January Sightings in the Vineyard

We have been working in the vineyard in January and unlike previous weather in January, 2020 has been quite mild with many days in the 40 degree plus range. This is a good thing because we are still trying to catch up on tying up our netting, something we didn't do in the fall of 2019. While rolling up the netting and tying it, we've come across a few praying mantis nests. My first encounter with a praying mantis egg case was in Hawaii so I knew what this styrofoam looking like blob was. This is the first winter that we have seen so many egg cases in the vineyard. My husband thought that the young mantis had already left their nest, I thought not, so I looked it up this morning.
The praying mantis is an insect in the family Manidae. The eggs are laid in a frothy mass which hardens and is called an ootheca. Upon hatching in the spring, there may be 30 to 300 young mantids emerging from the ootheca. Upon emerging from the egg case, the young mantids are very hungry.¹ We are looking forward to seeing the young praying mantis in the spring. They will be our first line attack battalion against the vineyard pests including leafhoppers, aphids and small flies.
Here is a photo of a praying mantis in our vineyard feasting on a yellow jacket.

Fun factoid: In 1977, Connecticut designated the praying mantis as the state insect!

Reference:
1. Amateur Entymologist Society, Praying Mantid caresheet.
2. State Symbols, U.S.A., European Praying Mantis Connecticut State Insect.