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Photo#434388
Bug found on Queen Anne's Lace in Vermont eating Honey Bee - Phymata americana

Bug found on Queen Anne's Lace in Vermont eating Honey Bee - Phymata americana
Milton, Chittenden County, Vermont, USA
This bug was on a Queen Anne's Lace and caught my eye. Has tiny wings and an odd pattern. Up close his face reminds me of a grasshopper. Looks like a simple eye but I cannot tell completely. I have never seen one before. I looked at more Queen Anne's and found that they were on most of the flowers, and then I found one that appeared to be eating a honeybee! I hope these are not predators of honeybees. Please help me to identify it so I can determine if I should alert the town as these flowers were on town property. Thank you!

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Bug found on Queen Anne's Lace in Vermont eating Honey Bee - Phymata americana Bug found on Queen Anne's Lace in Vermont eating Honey Bee - Phymata americana Bug found on Queen Anne's Lace in Vermont eating Honey Bee - Phymata americana Bug found on Queen Anne's Lace in Vermont eating Honey Bee - Phymata americana

Moved
Moved from Jagged Ambush Bugs.

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Moved from True Bugs.

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Moved from ID Request.

Ambush bug
This is a "jagged ambush bug" in genus Phymata. They are common on flowers this time of year. They eat a variety of large insects. I have seen them eating larger and smaller bees.

A honey bee hive has tens of thousands of workers. They expect to lose a few to predators.

Jagged Ambush Bug (Phymata)


A kind of Assassin Bug. They'll eat whatever they can catch. They won't make a serious dent in the honeybee population. :)

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