''Orius insidiosus'', common name the insidious flower bug, is a species of

minute pirate bug Anthocoridae is a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species. Description Anthocoridae are 1.5–5 mm long and have soft, elongated oval, flat bodies, often patterned in black an ...

, a predatory insect in the order Hemiptera (the true bugs). They are considered beneficial, as they feed on small pest arthropods and their eggs. They are mass-reared for use in the biological control of

thrips Thrips (order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Different thrips species feed mostly on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents, although a few are ...

Description

''Orius insidiosus'' adults are approximately 3 mm in length. This oval-shaped insect is black with white patches on the wings.

Nymphs A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...

of this species are teardrop-shaped and wingless. They range from yellow-orange to brown in colour.

Distribution

This species is common throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and extends into Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. It also occurs in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other islands of the West Indies.

Life cycle

The female lays her eggs inside plant tissues, where they hatch into nymphs. Growth time from egg to mature adult takes at least 20 days. It is possible for several generations to occur during a single growing season.

Diet

''Orius insidiosus'' prey on plant-eating (

phytophagous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

)

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear e ...

s and their eggs, various insect eggs, and other soft-bodied arthropods such as

, spider mites, and small caterpillars. They also feed on the eggs and new larvae of the bollworm, spotted tobacco aphids, corn earworm,

European corn borer The European corn borer (''Ostrinia nubilalis''), also known as the European corn worm or European high-flyer, is a moth of the family Crambidae which includes other grass moths. It is a pest of grain, particularly maize (''Zea mays''). The in ...

s (''Ostrinia nubilalis''),

corn leaf aphid ''Rhopalosiphum maidis'', common names corn leaf aphid and corn aphid, is an insect, and a pest of maize and other crops. It has a nearly worldwide distribution and is typically found in agricultural fields, grasslands, and forest-grassland zon ...

s (''Rhopalosiphum maidis''),

potato aphid ''Macrosiphum euphorbiae'', the potato aphid, is a sap-sucking pest insect in the family Aphididae. It infests potatoes and a number of other commercially important crops. Distribution ''Macrosiphum euphorbiae'' originated in North America but ...

s (''Macrosiphum euphorbiae''), and

potato leafhopper ''Empoasca fabae'' belongs to family Cicadellidae and genus Empoasca within order Hemiptera.”Lamp, W., D., Miranda, L., Culler & Alexander, L. (2011) “Host Suitability and Gas Exchange Response of Grapevines to Potato Leafhopper (Hemiptera: ...

(''Empoasca fabae'') nymphs. They are used in

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of ...

s to help control the European red mite ('' Panonychus ulmi''), the twospotted spider mite (''Tetranychus urticae''), and most species of

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...

s. ''Orius insidiosus'' can also feed on plants and pollen.

Behaviour

Both nymphs and adults feed. The adults are voracious predators and exhibit efficient searching behaviour. They congregate in areas where the density of prey is high. They are also able to propagate more rapidly in environments where prey is abundant. ''Orius insidiosus'' seizes its prey using its front legs and then inserts its long beak into its victim's body. It usually reinserts its beak several times until the soft body of the host has been emptied, leaving behind the drained exoskeleton. ''Orius insidiosus'' occasionally bites humans. Although the bite can be considered disproportionately painful relative to the size of this species, it is not harmful.

Habitat

This species can be found on numerous crops, including most

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

, alfalfa,

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

, corn, and

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu a ...

References

External links

''Orius insidiosus'' at the Open Directory
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2894924 Anthocoridae Hemiptera of North America Insects described in 1832