Common Name: Assassin bug
Scientific Name: Reduviidae: spp
Status: Beneficial predator
Beneficial Stage: Adults and nymphs

Biology: Assassin bug species vary greatly in both size and coloration. Many are small (1/2 inch) and green or brown. Others such as the large wheel bug grow to 1.5 inches are gray in color and have a distinctive, cog-wheel shaped thorax.

Assassin bugs have an elongated, narrow head, a long, three-segmented beak, and an abdomen often widened at the middle exposing the margins of the segments beyond the wings. Assassin bugs have as aggressive behavior and are not afraid to attack creatures much larger than themselves. They will inflict a very painful bite to humans if handled carelessly, causing a severe reaction in some persons.

The assassin bug is named so because of its ambush-like way of hunting its prey. They stab the insect, inject a lethal toxin that dissolves the victim�s tissue, and then suck out the liquefied tissue through a modified mouthpart �beak�. They generally hunt on various forms of vegetation, such as trees, weeds, and bushes and tend to be poor fliers.

Value: Sometimes assassin bugs are feared because they are capable of inflicting painful bites. A few live in homes and can transmit human diseases, but, generally, the assassin bug is considered a beneficial predator of pest insects. They prey upon ants, cockroaches, and bedbugs as well as pests that are harmful to crops and vegetation.