Praying mantis seems to have settled in the Netherlands
Praying mantises may be settling in the Netherlands. For the second year in a row, scientists have found signs that the insect has reproduced here, BNNVARA reports.
Incidental sightings of the European praying mantis, Mantis religiosa, in the Netherlands have been reported since 2009. Although they typically live in warmer regions, with global warming, they have been moving further and further north.
Last year, Bas Raaijmakers found the first sign that the insect is actually establishing itself in the Netherlands. He found several young specimens and an ootheca, a capsule containing praying mantis eggs, on the Meinweg, a nature reserve in Central Limburg.
“We have again found a whole lot of (immature) animals here in 2024. They appear to be doing very well in our cold country,” Raaijmakers told BNNVARA. He and Jan Hermans will soon publish about the establishment of the praying mantis in the Natuurhistorisch Maandblad.
The nearest known populations of praying mantises are in Belgium. The insect is a strong flyer, so it could easily reach the Netherlands. It is not clear how it ended up on the Meinweg. Raaijmakers suspects that the two garden centers in the area played a role. “Plants that are grown in Southern Europe and then transported here can have egg capsules with them. But we do not know for sure.”
He is convinced that praying mantises will stay in the Netherlands. “Next year, if all goes well, we will have young praying mantises here again. Unless a very harsh winter comes. But I expect it to be a permanent fixture.”
