They sink their proboscis into the prey and inject a paralyzing enzyme
This photo is of wheel bug nymphs in the first instar stages. They go through five instar stages before becoming adults. Here, they can be seen with the egg cases that they hatch from in late spring. I took this photo in my front yard in late May. It takes roughly 94 days for them to become adults, at which point they develop the cog-like wheel on their back, which gives them their common name. The photo below shows the adult stage of the wheel bug. I took this photo in the middle of September.
Wheel Bug Behaviors
Wheel bugs are truly wild insects. By the time they are adults, they have developed a long proboscis that unfolds from its head when it is feeding. In order to feed, the wheel bug will stalk around searching for prey. They eat a variety of insects, and are considered to be at the top of the food chain among insects. Some of their common meals include: beetles (in particular Japanese beetles and Mexican bean beetles), tent caterpillars, giant swallowtails, and other caterpillars. They will first catch their prey with their front legs. Once they have done that, they will sink their proboscis into the prey and inject it with enzymes. These enzymes paralyze the insect and dissolve its insides. The wheel bug will then proceed to drain the captive bug.
Adult Wheel Bug
Wild Bugs
The wheel bug gets even more wild! it also has the ability to release an unpleasant odor. The smell comes from a pair of scent sacs from its anus that are bright orange that release the scent. On top of that wheel bugs are known to be cannibalistic! The females will occasionally eat the males after mating. Nymphs are known to prey on each other, and that’s not all. These bugs also can dole out a painful bite to humans! The injury can last for more than a week, and is said to be more painful than a hornet sting!
As you can see in this photo, some of the wheel bugs are red and black, and some are orange and translucent. The orange bugs are just hatched from the egg sac. The red and black insects are slightly older, and resemble spiders with their raised abdomens. The eggs are laid in a cluster as you can see here. The cluster can include up to 182 eggs, and they are typically attached to bark.
They are known to be cannibalistic
More Fun Facts!
- The scientific name for the wheel bugs seen in this photo is Arilus cristatus.
- The adult wheel bug can be up to 1.25 inches long. The female is larger than the male, making this a sexually dimorphic insect. Sexual dimorphism is when the sexes of a species exhibit different characteristics.
- The wheel bug adults lay the eggs in the fall, and they hatch in late spring.
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