Damsel Bugs
On several occasions over the summer, we went out back with a sweep net to see what types of things we could find in the tall grass. In general, sweeping it back and forth a couple of times through the grass would turn up dozens of small insects, mostly various types of true bugs. We would regularly find bugs with this particular body shape: Elongated body about 5-10 millimeters long, long hind legs, and large-diameter forelegs. Some were black and wingless;
Some were brown and winged;
and some were brown and wingless;
I think they also come in green, but we didn’t catch and photograph any of those.
These are all Damsel Bugs, in the family Nabidae. They aren’t quite assassin bugs (which are the Reduviidae), but they are predatory. The enlarged forelegs are not fully raptorial, but they probably are capable of immobilizing prey while the damsel bug sucks it dry.
The common prey of damsel bugs is soft-bodied insects like aphids, small caterpillars, and pretty much anything else they can catch. They all have about the same habits, which is why I am including all three of these examples into a single posting.
The black one is most likely Nabicula subcoleoptrata, which I gather never actually grows wings (which would be why this one is wingless).
The other two are kind of lacking in distinguishing features, but they may be something in or near the genus Nabis.
The wingless one may very well be a nymph, but it could just as easily be another species that doesn’t actually grow out its wings.
Incidentally, that last picture shows it standing on the back of my hand, so you can use the hairs for a sense of scale. All three of these were on the order of 5 – 8 millimeters long, so they aren’t particularly big.
Which, of course, is why they are called “damsel” bugs – because they are much slimmer and more delicate-looking than other predatory bugs. Still, if I were a small soft-bodied insect, I wouldn’t turn my back on one. They are definitely killers.
While damsel bugs are useful (to us) for preying on a lot of different pest species, they aren’t available to purchase in bulk for pest control[1] like lacewings or lady beetles are. I expect this is because damsel bugs are quite willing to turn cannibal if prey gets scarce. Which means that if I shipped a box of 1000 damsel bugs to you, if it took a week to arrive you might only end up with 100. So, raising and shipping them in bulk is right out. You can encourage the local population of damsel bugs around a garden, though. They like low-growing grasses and dense ground cover that give lots of hiding places, and aren’t so keen on exposed row crops.
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[1] An update on the availability of damsel and assassin bugs for pest control: just yesterday (October 28, 2014), we received an Arbico Organics catalog featuring a new product: assassin bug eggs! The species of assassin bugs they sell is one of the thin, leggy types, similar to the damsel bugs shown here. It doesn’t look like they’ve been listed on the Arbico Beneficial Insects webpage yet, but I’m sure they’ll be posted pretty soon.
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the Backyard Arthropod Project has been running for just over 4 years
Happy (website) Birthday, Tim!
Congratulations on your anniversary. This is one of the greatest sites on the Internet.
As for the bugs, I look at these and wonder how they spread. Was it all just them walking around in Brownian motion starting a few million years ago?
Thanks, guys!
As for the wingless bugs getting here, even at a mile a year they can make a lot of distance in a few thousand years. Not counting the ones that hitch rides on animals and birds.
A belated happy blog birthday to you! I love the pictures, the descriptions, the comments from visitors and the ease with which we can leave our comments. It’s a very easy sight to navigate and participate in, which is what makes it fun!
I’ve seen these bugs many times over the years. I’m glad to know that they are getting rid of my garden pests!
So how did this bug end up in my shower in late March?
David R: Oh, just wanted to wash up a bit, I expect.
A lot of true bugs come into houses in the winter while looking for places to hibernate, yours may have been one of them.
I believe we have these in our area (Northeast Arkansas). I have been looking to find the name for several years now. I have found they are sticky to the touch and when you kill them they ooze green. I know I’m not supposed to kill them!!! I would however like them to find another yard and house to live in. The fall is when we really start noticing them around the house. They do come in a lot on our dog’s fur. Does this sound like the Damsel Bug to you or do you have any advise that would help?? Any and all information would be much appreciated!!!
Thanks!
Sandy:
You may have Pale Green Assassin Bugs, they look similar to Damsel Bugs, but they are sticky (particularly on their legs). They are also beneficial predators.
Thank you so much! After looking at the Pale Green Assassin Bug it does look more like what we have and it looks like we see them in the nymph stage. Thanks again!!!