Wheel Bug

Woodlands, orchards, gardens, and areas with trees or tall shrubs where they can hunt other insects.

Carnivorous; feeds on a variety of soft-bodied insects including caterpillars, beetles, aphids, and flies by piercing them with its proboscis and injecting digestive enzymes.

Solitary hunters that are generally slow-moving. Named for the distinct gear- or wheel-like crest on their thorax. They undergo incomplete metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult).

Benefit: Acts as a natural pest controller in gardens by consuming destructive agricultural pests. Risk: Can deliver a very painful defensive bite if handled or accidentally squeezed, though they are not aggressive toward humans.