What is this bright little red and black bug? The assassin bug, Zelus longipes. By its name you can probably guess that this is an insect that eats other insects. Thus, the name assassin. Predatory insects are very beneficial in the garden because they will usually munch on other insects such as aphids and ants that are not as welcome. I almost always see these little red beauties on my Bidens alba. It is so prevalent on the plant that I sometimes call the Bidens the Assassin host daisy. I could easily guess that this nimble creature was a hunter because it lives by itself, I never see it in a group of other Zelus longipes, vegetarian bugs will usually be surrounded by a whole bunch of their buddies. It is also very quick, nimble, and aware. When detecting my shadow it will instantaneously hide behind a branch. Ants don’t care about shadows, they keep marching. If you see one of these pretty little bugs, let it be, and be glad that you use Diatomite to control your ants so that the beautiful and helpful Zelus longipes can thrive in your garden.
~Lisa
ps: this post is famous in the future, check this out: The Curious Case of Bidens Alba
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