tiny invasion

how many baby praying manti fit on the head of a pin?

just a few of the little guys...

 I went to water the ficus tree the other day and noticed that it was covered in teeny tiny baby praying manti. Teeeny tiiiny and Everywhere.

I had noticed the mantis nest on the ficus when we brought it in from the deck when it got too cold to leave it out. I naively assumed that nothing would hatch until spring and was delighted to incubate a batch of lovely garden predators. Why on earth would I think they'd wait on my convenience and time their arrival in spring? Some sort of belief in the natural order.

So here they were...thousands of them. Really amazingly cute and fascinating. Fully developed, with their recoil reflex, swivelly little heads and grasping forearms. Listen, I thought, if they eat all the giant crickets, sprickets and spiders in this house they are welcome. And stinkbugs! Eat up, little guys, the all you can eat buffet's open!

But then I kept thinking about it and it seemed like the perfect set-up for a bad sci-fi horror movie. I began imagining myself waking up with a giant mantis sitting on my chest staring hungrily at me. Or  skittering across the floor like in the movie "Alien". Could be worse things than giant crickets, sprickets and spiders I guess.

Skip and I dragged the ficus tree out into the cold rain and gave it a good shake. I vacuum'd up as many of the little greenies as I could find in the house. Sadly. I would have so preferred to let them thrive out in my garden, but... I saw the "Alien" movies, I know what happens. Giant mother Alien in the basement and me in a robot suit doing battle.