Is It Really Illegal To Kill a Praying Mantis in New York State?

I was raised in New York, where we all seemed to share a set of unspoken rules like don’t touch other people’s snowbanks, always hold the door no matter how far away someone is, and, perhaps the most serious of them all… never, under any circumstance, kill a praying mantis unless you want the FBI at your doorstep.

Nobody taught it to us. No teacher said it. I don’t recall my parents warning me. But somehow, every kid I knew believed it like gospel. The praying mantis is an untouchable sacred being. Harm one and you’re done. Straight to jail with no questions asked.

Passing the Myth Down Without Even Realizing It

Without ever intentionally saying anything, I guess my son picked up on the rule too. One day he spotted a mantis on our porch and froze like it was a landmine. Then came the questions: “What happens if I accidentally step on one?” “Would they, like… take me away?” And then, the true philosophical curveball: “If one of the dogs did it… would one of us have to turn ourselves in?” Valid questions. In the world I grew up in, that was a real possibility.

READ MORE: Would You Touch This Fuzzy Caterpillar? Think Again! 

Researching the “Law” Only to Learn It Was Never Real

Naturally, I did what any responsible parent does, I pulled out my phone and hit Google fully expecting to find government legislation carved in stone about the sanctity of mantises. Except… nothing came up. No fines. No handcuffs. No “Call Albany if you witness a mantis crime.” Turns out there has never been a law against killing a praying mantis. Ever. Not in New York. Not federally. Not quietly hidden in some dusty wildlife pamphlet. The whole thing? One massive, nationwide game of Telephone.

How Admiration Turned Into an Unwritten Childhood “Law”

My best guess? We all collectively agreed that mantises were cool looking, slightly mystical, and very good at eating bugs we actually hate like mosquitoes, flies, maybe the occasional cousin to a stink bug. Somewhere along the line, admiration turned into folklore. “You shouldn’t mess with them” slowly became “You can’t mess with them.” And before you know it, every kid on the playground was quoting imaginary bug law like it was written in the Constitution.

Don’t Be a Menace to the Mantis

Even though nobody’s getting hauled away in cuffs, I’m not encouraging mantis warfare. They really are helpful little predators, and if one is in your way, just scoop it up gently in Tupperware, a leaf, whatever, and relocate it. But if one happens to meet an unfortunate end? Your dog isn’t going to need legal counsel. Your kid won’t end up in mantis jail.

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The Strange “Facts” We All Grew Up Believing

Childhood “facts” are wild. Some kids grew up believing gum stayed in your stomach for seven years. Others thought quicksand would be a daily threat. Me? I truly believed the United States government had a special task force dedicated to the protection of lanky green insects.