Natural Enemies of Aphids

Orius (pirate bug) nymph with aphid Photo credit: Oregon State University Extension

Figure 1. Adult minute pirate bug, Orius spp. Photo credit: Peter Sonnentag, courtesy Eileen Cullen

PIrate bugs are predatory on a variety of small insects, insect eggs, and mites. Members of this genus, Orius, are very common in a wide range of agricultural crops, gardens, and natural habitats. Adult pirate bugs comprise one of the most common groups of soybean aphid predators in some areas.

Most are very small insects, only 1-2 mm long. Adult pirate bugs are black with a pale band across the center of the body and silvery-white wing tips (Figure 1).

The pirate bugs, as with other predatory true bugs, have piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed by sucking the body contents from their prey. Both adults and nymphs feed on aphids, thrips, spider mites, and insect eggs. They are often seen in corn silks, and can be an important predator of corn earworm eggs, which are laid on corn silks.

Pirate bugs are in the insect order Homoptera (formerly Hemiptera), the true bugs, and family Anthocoridae, the pirate bugs.