Spined Soldier Beetle

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Common names:  Spined Soldier Beetle

Scientific name (Family):  Podisus maculiventris

Region:  Throughout North America

Life cycle:  Two broods per year.  Adults hibernate in the winter in sheltered locations.

Physical Description: Adult: Yellowish or light brown, covered with specks.  The shoulders are pointed sharply.  Tibia has a noticeable spine in the front.  The wings extend beyond the abdomen.  Nymph" The nymphs gather around the eggshells, until the first molt, and may feed on plants, but strictly predaceous thereafter.  Eggs: The female may lay up to 1000 eggs within a five to eight week period.

Feeding characteristics: Feeds on hairless Caterpillars, larvae of sawflies and leaf-eating beetles.  The Bugs harpoon their prey, inject a substance, which paralyzes the victim within 60 seconds, then sucks out the body fluids.