A pest killer in two stages of its lifecycle, this beetle enjoys snails, slugs, cutworms, gypsy moth larvae, root maggots, tent caterpillars, Colorado potato beetle larvae and other pests that spend a stage of their lifecycle in the soil. Provide stone pathways or patches of white clover, or leave a log to decay. They thrive under cover. In spring adults emerge and lay eggs in the soil. Larvae feed for several weeks, then pupate in the soil.
Adults are able to live two to three years.
It too has earned a place in the ranks of commercially available pest controllers, especially in the control of tent caterpillars. An adult uses its proboscis to pierce prey and then suck out the body fluids. On the downside, they sometimes will eat beneficial insects and occasionally their own young. Nymphs begin voracious feeding when 4 to 5 days old. Spined soldier bugs gravitate to gardens and crop fields.