Aliases

Big-eyed bugs, minute pirate bugs, soldier bugs, assassin bugs, hemipterans

Physical Features

Adults and nymphs will look similar except adults will be winged. True bugs have mouthparts that are shaped like a straw and their wings are semi-leathery. Usually a shield pattern is formed on the back of the adults. The antennae are small and thin.

Beneficial Features

Predatory true bugs are aphid, caterpillar, and egg assassins. True bugs pierce their subject with sharp mouthparts and then suck fluids out, vampire-style, until the crook becomes a casualty.

Recruitment

• Use flowering plants to make your property an attractive spot for these bugs.
  
• Stay away from pesticides that don’t discriminate the good from the bad. Hemipterans are extremely sensitive to broad-spectrum pesticides, so using them could cause more problems than they solve.