Wheel Bug

Arilus cristatus

Classification

Conservation Status

  • Wheel bugs are a type of assassin bug with a merciless approach to hunting beetles and caterpillars.  
  • Pining their prey to the ground, they use a powerful beak to inject enzymes into their victims, which paralyzes and dissolves the insides of the unfortunate insect. Then they drink the resulting liquid. 
  • Organic gardeners prize wheel bugs, because these apex predators are found in robust, pesticide-free ecosystems, where many lower levels of the food web remain intact. 
  • Look but don’t touch! Wheel bugs avoid people, but they will bite if handled and can cause a few minutes of significant pain. 
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