Minute Pirate Bug

Natural Habitat

Agricultural fields, gardens, and diverse vegetation; often found on flowers or in leaf litter.

Diet & Feeding

Generalist predator that feeds on mites, thrips, aphids, and insect eggs by piercing them and sucking out fluids.

Behavior Patterns

Active hunters that overwinter as adults. They are highly mobile and have a rapid life cycle, often producing several generations per year.

Risks & Benefits

Highly beneficial to ecosystems and agriculture as a biological control agent for pests. May occasionally bite humans, causing a sharp but harmless sting.

Identified on: 2/5/2026