Anthocoridae Minute Pirate Bug and Insidious Flower Bug Orius spp.
Wings extend beyond the the tip of the body.
Habitat Orius is common on many agricultural crops including cotton, peanuts, alfalfa, corn, pea, and strawberry, on pasture land, in orchards, and is successfully used as a biological control agent in greenhouses. It is often found in corn silks and is most common where there are spring and summer flowering shrubs and weeds since it feeds on pollen and plant juices when prey are not available. In the Midwest, O. insidiosus is more common, while O. tristicolor is more common in the western states. In greenhouses, Orius spp. are used as generalist predators, especially on cucumber and bellpepper crops. Orius holds its prey with its front legs and inserts its beak into the host body, generally several times, until the soft body is empty and only the exoskeleton remains.