Orius insidiosus
Encyclopedia
Orius insidiosus, common name the insidious flower bug, is a species of minute pirate bug
, a predatory insect in the order
Hemiptera
(the true bugs). They are considered beneficial, as they feed on small pest arthropods and their eggs. They are mass-reared for use in the biological control of thrips
.
of this species are teardrop-shaped and wingless. They range from yellow-orange to brown in colour.
, and extends into Mexico, Central and South America. It also occurs in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other islands of the West Indies.
s and their eggs, various insect eggs, and other soft-bodied arthropods such as thrips
, spider mite
s, and small caterpillar
s. They also feed on the eggs and new larvae of the bollworm
, spotted tobacco aphids, corn earworm
, European corn borer
s (Ostrinia nubilalis), corn leaf aphids (Rhopalosiphum maidis), potato aphids (Macrosiphum euphorbiae), and potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) nymphs.
They are used in orchard
s to help control the European red mite (Panonychus ulmi), the twospotted spider mite
(Tetranychus urticae), and most species of aphid
s. Orius insidiosus can also feed on plants and pollen.
Both nymphs and adults feed. The adults are voracious predators and exhibit efficient searching behaviour. They congregate in areas where the density of prey is high. They are also able to propagate more rapidly in environments where prey is abundant.
Orius insidiosus seizes its prey using its front legs and then inserts its long beak into its victim's body. It usually reinserts its beak several times until the soft body of the host has been emptied, leaving behind the drained exoskeleton.
Orius insidiosus occasionally bites humans. Although the bite can be considered disproportionately painful relative to the size of this species, it is not harmful.
fruit
s, grapes, alfalfa
, cotton
, corn
, and soybean
s.
Anthocoridae
The Anthocoridae are a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs.-Name:The vernacular name probably stems from the notion that these very small animals can do much pain to humans, just like small pirate vessels can do so to big ships.The scientific name is a combination of...
, a predatory insect in the order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Hemiptera
Hemiptera
Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...
(the true bugs). They are considered beneficial, as they feed on small pest arthropods and their eggs. They are mass-reared for use in the biological control of thrips
Thrips
Thrips are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings . Other common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, thunderblights, and corn lice...
.
Description
Orius insidiosus adults are approximately 3 mm in length. This oval-shaped insect is black with white patches on the wings. NymphsNymph (biology)
In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects, which undergoes gradual metamorphosis before reaching its adult stage. Unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult. In addition, while a nymph moults it never enters a...
of this species are teardrop-shaped and wingless. They range from yellow-orange to brown in colour.
Distribution
This species is common throughout the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and extends into Mexico, Central and South America. It also occurs in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other islands of the West Indies.
Life cycle
The female lays her eggs inside plant tissues, where they hatch into nymphs. Growth time from egg to mature adult takes at least 20 days. It is possible for several generations to occur during a single growing season.Diet
Orius insidiosus prey on plant-eating (phytophagous) miteMite
Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
s and their eggs, various insect eggs, and other soft-bodied arthropods such as thrips
Thrips
Thrips are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings . Other common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, thunderblights, and corn lice...
, spider mite
Spider mite
Spider mites are members of the Acari family Tetranychidae, which includes about 1,200 species. They generally live on the under sides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, and they can cause damage by puncturing the plant cells to feed...
s, and small caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s. They also feed on the eggs and new larvae of the bollworm
Bollworm
A bollworm is a common term for any larva of a moth that attacks the fruiting bodies of certain crops, especially cotton.The most common moths known as bollworms are:* Red or Sudan Bollworm: Diaparopsis* Rough Bollworm: Earias perhuegeli...
, spotted tobacco aphids, corn earworm
Corn earworm
Corn earworm may refer to:* Helicoverpa armigera* Helicoverpa zea...
, European corn borer
European Corn Borer
The European corn borer , also known as the European high-flyer, is a pest of grain, particularly maize. The insect is native to Europe, originally infesting varieties of millet, including broom corn. The European corn borer was first reported in North America in 1917 in Massachusetts, but was...
s (Ostrinia nubilalis), corn leaf aphids (Rhopalosiphum maidis), potato aphids (Macrosiphum euphorbiae), and potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) nymphs.
They are used in orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s to help control the European red mite (Panonychus ulmi), the twospotted spider mite
Tetranychus urticae
Tetranychus urticae is one of many species of plant-feeding mites found in dry environments across the world, and generally considered a pest. It is the most widely known member of the family Tetranychidae or spider mites...
(Tetranychus urticae), and most species of aphid
Aphid
Aphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...
s. Orius insidiosus can also feed on plants and pollen.
Behaviour
Orius insidiosus seizes its prey using its front legs and then inserts its long beak into its victim's body. It usually reinserts its beak several times until the soft body of the host has been emptied, leaving behind the drained exoskeleton.
Orius insidiosus occasionally bites humans. Although the bite can be considered disproportionately painful relative to the size of this species, it is not harmful.
Habitat
This species can be found on numerous crops, including most deciduousDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s, grapes, alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, corn
Corn
Corn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...
, and soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
s.
Further reading
- Isenhour D. J., Yeargan K. V., 1981.- Predation by Orius insidiosus on the soybean thrips, Sericothrips variabilis: effect of the prey stage and density.- Environ. Entomol. 10 (4): 496-500.
- Tavella L., Alma A., Arzone A., 1994.- Predaceus activity of Orius spp. (Anthocoridae) on Frankliniella occidentalis (Perg.) (Thripidae) on protected crops of sweet pepper.- Inf. tore Fitopat. 44 (1): 40-43.