I was inspecting my fig and found a baby praying mantis in my tree. I saw them last year on my apple tree. And now I found the egg sack attached to my tree rose that I wintered in the garage.

I think it is a good thing they like my fig tree, but if they move on will I have to spray my fig tree? Do you have bugs in your trees that you feel a need to spray? Just asking, since I have to spray my apple tree it would not be a problem to hit the fig tree if I need to spray. (Only if the praying mantis leaves of course.)

I'm no expert on this, but other than big beetles that eat the ripe fruit, or little beetles that get inside through the osteole and turn the figs sour (neither of which would be controlled effectively by spraying), I haven't had many bug problems. I have yet to run into any pests that cause serious damage to the foliage, and I've never sprayed my in-ground trees. I did find some scale on the stem of a recently-purchased fig, but the tree was small enough that I could scrape most of them off by hand. A few tiny scale insects had also migrated to the new growth, so I tried spraying those and ended up losing those leaves due to damage from the insecticide.

Praying mantis are incredibly advantageous to keep around.  I would not kill them, they will not touch your fruit, but they will kill predatory bugs that would otherwise kill certain plants.  I think you could be OK without spraying if it moves on ... but .... meh. 

I think birds, squirrels and other small animals are a larger concern.

You should be so lucky to have lots and lots of mantis around.

You may want to check the LAW in some states like NJ it is against the law to kill a Praying mantis
Al

I'm not trying to kill the praying mantis! Just the other bugs if the praying mantis leave me next year. They are good luck! I just did not know if you have bugs and they are a problem. So if you don't have to spray & you don't have any praying mantis living in your trees, then I guess I won't have to either.  I'll google scales to be on the lookout for them.

I'm enjoying playing hide & seek with the praying manthis. Maybe I'll call them Waldo. They are no bigger than my pinky nail. I hope they eat more bugs to get bigger!

Jason you had to say it! Worry about critters. I just dropped my sister off at her house down the street. And in the headlights there it was a great big raccoon! Two weeks ago it was a ground hog on my neighbors front lawn. Two months ago it was a possum on the front lawn. Three months ago it was a deer down the street over the five lane of traffic. And six months ago it was a fox about 1/4 mile where the deer was. We have geese walking down our street.  I should live in the country if I know all this animal live in my neighborhood. Then I would have more space to plant more figs!

I thought I have seen all the animals this year, then a red tail hawk was at the front door with a dead squirrel.  Is it bad that I hope he comes back for more squirrels?

Nhardy, you are talking about 2 fruits on the opposite side of the spectrum (apples and figs), when it comes to "spraying".  One of the reasons I started growing figs is because I couldn't believe how hard it was (or how much pesticides you have to use) when growing apples in my location.  I cant imagine any pest or disease that would warrant spraying fig trees.

spider mites.  but that's for folks who grow indoors, i guess?  but you can use something like insecticidal soap, neem oil, BT etc. which are relatively non-toxic things (well, neem, in moderation).

stone fruits are a bear as well.  since my 3rd montmorency cherry didn't make it this year, i've finally up and decided to plant a fig tree in that spot...  ;)

 I always thought that caterpillars, insects did not eat the leaves, buds of Fig trees. That, the lymph / latex was how the tree protects itself, even if a random "bug" nibbles on a leaf , he will give up quickly.
 Young mantis will catch and eat each other. Great predators!  Maybe, ease some of them over to your other trees.
 

There are several bugs that will eat leaves.  I think I remember on the Queen of the Figs (while still showing), they discussed one insect that figured out a way to fleece the leaf - this beetle goes to the base of the leaf and severs the main vein so no latex can reach the tip of the leaf.  I then devours the leaf from tip to base, cuts the next main vein and repeats the fleece.

From this movie:  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/the-queen-of-trees/introduction/1362/

Someone was just here complaining about June Beetles eating their fig tree leaves.

I had mentioned the June bugs/beetles a while back.  Every night, I now go out between 9 and 11PM and go June bug pickin'.  I pick them off the leaves with a tissue and then put them in a zip-lock bag.  Not seeing as many now.

noss