A rare insect could begin to “colonise” the UK after two separate sightings were confirmed in Cornwall. Wildlife experts confirmed on Tuesday that praying mantises, which are native to southern Europe, were spotted for the first time in the wild in the region, in gardens near Truro and Mousehole.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust said the green species could be considered a “climate migrant” due to rising temperatures, and suggested the insect, which is about 7cm long, may have blown over to the UK, or hitched a ride in someone’s luggage. The trust said it seemed like it was “only a matter of time” before the non-venomous insects “colonise mainland Britain” with climate change.
CWT said: “These mantises may have blown over to Cornwall on some strong winds, they might have ‘hitchhiked’ their way here in someone’s luggage, or they may be an escapee from a pet collection – though this is unlikely as there were two spotted in different places, and nobody has come forward to claim them.
“The European praying mantis eat a variety of insects such as crickets and flies and are not a threat to humans. It is native to southern Europe but appears to be moving north, considered a ‘climate migrant’.”
They added: “There are currently breeding populations of mantis on the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands, so as temperatures continues to rise, it seems it’s only a matter of time before they colonise mainland Britain.”
Though it is the first time that multiple praying mantises have been spotted in one region in the wild in mainland England, there is no confirmation of a breeding population in the area.
European praying mantises were recorded in Oxford and Stratford in 2021. The Herefordshire Biological Records Centre noted a praying mantis in a garden in Oxford, and one was also spotted in a plant nursery in Stratford, East London.
Praying mantises normally live for around a year, although male mantises can be victims of sexual cannibalism, as the female can sometimes eat males after copulation, which is said to provide her with nutrients to lay more eggs.
