The blue shieldbug can be found on low growing plants in a variety of habitats, from heathland and grassland to woodland rides. It is a predatory bug, using its strong rostrum to pierce the bodies of other insects and suck out their juices. It is particularly keen on leaf beetles, feeding on both adults and larvae. It will also drink water and plant juices. Like most shieldbugs, the blue shieldbug spends the winter as an adult.
How to identify
A medium-sized, metallic blue-green shieldbug. Nymphs (young shieldbugs) have a black head and thorax, with black markings on their bright red abdomen.
Distribution
Widespread across Britain, though rarer and more patchily distributed in Scotland and northern England. A few records from Northern Ireland.
Did you know?
The shiny blue-green colour of this shieldbug is very similar to the colour of some of the leaf beetles that it hunts. It has been suggested that this is an example of aggressive mimicry, where a predator resembles a harmless creature to help it get closer to its prey.
