Explanation of Names
Picromerus bidens (Linnaeus 1758)
Identification
large laterally-projecting humeral spine; tibiae typically tricolored: brown at the knee, pale in the middle, and reddish apically
Range
native to the Palaearctic (across n Eurasia), adventive in our area: ne NA (NS-PA to ON-MI)
(2)Food
caterpillars, esp. webworms and tent caterpillars
(3)Life Cycle
gregarious during first two instars and phytophagous, but gradually disperses in later instars and becomes predacious
(1)Remarks
earliest NA record: ME 1932
(1)
potentially useful predator of certain leaf-feeding insects (e.g., pine sawfly larvae)
(4)