Halloween Bugs!

"Mama, there's a weird bug out here, get your camera!"  My children love my job and bring every bug they see to my attention.  This was the bug crawling on our deck:

I think I have figured out this the Florida Predatory Stink Bug.  The neat thing about this bug and it's timing on our deck is that it's nickname is the "Halloween Bug".  This bug is found mostly in the southeastern quarter of the United States and is most numerous in the spring and fall.  Because of its abundance in the fall and the "mask-like" look it's colors give it, it is often called the "Halloween Bug."  The bug is mostly black with orange or red spots at each corner of the scutellum (or the posterior portion of the thorax).  The underbelly is also orange or red.



photo credit: Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida (www.entnemdept.ufl.edu)

As it's name suggest, it is a predator, but this Halloween bug is considered beneficial.  It's prey consists of many plant-damaging bugs, beetles, and caterpillars.  It catches prey by jabbing it with it's proboscis which injects a toxin to immobilize the prey.  Florida Predatory Stink Bugs will also sometimes attack prey in large groups, especially in their younger nymph stages.



nymphs eating a cricket; photo credit: Nikki; www.whatsthatbug.com

 I've got to admit, it was a cool looking bug to see, and we luckily didn't smell any of the "stink".