You may not know it, but assassins could be hiding in your flowerbed. They’re not out to get you — in fact, they may be helping you get rid of unwanted pests.
Assassin bugs of the family Reduviidae can range in size from 4 to over 40 millimetres. They feed in a spectacularly gory way, similar to spiders, by capturing prey in their hairy, sticky legs and sucking their insides out. Their saliva turns their victims’ insides into liquid, making an easy meal that can be sucked up through their straw-like proboscises. This deadly saliva allows these little bugs to kill much larger insects, with some species able to feed off cockroaches, hornets or even bumblebees. Assassin bugs’ front claws are well designed for capturing and holding prey, most likely helped by generations of selective evolutionary pressure.
Bug bites can be painful for humans and may cause an allergic reaction. Certain species of assassin bug in Central and South America can transmit a serious illness known as chagas disease through their bite. If untreated, this parasitic disease can be fatal, leading to heart disease and malformation of the intestinal tract.
The species shown here is of the genus Phymata and can be found in Southern Ontario. Commonly known as ambush bugs, these yellow- and-black insects have evolved to look like their surroundings, blending in best among the yellow flowers of the goldenrod plant. They have even developed a pointy body shape that mimics the goldenrod’s buds and a yellow eye that does not betray their location to nearby insects. Younger, less-developed ambush bugs have been observed camouflaging themselves with pieces of debris or the remains of dead insects. The male of the species tends to be smaller and can often be seen hitching a ride on the female’s back during mating.
These particular ambush bugs were collected at U of T’s Koffler Scientific Reserve at Joker’s Hill. They can be useful in gardens for reducing the number of unwanted pests, but require goldenrod to be planted where they are most comfortable hunting and feeding.
