The genus ''Orius'' (commonly called minute pirate bug) consists of omnivorous bugs in the family

Anthocoridae Anthocoridae is a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species. Description Anthocoridae are 1.5–5 mm long and have soft, elongated oval, flat bodies, often patterned in black an ...

(pirate bugs). Adults are 2–5 mm long and feed mostly on smaller insects, larva and eggs, such as

spider mites Spider mites are members of the family Tetranychidae, which includes about 1,200 species. They are part of the subclass Acari (mites). Spider mites generally live on the undersides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, a ...

thrips Thrips (Order (biology) , order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Entomologists have species description , described approximately 7,700 species. They fly on ...

jumping plant lice Psyllidae, the jumping plant lice or psyllids, are a family of small plant-feeding insects that tend to be very host-specific, i.e. each plant-louse species only feeds on one plant species (monophagous) or feeds on a few closely related plants ( ...

, and

white fly Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family (biology), family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than List of whitefly species, 1550 species have been ...

, but will also feed on pollen and vascular sap. These

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

s are common in

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s and landscapes. They have a fairly painful bite, but are not

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

ous. Some species are raised commercially and sold to growers as a form of

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or o ...

. In laboratory conditions, the larval development of ''

Orius niger ''Orius niger'' is a true bug. The species is found in the Palearctic from Europe east to Siberia and across Central Asia to China and India. It is widespread in Central Europe mostly in the south. In the Alps it is found up 1600 meters above se ...

'' takes 14 days at a temperature of 25°; females have a longevity of 60 days and can lay up to 150 eggs.Jean-Lou Justine (1978) ontribution to the study of the influence of alimentation on the development and reproduction of ''Orius niger'' Wolff, 1811 (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae)Contribution à l'étude de l'influence de l'alimentation sur le développement et la reproduction dOrius niger'' Wolff, 1811 (Heteroptera : Anthocoridae). Masters Thesis, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France, 92 pages

n French with English abstract N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

Species

* '' Orius candiope'' * ''

Orius diespeter The genus ''Orius'' (commonly called minute pirate bug) consists of omnivorous bugs in the family Anthocoridae (pirate bugs). Adults are 2–5 mm long and feed mostly on smaller insects, larva and eggs, such as spider mites, thrips, jum ...

'' * ''

Orius harpocrates The genus ''Orius'' (commonly called minute pirate bug) consists of omnivorous bugs in the family Anthocoridae (pirate bugs). Adults are 2–5 mm long and feed mostly on smaller insects, larva and eggs, such as spider mites, thrips, jum ...

'' * ''

Orius insidiosus ''Orius insidiosus'', common name the insidious flower bug, is a species of Anthocoridae, minute pirate bug, a predatory insect in the order (biology), order Hemiptera (the true bugs). They are considered beneficial, as they feed on small pest art ...

'' (insidious flower bug) * ''

Orius minutus ''Orius minutus'' is a Palearctic species of minute pirate bug in the family Anthocoridae. ''O. minutus'' is naturally distributed throughout Europe, western Russia, North Africa, China, Japan, and Siberia The predatory bug was accidentally intro ...

'' * ''

Orius pumilio The genus ''Orius'' (commonly called minute pirate bug) consists of omnivorous bugs in the family Anthocoridae (pirate bugs). Adults are 2–5 mm long and feed mostly on smaller insects, larva and eggs, such as spider mites, thrips, jum ...

'' * ''

Orius tantillus The genus ''Orius'' (commonly called minute pirate bug) consists of omnivorous bugs in the family Anthocoridae (pirate bugs). Adults are 2–5 mm long and feed mostly on smaller insects, larva and eggs, such as spider mites, thrips, jum ...

'' * ''

Orius thyestes The genus ''Orius'' (commonly called minute pirate bug) consists of omnivorous bugs in the family Anthocoridae (pirate bugs). Adults are 2–5 mm long and feed mostly on smaller insects, larva and eggs, such as spider mites, thrips, jum ...

'' * ''

Orius tristicolor ''Orius tristicolor'', known generally as the minute flower bug or minute pirate bug, is a species of minute pirate bug in the family Anthocoridae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, Central America, North America, Oceania Oceania ( , ...

References

External links

Iowa State University Department of Entomology ''Iowa Insect Information Notes'', minute pirate bug entry
(with picture) Anthocoridae Cimicomorpha genera {{Cimicomorpha-stub