Teri, that must be one of my bugs that got away. It is wait there for you to bring it a bee or butterfly. They are Assassin bugs, or wheel bugs, they prey on other bugs, good and bad. I think most people place them in the good bug group. Although I felt like thumping them on the head when they would catch a good bug.

Larry

Teri, I tried to make a link back to July 3rd where I asked about the same. The threads title is Assassin bug, friend or foe, sorry I dont know how to make a link. I was given a lot of good info on that thread, I even took some pictures and I think my bugs looked much like yours.

Larry

It is a friend of mine.

It will get bees on that flower. If you bother it, it will fly to something else where it might find a stinkbug or grasshopper.

We have so many assassin bugs they are beginning to show up in search of water the same places as the ants are (recently have returned) and that includes the bathroom sink and tub. Our house is very old, btw.

I'm with Scott (on another post regarding) the large numbers of assassin bugs may be doing damage to the local plant life but their impact on the other bugs within the same ecology outweighs the damage they may be doing by themselves. I'm with Okiedawn's perspective here. I hate to see my garden destroyed this year by any one type of species but realize they may be eliminating next year's problem of potentially biblical proportions. As she would suggest: If predator bugs are in enormous populations they are because the pests are in huge numbers already. They need to be left alone to do their business.

bon

So it turns out to be a bee assassin which is kind of sad. I wonder if I can teach him to eat grasshopper instead!

Here is a link that might be useful: Bee Assassin

Not a friend of mine. I have a butterfly and moth larvae garden, though. Nor are Robber Flies. Found one with a honeybee in its grasp the other day. Urrrggghhhhhh.

Susan