What eats katydids? Katydids are common insects that can be found all over the world. While katydids are prey for many different animals, there are a few things that specifically eat them.

This article will explore what eats katydids in the wild and gardens.

What Eats Katydids

There are a variety of predators that eat katydids, including birds, wasps, ants, bats, spiders, and frogs.

Some katydids have adaptations that help them avoid becoming dinner, such as the ability to camouflage themselves. Some katydid species even pretend to be dead to fool their predators!

Katydid Predators

Birds

The biggest predator of katydids is birds. They are a favorite food of many different kinds of birds, from cardinals and sparrows to blue jays and chickadees.

Katydids have several adaptations that help them avoid being eaten by birds. For example, their coloring helps them blend in with their surroundings, so they are not as easily seen. They also often stay still when they hear or see a bird nearby, rather than fleeing, making them less visible.

Tree Frogs

Frogs, particularly tree frogs, are known to eat katydids. As a result, katydids make up a large part of the diet of some species of treefrogs. While other animals, such as lizards and spiders, may also eat katydids on occasion, frogs are by far the most common predator of these insects.

Bats

Bats are particularly adept at catching flying insects. Bats use echolocation to zero in on their prey and can detect the sound of insect wings from dozens of feet away. And Once they hone in on their target, they swoop in and catch the unsuspecting insect before they know what hit them.

Katydids aren’t the only thing on a bat’s menu — these nocturnal predators will also feast on mosquitoes, wasps, and beetles. So if you’re looking to keep katydids (or any other pesky insects) at bay, consider making your landscape bat-friendly!

Snakes

Katydids are a favorite food of many snakes, especially tree snakes. These long, slender snakes are perfectly equipped to track down and eat katydids, which they often do by slithering around branches and vegetation where katydids reside.

Mice

Mice are a predator of katydids. They will often sneak up on a katydid perched on a plant and snatch it up. Once they have the katydid in their mouth, they will quickly bite down and kill it.

Shrews

Shrews are one of the predators of katydids. Shrews are small, mouse-like mammals found in many areas of the world. They have a long, pointed nose and sharp teeth, and they’re known for being voracious insect eaters. So, if you see a katydid on the ground, there’s a good chance that a shrew will eat it.

Related: What Eats Japanese Beetles

What Bugs Eat Katydids

Do Spiders Eat Katydids?

A few different types of spiders are known to eat katydids, and some of the most voracious predators of katydids are garden spiders, orb weavers, and sac spiders. These spiders build webs to trap their prey, and their diet consists primarily of insects that become ensnared.

Other spiders that eat katydids include jumping spiders and the Wolf spider. These spiders will typically wait for their prey to come close before attacking, and then they will wrap them up in silken webbing before devouring them.

Praying Mantid

The praying mantis is a voracious insect predator that eats katydids. They will eat both juveniles and adults, which they catch with their powerful front legs. Once they have their prey in their powerful grasp, the mantis bites the katydid’s head off and eats them whole.

Assassin Bug

The assassin bug is a predatory stink bug that feeds on other insects, including katydids. This bug uses its long beak to pierce and inject its prey with venom and digestive juices before sucking out its body fluids.

Do Wasps Eat Katydids?

Yes, wasps eat katydids. Regular wasps will feed on the nectar and pollen of flowers, but they will also prey on other insects, including katydids.

On the other hand, parasitic wasps lay their eggs inside the bodies of their prey, which can include katydids. The larvae then hatch and feed on the host insect from the inside out.

Parasitic Wasps

A few different types of Parasitic Wasps (Buy Online) will target katydids as part of their diet. These wasps will lay their eggs inside the katydid, and the larva will then feed on the katydid from the inside until it is ready to emerge as an adult.

What is a Katydids Predator?

• Birds
• Bats
• Rodents
• Tree Frogs
• Snakes
• Shrews
• Spiders
• Praying Mantid
• Assassin Bug
• Parasitic Wasp