They are more often felt than seen, especially in late summer, when they may bite humans. The bite, which has no venom, is sometimes mistaken for a mosquito or fly bite or a bee sting.
Nymphs are small, wingless, teardrop-shaped, ranging in color from yellow orange to brown in color.
Nymphs and adults have piercing-sucking mouthparts within a long beak. Minute pirate bugs are found on all above-ground parts of plants. Life Cycle Minute pirate bugs overwinter as adults in leaf litter. Two or three days after mating, the females lay eggs within plant tissue. Incubation takes about 6 days at 73 F, before hatching.