If you’ve ever watched a trail of ants marching past a praying mantis and wondered whether the mantis would snap one up, you’re asking a really interesting question. Praying mantises are one of the most effective predators in the insect world, eating just about anything that moves and is small enough to catch. But ants are a different story. Read on to find out more.
Can Praying Mantises Eat Ants?
Technically yes, but it’s complicated. Praying mantises can eat ants, but only when no other food source is available. They do not commonly choose ants as a food source and prefer other insects that can meet their nutritional requirements even when consumed in smaller numbers.
So ants aren’t completely off the table, but they’re very far from a preferred meal. A mantis that has plenty of other prey available — flies, crickets, moths — will almost always ignore ants entirely. They’re not worth the trouble, and there’s a very specific reason why. You can get a full picture of what mantises actually prefer to eat in our guide on what do praying mantises eat.
Why Don’t Praying Mantises Like Eating Ants?
The biggest reason comes down to chemistry. Many ant species are equipped with a potent defense mechanism in the form of formic acid — a colorless liquid with a pungent, irritating odor manufactured in specialized glands within the ant’s abdomen. If a mantis manages to swallow an ant before the acid’s effects deter it, the formic acid continues its work internally, with the burning sensation and potential for internal tissue damage making the ant a meal not worth the trouble, often leading the mantis to quickly drop its prey and attempt to clean itself.
It doesn’t stop there either. The energy expended in capturing a fast-moving ant, combined with the guaranteed discomfort and potential harm from its chemical defense, far outweighs any nutritional benefit. Mantises, being efficient predators, quickly learn to avoid such troublesome prey, opting for more docile and less chemically armed insects.
The Mantid Forum also notes that trail-forming ants are particularly problematic because trail-forming ants use formic acid both for defense and for guiding their colony to food and home, meaning they are thoroughly saturated with the substance. Getting sprayed in the face by formic acid or being stung cannot be very pleasant, and some ants have very strong mandibles that can crush or pierce their attackers.
Are Ants Dangerous To Praying Mantises?
Yes, and this is the part most people don’t expect. It’s not just that ants are unpleasant to eat — ants can actually pose a serious threat to a praying mantis, especially in large numbers. While a mantis might successfully grab one or two ants, the immediate response from the colony would be overwhelming. Hundreds of ants would swarm the mantis, climbing over its legs, body, and even its delicate eyes, with each ant delivering a painful bite and many species also spraying formic acid.
This is especially dangerous for young mantises. Ants are well known for targeting praying mantis egg cases and newly hatched nymphs. Oothecae that fall on the ground can be quickly destroyed by ants and other pests, and when a colony finds an egg case, ants will pluck nymphs right out as they emerge before they even have a chance to dry out and carry them off. It’s one of the biggest threats to a mantis in its earliest days of life and a very good reason to make sure egg cases are placed somewhere safe and off the ground.
Do Any Praying Mantis Species Eat Ants Regularly?
While most mantises actively avoid ants, there are a small number of specialist species that have adapted to include them in their diet. Some mantid species have adapted to prey on ants in the wild, though they won’t take any ant species. Myrmecophagy — the practice of eating ants — is known in Pyrgomantis, Tarachodes, Liturgusa, Eremiaphila, Gonatista, and Amorphoscelis, mostly bark or ground-living species. Other mantids avoid ants or eat them only occasionally.
These are specialist species that have specifically evolved to deal with ant defenses. For the vast majority of mantises people keep as pets or encounter in the wild, ants are simply not a practical or safe food source.
Should You Feed Ants To A Pet Praying Mantis?
The short answer is no, and most experienced keepers agree. The black carpenter ant is a particularly bad choice of food for mantids because it is a trail layer that secretes formic acid, causing it to be left alone by mantids. The Mantid Forum also advises avoiding red ants entirely and recommends sticking to safer, more nutritious prey like grasshoppers, moths, and similar soft-bodied insects.
If you do have a pet mantis that seems hungry and ants are the only thing immediately available, it is better to offer a mixture of a few crickets and ants to make a balanced option, keeping ants lower in number since excessive consumption can cause severe issues from the formic acid. But this should really be a last resort rather than a regular feeding practice. Our guide on do praying mantises drink water also covers other basic care essentials worth knowing if you’re keeping a mantis as a pet.
What Should You Feed A Praying Mantis Instead?
There are far better options that are both safer and more nutritious. Flies, crickets, moths, locusts, and caterpillars are all solid choices that mantises genuinely enjoy and can handle without any of the chemical risks that come with ants. Nymphs should start on tiny prey like fruit flies before working their way up to larger insects as they grow — something we cover in detail in our article on do praying mantises shed their skin, since growth and diet are closely linked through the molting process.
If you’re just starting out with a pet mantis and want to make sure you’re getting everything right from day one, our guides on are praying mantises good pets and best praying mantis species for beginners are great places to begin.
Conclusion
Praying mantises can technically eat ants, but it’s not something they do willingly, and for good reason. The formic acid most ant species carry makes them an unpleasant and potentially harmful meal, and the collective defensive response of an ant colony can actually turn a mantis from predator into prey in the right circumstances. Stick to safer, more nutritious feeder insects and leave the ants alone — your mantis will be healthier and happier for it. If you want to keep learning about what these incredible insects can and can’t eat, our articles on can praying mantises eat spiders and can praying mantises eat wax worms are great next reads.