breeding populations on the Isle of Wight and Channel Islands, CWT said.
The trust said it appeared the non-venomous species was moving north and could be considered a "climate migrant" due to rising temperatures.
CWT said it seemed like it was "only a matter of time" before more colonies arrived in mainland UK.
In 2021, the Herefordshire Biological Records Centre said a praying mantis was spotted in a garden in Oxford.
In the same year, another praying mantis was spotted in a plant nursery in Stratford.

Source BBC News.

 

[Eighth Eye Blind]

Yet another invasive species to worry about! What's the response to invaders like in the UK?

 

[m0lsx]

Yet another invasive species to worry about! What's the response to invaders like in the UK?

It does depend upon what the consequences of that species is. Much, in the UK, is not native. Be it the pheasant, which is wild, but which is owned & bred by landowners who then charge to shoot them. Or the much less commercial & pleasant Asian Hornet, or Coypu.

They Coypu was introduced for it's fur, but they became a huge problem in my area of England. But have now been eradicated.

We have had non native colonies of Scorpions, (Euscorpius flavicaudis,) within the UK for a few hundred years. They came in with marble shipments & established themselves in walls around Sheerness Docks.

 

[Ratmosphere]

If you saw any outside, would you squash them?

I wouldn't blame you because I do the same thing to the invasive lantern flies in the USA.

 

[Eighth Eye Blind]

I would definitely squish them. The invasive Chinese and European mantises are taking out both native Carolina mantises and pollinators here in the US.

 

[m0lsx]

If you saw any outside, would you squash them?

Noooooooo. We have no native matids, tarantulas or Scorpions in the UK.

 

[Eighth Eye Blind]

Over here the invasive mantises are larger than native ones and are preying on bees. We already have a bee crisis going on so they get the bottom-of-the-boot treatment from me. Of course, here in the US pretty much anything and anyone that crosses the border gets that treatment so nothing unusual, I guess.

 

[Tarantula Trooper]

Don't keep any Mantids but here in SC you do run across them. Think mantids are so cool and could never bring myself to harm one. Heck, I feel bad for the crickets, worms and roaches I feed to the T's. Lol.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Heck, I feel bad for the crickets, worms and roaches I feed to the T's. Lol.

Me too! It's even worse when you have to crush the heads of them to feed picky slings. Makes me feel SO bad man.

 

[Tarantula Trooper]

Me too! It's even worse when you have to crush the heads of them to feed picky slings. Makes me feel SO bad man.

Yeah man! I sometimes slice and dice mealworms for the tiny ones and absolutely hate to do that to them....but slings got to eat! Up the T's bro!