The Praying Mantis is many people’s favorite insect due to their fascinating appearance. Many people, when encountering a praying mantis, are tempted to hold or touch the insect. Many, however, also think twice for fear of receiving a praying mantis bite. Many of these people, watching nature shows, have seen the female praying mantis bite the head off of the male praying mantis after mating. If praying mantes will chew the heads off their lovers just for mating, than what’s to stop the amateur naturalist from receiving a praying mantis bite?
Fortunately, the fact is that the chance of your receiving a praying mantis are actually extremely small. Most people who have handled the insects have never gotten a praying mantis bite as they are typically non-aggressive towards humans. Although praying mantis’ are predatory creatures who will eat almost anything smaller than them, they are typically uninterested and unthreatened by humans and those humans who do end up with a praying mantis bite were usually doing something unkind of that particular praying mantis and therefore probably deserved it.
If you are really worried about getting a praying mantis bite, you needn’t be: A praying mantis bite feels rather like an ant bite- while a praying mantis bite will sting sharply at the moment of attack, but the feeling will quickly disappear. A praying mantis bite is actually less dangerous than an ant bite, since ants (such as fire ants) are often poisonous while there is never any venom injected during a praying mantis bite.
If you do manage to get a praying mantis bite, only basic first aid will be required. Just quickly wash the wound site of the praying mantis bite, check to make sure that there’s nothing in the wound and band aid (although it is highly unlikely that a praying mantis bite will be severe enough to make you bleed). Of course you should watch the site of the praying mantis bite to make sure that the skin returns to its normal state and seek medical attention if anything strange happens. Of course if you receive a praying mantis bite and you know that you may have allergies to these or other insects, you should contact your physician immediately and follow his or her advice.
Ultimately a praying mantis bite is nothing to be afraid of: not only are you extremely unlikely to receive a praying mantis bite, but even if you do, a praying mantis will not endanger you in anyway and it will only be a little bit painful.
