Brasure's Pest Control Blog

Few people have ever seen or heard of the wheel bug, though it’s fairly common in the region. It is large, about 1.5 inches long, but is well-camouflaged, being a dark gray or brown in color. And, though it flies, you might mistake it for a grasshopper as it buzzes by. If you spot one resting, you’ll notice the distinctive spoked half-wheel on its back, which is a form of protective armor.

This wheel bug clings to siding on a house in Selbyville, where it was photographed upside down.

Technically, a wheel bug is a beneficial insect. It preys on other pests, like Japanese beetles or caterpillars, feeding on their insides in a rather gruesome fashion. When the wheel bug catches a meal, it pins it down with its front legs, and then pierces the exoskeleton with its beak, injecting an enzyme that dissolves soft tissue so that it can be slurped up. This is similar to a spider’s way of feeding.

Beneficial though it may be, a wheel bug is still nothing to be picked up and toyed with. When it bites a human, the bite is extremely painful, and may take many weeks or months to heal. A scar may even develop! In addition to feeding on pests, wheel bugs occasionally show themselves to be cannibals; nymphs feed on each other, and females might devour males after mating. Again, not unlike some spiders.

These vicious insects, which are the largest “true bugs”, mate in the months of October and November. If the male escapes being eaten by his mate–he usually does–his part is done, but the female lays 50-200 eggs, usually on a small stick. She then dies. If the eggs remain undisturbed through the winter, they will hatch during spring, each producing a nymph that looks similar to an adult wheel bug, but with a bright orange abdomen. They’re actually quite beautiful, should you manage to spot one. After several stages of molting and metamorphasis, the nymphs develop into adults by summer, making them quite long-lived, in comparison to many other insects.

Beautiful wheel bug nymph on a leaf; note the bright orange abdomen.

As it’s rare to find a wheel bug even if you’re looking for one, it’s very unlikely that you’ll face an infestation. Still, avoid picking them up or touching them; the bite isn’t worth it. Like most insects, wheel bugs can be controlled with appropriate pesticides, doubly so, because an all-purpose pesticide will also eliminate their food source, discouraging future visits.