Giant Stink Bug
2006/08/16 10:26 AM Filed in:
Picture
These are all over the place out
here but one was hanging out on my
back porch so I thought I'd capture
the moment. Guess I should have
read about it before picking it up.
They can dish out a nice stab when
threatened.
Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus)
Description : 1 1/8 - 1 3/8" (28-36 mm). Gray-brown to black. Prothorax raised into a curved series of coglike teeth along midline, inspiring the common name. Nymph is blood-red with black markings.
Habitat : Meadows and crop fields.
Range : East of the Rocky Mountains, from southern Canada south to the Gulf states.
Food : Caterpillars, even large ones including hornworms, Japanese Beetle larvae, and other insects.
Life Cycle : Eggs are laid in clusters on foliage. 1 generate a year.
This handsome predator can give a painful stab when it defends itself from a careless handler.
Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus)
Description : 1 1/8 - 1 3/8" (28-36 mm). Gray-brown to black. Prothorax raised into a curved series of coglike teeth along midline, inspiring the common name. Nymph is blood-red with black markings.
Habitat : Meadows and crop fields.
Range : East of the Rocky Mountains, from southern Canada south to the Gulf states.
Food : Caterpillars, even large ones including hornworms, Japanese Beetle larvae, and other insects.
Life Cycle : Eggs are laid in clusters on foliage. 1 generate a year.
This handsome predator can give a painful stab when it defends itself from a careless handler.
