Hi there caught this bug on the side of my native hive when mowing blew it off and continued.
Looked later and it was back, hanging around taped joins.
After squashing it sewn 3 little eggs on side of box about 2mm long.
Lucky I have side taped but anyone seen this on there hives?
Please update your profile with location.
Looks like it is an assassin bug. Eats other bugs.
1 Like
Yeah assassin bug at a glance
seems like you assassinated an assassin… am I being asinine?
1 Like
That’s a Common Assassin Bug. It was probably going to prey on a native bee or two. They prey on honeybees as well.
She probably laid eggs on the hive, knowing that the nymphs would have easy meals.
They are sometimes unfairly called “Bee Killers” though some species are specialists in preying on native bees. Most are generalists and prey on a lot of pests.
I wouldn’t have killed it myself. I actually welcome them on my citrus trees as they get rid of the Crusader Bugs. They also help me in my veggie patch, keeping it spray free and organic.
Do you find them to be a problem in native hives Jeff? I doubt.
3 Likes
Hi Olly, I don’t see them killing any native bees, just the odd honey bee. I showed them with a bee in their proboscis on a couple of my beekeeping videos. They just happened to be there while we were videoing. I love to see them around also, I never kill them.
I actually saw a group of 1st instar nymphs on a chili bush on my back verandah. Then I watched them go through every stage of development until the adult with wings. The numbers kept dropping down to just one. It was a fascinating couple of weeks. It’s amazing to see the difference with every molt, especially the last one.
1 Like