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 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.