Bug FAQCommon Flowerbug
Anthocoris nemorum · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Anthocoridae
Also called: Common Flower Bug, Minute pirate bug
Source: Wikipedia
Anthocoris nemorum is a tiny predatory bug about 3 to 4 mm long with a flat, soft body, shiny transparent forewings that have a central black dot and an hour-glass spot near the tip. It lives on moist, shaded low vegetation such as nettles across Europe, the Palearctic to China, and is common in Britain and Ireland. Adults are present year-round, they prey on aphids and spider mites, and they can bite humans.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The bug has a soft, elongated flat body with a black pronotum and reflective forewings. Its front wing is clear and shiny, showing a black dot in the middle and an hour-glass-shaped black spot at the tip.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It measures about 3 to 4 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
The bug is capable of biting humans.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
It can bite people, though the reaction is mild.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Since 1992 it has been used as a biological control agent, especially against the pear psylla Cacopsylla pyri.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It prefers lower, moist, shaded vegetation, especially nettles, later in the growing season.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It is a predator that feeds on small insects such as aphids and red spider mites. Females lay their eggs inside plant leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults can be found throughout the entire year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are present all year round.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs across Europe and the Palearctic region extending to China.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
Do they bite people?
Yes, the common flowerbug can bite humans, causing only a mild reaction.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are they found?
They live on moist, shaded low vegetation like nettles across Europe, the Palearctic to China, and are common in Britain and Ireland.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Anthocoridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_flowerbug
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.