Assassin on the loose ~ Rural Thursday

The first year we moved to our little piece of land we didn't know much anything about pesticide free gardening or organic gardening, so we purchased The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals.
With two little boys, this was a must. Ok. Maybe not. It was really for their mom me, who ran screaming at the sight of most bugs. But no more!

Over the years, our favorite veggie defender, and we think most spectacular, became this guy; only he doesn't just defend the garden :)

This dangerous looking creature, known as a ninja Assassin Bug (aka wheel bug but his Family name sounds so much cooler) was slowly walking along the edge of our roof, right above the front steps, like a sentinel. I think he was trying to get a better look at my husband, who was climbing up the ladder at the time. Thankfully, DH was deemed a good guy!

These awesome bugs are very beneficial. Not only do they keep watch but they eat all kinds of bugs; aphids, spiders, wasps, etc. We don't kill them but use caution when we are near one because their bite hurts! 

Close up of stinger

For science nerds...

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)

Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)

Family Reduviidae (Assassin Bugs)

Subfamily Harpactorinae

Genus Arilus

Species cristatus (Wheel Bug)

Have you ever seen one of these?

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