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Assassin Bug
Hemiptera: Reduviidae
BENEFICIAL
The adult assassin bug has a slender body about 1 inch long, strikingly marked red/orange and black, with white spots along the sides of the abdomen. Both the long, thin legs and antennae are black. The head is very narrow, and equipped with a strong, sharp beak which at rest is carried tucked back in a groove at the base on the forelegs.
The wingless nymph, about 1/4 inch long, has the body shape of the adult and grows to adult size through five instars. During this time the small black wing-pads grow to functional wings. Assassin bugs can be easily confused with the large Milkweed Bug which also has red/orange and black coloration but the Assassin is not found in groups as a rule, and has a very narrow neck.
Life Cycle:
Incomplete metamorphosis: egg, 5 instars, adult.
Diet:
Assassin bugs have earned their name because of the speed and deadliness with which they attack their prey, be it pest, beneficial insect, or each other. They use their sticky jackknife forelegs to grab the prey, injecting a quickly paralyzing toxic fluid using their sucking mouth-parts. As the injected digestive fluid turns the tissues to liquid, the bug sucks it up with its beak. The assassin bug is considered beneficial. Care must be taken when touching the insect, as it can also bite the handler.
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