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Record numbers of climate crisis insects: what to do if you spot a praying mantis

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · · 520 words · By Kirsten Ripper
climate_change Biodiversity Monitoring Citizen Science
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Daily briefing

What to know about climate_change

This summer, unusually many praying mantises can be spotted in German gardens.

Claims checked 17
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage
Left14%
Center86%
Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

This summer, unusually many praying mantises can be spotted in German gardens.

Why it matters

How to distinguish the "Mantid religiosa" from a grasshopper and what to do… This exceptionally hot summer of 2026, with one heatwave following another, is ideal for the praying mantis.

Common ground

The mantis is a warmth-loving species and prefers sunny, dry habitats.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/23/record-numbers-of-climate-crisis-insects-wha…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7
info Single Source 5
check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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Claim 1: “The species Mantis religiosa can be green or brown and is roughly twice the size of a bush-cricket or a grasshopper.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found for this claim in the provided search results.
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Claim 2: “Only the eggs survive the winter.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 3: “99.9 percent of the pictures are correct, according to NABU.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 4: “The praying mantis originally comes from Africa, but it has long been native to the Mediterranean region.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence confirms they are distributed worldwide and native to the Mediterranean, but the specific claim that they 'originally come from Africa' is not explicitly confirmed by the provided snippets.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Mediterranean and Middle East theatre, also known as the Mediterranean Theater of War, and described as Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa 1939–1941 in Germany military history, wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_and_Middle_East_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In biogeography, the Mediterranean basin ( MED-ih-tə-RAY-nee-ən), also known as the Mediterranean region or sometimes Mediterranea, is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that mostly have…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_basin
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — North Africa, also known as Northern Africa, is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Africa
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 5: “"Its migration to Europe goes back around 10,000 years," explains the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU).”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail about the 10,000-year migration to Europe is mentioned in one specific web result ('Record Praying Mantis Germany Sightings in 2026 Heatwave'), but not corroborated by other sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterrane…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. A supranational union with a total area of 4,233,255 km2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an es…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Europe Prize was established in 1955 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. It is awarded each year to one or more towns or municipalities that have made exceptional efforts to sp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Europe_Prize
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “The praying mantis has a rather triangular, mobile head on a neck, whereas in grasshoppers the head sits directly on the thorax.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found for this claim in the provided search results.
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Claim 7: “This exceptionally hot summer of 2026, with one heatwave following another, is ideal for the praying mantis.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources report that the summer of 2026 experienced record-breaking heat and multiple heatwaves in various regions including Tunisia and France.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2026 (MMXXVI) is the current year, and is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2026th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 26th year of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Asian Games (2026年アジア競技大会, 2026-nen Ajia Kyōgi Taikai), officially the XX Asian Games (第二十回アジア競技大会) and also known as Aichi–Nagoya 2026 (愛知・名古屋2026), is an ongoing multi-sport event being hel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Asian_Games
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2026 in film is an overview of events in the film industry scheduled to occur in 2026. Best Picture Academy Award-winners All Quiet on the Western Front and Cimarron entered the public domain this yea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_film
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “the praying mantis poses no danger to humans. It has no venom and cannot sting.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 9: “After the warm spring, particularly large numbers were recorded in Baden-Württemberg.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 10: “males grow up to 6 centimetres long and females even up to 8 centimetres.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources (BGNES and a specific article on 2026 heatwaves) explicitly state that males grow up to 6 cm and females up to 8 cm.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Males can grow up to 6 centimeters long, while females can reach 8 centimeters, according to Euronews.Praying mantises pose no danger to humans. They are not venomous and cannot sting. Both larvae and…
https://www.bgnes.com/science/record-number-of-praying-manti…
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web search NEUTRAL — Female praying mantises sometimes eat males that approach them to mate. They are only able to do this because mantises are predators and the female mantises are bigger and stronger than the males.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHf47gI8w04
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web search NEUTRAL — The praying mantis ranks among the largest native insects, with males reaching lengths of up to 6 centimetres and females growing as large as 8 centimetres.
https://www.zbrief.news/praying-mantis-germany-record-sighti…
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Claim 11: “In Germany, this big-eyed insect... can still be spotted in gardens and parks right into October.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While evidence confirms mantises are found in gardens and parks, there is no specific evidence provided in the search results confirming they are spotted in Germany specifically 'into October'.
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web search NEUTRAL — Praying mantises have been sighted in the wild in England, specifically in gardens near Truro and Mousehole in Cornwall. Experts suggest the insects may have been 'blown over' from mainland Europe, ac…
https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/praying-mantis-e…
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web search NEUTRAL — Learn all about praying mantises, including what their egg cases (oothecae) look like. Praying mantises are a popular predatory insect common in home gardens and wild habitats alike. Tyrant Farms' art…
https://www.tyrantfarms.com/praying-mantis-egg-case-identifi…
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web search NEUTRAL — How to identify praying mantises. Praying mantises are easily identifiable by their unique posture; they hold their folded forearms up as if in prayer. They have triangular heads with large, bulging e…
https://pestie.com/pests/praying-mantises
info
Claim 12: “The mantis is a warmth-loving species and prefers sunny, dry habitats.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results for an apartment complex called 'Summer Place' and does not contain biological information about praying mantises.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Summer Place Apartments is conveniently located in Huntsville, Alabama, only minutes from shopping, dining, I- 565 and I-65. The community offers one bedroom and two bedroom apartments featuring washe…
https://summerplaceal.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Summer Place is made available for your personal, non-commercial use only as you search for your new apartment home. If you are a vendor to the apartment industry you are not to use this site as a mea…
https://summerplaceal.com/privacy-policy/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It’s different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most people start with an About page that introduces them to potential site…
https://summerplaceal.com/sample-page/
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Claim 13: “Both larvae and adult praying mantises feed exclusively on insects and spiders.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 14: “apparently there have never been as many in Germany as there are in 2026.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (Bild newspaper via a summary and a specific 2026 heatwave report) mention record numbers of sightings and unprecedented prevalence in Germany in 2026.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Western and Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north with the Alps to the south. Its 16 consti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nazi Germany, officially the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It was sometimes known…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Germany
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 15: “It was introduced to the USA at the end of the 19th century and has since spread widely there as well.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source (Biocommunication Group) mentions the European mantis spread throughout North America in the 20th century, but the specific 'end of the 19th century' date is not explicitly corroborated in the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — USA is an abbreviation and country code for the United States of America. USA, usa, or Usa may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_(disambiguation)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — USA Today (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from USA …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Today
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 16: “Most male praying mantises die after mating and are eaten by the females”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 17: “From the beginning of July to mid-August 2026, NABU-naturgucker.de recorded more than 15,000 reports.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.