Bug FAQEuropean Firebug
Pyrrhocoris apterus · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Pyrrhocoridae
Also called: Firebug, Fire bug, Red fire bug
European firebugs are bright red and black insects that often gather on the sunny side of lime tree trunks. They live across the Palaearctic region from western Europe to northwest China and feed mainly on lime tree and mallow seeds. Mating occurs in April and May, and they can be mistaken for the unrelated cinnamon bug.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
They are easy to spot because of their striking red and black colors.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
You often find them in groups at the base of lime trees on the sunny side.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They mainly eat seeds of lime trees and mallows.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Mating takes place in April and May.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
They can be confused with the similarly coloured but unrelated cinnamon bug.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Utah, Idaho, California, Colorado, Washington, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in United States; introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Pyrrhocoridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhocoris_apterus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.