The Assasin Bug; rightly named for the characteristic of stabbing it’s prey with it’s long proboscis, injects its prey with a lethal saliva that liquefies the insides of the prey, which are then sucked out. This terrific trick allows the Assasin Bug to kill prey substantially larger than itself.
I found this magnificent creature hanging out on a sweet pea vine; taking a nap within a slightly curled leaf. I think it was it’s pose that caught my attention… it seemed to be saying “come on in and have some lemonade”.
Assasin bugs are considered “good bugs”; as they eat the so called “bad” bugs that tend to damage our crops such as caterpillars and beetles. Assasins don’t suck the juice of plants; just the animals that tend to like doing that.
Beware of picking up these beauties with bare hands as their bite can be quite painful.
Nice to hear about a good bug friend!