This bug was photographed at Fontenelle Forest. Its overall occurrence there is not known probably due to its small size.

This bug is also known as the insidious flower bug. Pirate bugs feed on other small insects, spider mites and insect eggs. They cut a hole into their prey, pump saliva into it and drink the contents. This makes them beneficial as biological control agents. The minute pirate bug for example, feeds on the eggs of the corn earworm. It is often released in greenhouses against mites and thrips. They can bite humans, with surprising pain for such a small insect. However, they do not feed on human blood or inject venom or saliva. In some people the bite swells up, in others there is no reaction.