Subject: What bug is this?
Geographic location of the bug: Cincinnati, ohio
Date: 08/28/2018
Time: 09:34 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi! We found this guy munching on some caterpillars on our kale plant. Any idea what kind of big this is?
How you want your letter signed: Ginja ninja
Dear Ginja ninja,
The predator is a Stink Bug nymph and we have identified it as an immature Spined Soldier Bug, a member of the genus Podisus, thanks to this BugGuide image. According to BugGuide: “preys on a wide variety of other arthropods, especially larval forms of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. known to eat Mexican bean beetles, European corn borers, diamondback moths, corn earworms, beet armyworms, fall armyworms, cabbage loopers, imported cabbageworms, Colorado potato beetles, and velvetbean caterpillars.” We will attempt to identify your Moth Caterpillar as well, but we are surmising that since it was found on kale, it is most likely an undesirable species.