Assassin Bug: nymph and adult

Haname

12 years ago

Assassin Bug nymph on eggplant

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Not really interested in posing for pictures

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Small bee victim

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That's how we get nice and fat

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Nymph no more

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Comments (5)

crista
12 years ago
Cool! Always wondered what those bugs were! Thanks for the pics!
grant_in_arizona
12 years ago
Terrific photos! Thanks for posting all of them. I see them now and then in my garden and am never sure if I should consider them good or bad, so I just let them be. Great photos, thanks for highlighting this critter!

Take care,
Grant
Related Discussions
Are these nymphs assassin bugs?
Q
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Actually, I believe you killed off a bunch of assassin bugs. If you look at the photo I linked, not only can you see that it's the same bug, you can see him eating his prey. The proboscis is folded back on most of the bugs in the pictures you posted, but in the second picture you can see it on the bug the flower on the left. You can see the "leaf" on the rear leg even on the nymphs on leaf footed bugs, as shown here.
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Assassin bug or leaf footed bug nymphs?
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They appear to be Leaf Footed nymphs, and below is a link showing pictures and identification: We used to see Wheelbugs(assassin bugs) in our garden and around the house(never indoors though). They had an early nymph stage that appeared orange, but only the far rear abdomen as orange, with the forward half on the thorax and head black. http://thecitrusguy.blogspot.com/2012/06/you-put-your-leaf-foot-in.html
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II I fI foI fouI founI foundI found one on myI found one on my porchI found one on my porch your inI found one on my porch here inI found one on my porch here in FloridaI found one on my porch here in Florida withI found one on my porch here in Florida with blacksI found one on my porch here in Florida with blackI found one on my porch here in Florida with black spikesI found one on my porch here in Florida with black spikes all overI found one on my porch here in Florida with black spikes all over theI found one on my porch here in Florida with black spikes all over the body
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Stink bug vs. Assassin bug
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You can differentiate between the Stinkbug nymphs and the Assassin Bug nymphs by the tail end. I have a little blurb that helps me: "Bad Black Bump" which is what the Stinkbug nymphs sport on their butt tips when they are smallish and congregating like little orange ants with long black legs. The clue is "congregate". Stinkbugs are groupies, and usually appear as a whole mass of them together, usually on top of your best tomato... Assassin Bugs, true to their name, are singular and solitary. You will usually encounter them one at a time, or, in my case, if you have a "herd" of them in your milkweed, you will see them down there with adequate space between themselves, and being rather territorial... I consider my "herd" of Assassins to be Allies. They patrol the grass and milkweed and keep EVERYTHING from crawling up to my veggie plants. The downside is that they are afraid of nothing, and will kill EVERYTHING in their path, so this means they do take out some of your beneficial bugs (bennies) as well. However, it's a trade-off, 'cause the bennies might relocate to the other side of your yard and be very safe and happy... Linda
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rogunit
12 years ago
They are good guys!
tracydr
12 years ago
Do these come in black? My dog was playing with a black bug that looked like this in the house, then I found a couple more. Was wondering if I had a hatch of them somewhere.
Haname
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks! Tracy yes there are assassin bugs that are black, but any bug like this that you find in the house should be removed. Assassin bugs bite, and one type actually spreads disease. I hope that's not the kind you found but check the picture in the link below.

These are generally good in the garden. They eat caterpillars and other insects that eat plants, but as you can see from the picture, they also will eat others that you want in the garden, like little pollinator bees. This one kept my eggplant clear of caterpillars. Now that it's gone, hopefully some of the bees can have a chance to pollinate the flowers now!

But they don't belong in the house, and shouldn't be handled.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kissing Bug

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Assassin Bug: nymph and adult

Comments (5)

crista

grant_in_arizona

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Assassin Bug: nymph and adult

Comments (5)

crista

grant_in_arizona

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rogunit

tracydr

HanameOriginal Author

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Haname
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