BeneficialLeaf-footed bug

Assassin bugs for leaf-footed bug

Reduviidae · wild predator

Against leaf-footed bug

UC IPM lists assassin bugs among the predators of leaf-footed bugs, alongside birds and spiders, and notes that natural enemies may control only a small number of the bugs. None of the sources read measures how much assassin bugs reduce damage in a garden, so treat them as background help: avoid broad-spectrum sprays that kill them, and keep hand-picking. Check before you squash a nymph: young Zelus assassin bugs look like leaf-footed nymphs, but have pale legs and antennae where the leaf-footed nymph's are dark.

RateWild — conserve; not sold as a control

TimingAs fruit ripens, when leaf-footed bugs move into gardens

macro · assassin bugs on leaf-footed bug

The pestLeaf-footed bugLeptoglossus spp.Aborted or pitted tomatoes, withered pomegranate arils, sunken spots and dried juice sacs in young citrusFull pest profile →

Before you act

A family of long-beaked, slow-moving predators that stab insects on foliage. They are common in gardens and often mistaken for a pest because of the beak. If picked up or crushed they give a painful bite, which is why most people look them up. How to recognise it, what it is confused with and how to keep it around are on the full Assassin bugs profile.

Other controls for leaf-footed bug

Tachinid fliesWild parasitoid · Wild — keep nectar plants near the crop, no broad-spectrum sprays