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How to Manage Pests:
Pest Management and Identification
Minute pirate bugs
Scientific name: Orius spp. and Anthocoris spp.
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Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Anthocoridae
Common prey: Predaceous on a wide variety of small insects.
Used in greenhouses for controlling
thrips.
Commercially available: Yes (Orius spp.)
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DESCRIPTION
Adult minute pirate bugs are small, 2-5 mm (1/12
to 1/5 inch) long, oval, black to purplish with white markings,
and have a triangular head. Adults can be confused with plant bugs
in the family Miridae, which are generally larger, have longer
antennae, and only have one or two closed cells in the tip of their
forewings. Minute pirate bugs undergo incomplete metamorphosis,
and nymphs are usually pear-shaped and yellowish or reddish brown
with red eyes. Eggs are inserted into plant tissues where they
are difficult to detect. Developmental time for minute pirate bugs
is very short, only 3 weeks from egg to adult. They are generalist
predators and are often the first and most common predaceous insects
to appear in the spring. Minute pirate bugs are common insect predators
in many crops including alfalfa, corn, small grains, cotton, soybeans,
and tomatoes as well as on ornamentals and landscapes. Adults and
nymphs feed on insect eggs and small insects such as psyllids,
thrips, mites, aphids, whiteflies, and small caterpillars. Commercially
available Orius spp. are sometimes released in greenhouses to control
thrips.
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