Most tiny green bugs that bite are harmless since they feed on plants and small insects. These beneficial creatures are basically uninterested in biting humans, but their bites are highly unpleasant and painful once that happens.
They typically bite to protect themselves from danger, never to attack. However, many people are unhappy seeing these bugs in their homes, so you should know how to recognize them and the consequences of their bites. Let’s take a look.
As an avid gardener and nature lover, I frequently find myself surrounded by all sorts of bugs and insects when working outside. While most are harmless or even beneficial to the garden there are a few pesky critters that can turn an otherwise pleasant day outside into an uncomfortable experience. One such culprit is the group of small green bugs that occasionally bite and leave itchy, irritated marks on the skin.
What Are These Annoying Little Green Bugs?
The most common types of little green biting bugs encountered in North America belong to a group known as assassin bugs. Assassin bugs are true bugs in the order Hemiptera that get their name from their predatory nature. With their sucking mouthparts, they attack and feed on other insects, including many common garden pests.
While more than 7,000 species of assassin bugs exist worldwide, some of the most frequently encountered little green biters in the eastern US are in the genus Zelus. In particular, the pale green assassin bug (Zelus luridus) and the green stink bug (Chinavia hilaris) deliver painful bites that can leave humans with itchy welts.
Identifying Features of These Green Biters
While small green bugs that bite come in many varieties, the pale green assassin bug and green stink bug share some common identifiable features:
- Size ranges from 12-18 mm long
- Long, slender bodies with narrow heads
- Pale green base color with variable brown/yellow markings
- Wings present in adults but absent in juveniles (nymphs)
- Needle-like mouthparts used to stab and suck fluids from prey
The pale green assassin bug can be distinguished by the pair of long spines on the rear corners of its thorax. The green stink bug gives off a characteristic foul odor when disturbed or crushed. Juveniles tend to be more uniformly green and wingless.
Why Do These Bugs Bite Humans?
Assassin bugs and stink bugs don’t actually feed on human blood. So why do they sometimes bite us?
There are a couple reasons these insects may occasionally nip:
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Accidental: Assassin bugs hunt by ambush and may mistakenly stab humans when brushed against or pinned between skin and clothing.
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Self-defense: If crushed or pressed against skin, stink bugs and assassin bugs will bite in an attempt to escape what they perceive as a threat.
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Exploratory: They may test surfaces with investigative nibbles, injecting saliva to determine if something is edible prey or predator.
While bites are not intended to feed on us, they can still be painful and cause minor irritation or swelling at the site.
How to Avoid Bites from These Bugs
The good news about assassin bugs and stink bugs is that they are not aggressive and only bite humans incidentally. With some caution, bites can easily be avoided:
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Carefully inspect foliage, clothing, and gear when in contact with plants. Brush off any hitchhiking bugs.
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Avoid pressing up against vegetation and trapping bugs next to your skin.
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Don’t swat at or crush bugs on your skin, as reflex biting is common when they feel threatened.
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Use insect repellent when spending extended time gardening or in wooded areas.
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Check for clinging bugs and undress outdoors after being in vegetation to keep them out of your living space.
What to Do if You Get Bitten
If one of these sneaky little green biters manages to nip you, there are a few steps you can take to treat the bite:
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Wash the bite area thoroughly with soap and water to reduce risk of infection.
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Apply a cold compress or ice pack to relieve swelling and itching.
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Take an antihistamine containing diphenhydramine to help reduce allergic reactions.
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Rub on hydrocortisone cream to ease inflammation.
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Monitor for signs of infection like pus, spreading redness, or fever and see a doctor if they develop.
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Refrain from scratching as this can lead to further irritation and risk of secondary skin infection.
While the bites can be momentarily painful and cause temporary discomfort, they are generally harmless and pose little medical risk for most people. With some diligence, you can continue to enjoy gardening and the outdoors without being bothered by these occasional green bug bites!
Pale green assassin bug
You can quickly identify these 0.50 to 0.70 inches (12.7 – 17.8 mm) long ambush predators by their yellow-brownish wings and green bodies and legs. Their primary goal is to camouflage and sit on plants waiting for insects they feed on.
Even though humans are not in their interest, these bugs can sometimes bite you. Unfortunately, their bite is more painful than any other insect living in your garden.
After experiencing it, you will feel pain for at least a day, while your skin will be swollen for approximately two to three days. Despite the justified anger you probably feel, avoid killing these beneficial bugs feeding on aphids, caterpillars, and mealybugs harmful to plants.
Nowadays, entomologists recognize 6,000 grasshopper species that can be from 0.20 to 5 inches (5 mm – 12.7 cm) long. Longhorn green grasshoppers (bushcrickets) are better known as Katydids.
These nocturnal insects typically reach 0.4 to 2.4 inches (10 – 61 mm) in length. You can recognize them for their entirely green, thick, long bodies and loud mating calls.
Even though they are often considered friendly bugs kept as pets, Katydids can bite humans. Fortunately, their bite is weak and can’t pierce your skin. So, you will only feel a light pinch instead of real pain. In rare cases, their bite is followed by skin irritation and minor itching.
If you hate the noise these bugs make, you can get rid of them by removing plants that attract them, like lemon and orange trees, bursaria, and eucalyptus.
Approximately 0.30 to 0.50 inches (8 – 12 mm) long, Ambush bugs change their body color to green and brown to adapt to their habitat. They are beneficial and destroy damaging plant pests living in gardens.
These creatures can mimic the host flower’s look while ambushing prey, like butterflies, moths, bees, bumblebees, beetles, wasps, and flies. Such behavior makes their feeding technique precise and practical.
Despite the possibility of flying, these insects prefer crawling around flowering plants and spending time in open sunny areas. They never bite humans willingly but react to rough handling and squeezing with unpleasant and pretty painful bites, causing skin swelling.
You can see ticks on dogs throughout the year, particularly in the fall, but they can also bite humans. Green ticks are uncommon in the US, and you can confuse them with brown dog ticks looking greenish after sucking blood.
Since these crawling arachnids may transmit diseases, you should consider them dangerous and remove them from your skin with tweezers as soon as possible.
Unlike other green bugs bite, you will feel pain instantly when this tick attacks your skin. If the tissue around the bite becomes swollen or you get a fever, you should visit a doctor immediately.
The uniformly pale green Banana cockroach (Cuban cockroach) is a 0.50 to 1 inches (12.7 – 25.4 mm) long insect with a green head and wings that typically live outdoors. Females are always longer than males.
You can spot this invasive flying species around trees at night, mainly near light sources. They can bite you only in a period of scarce food. Otherwise, they will try to eat your nails and dead skin only.
These non-toxic arachnids live in woodlands, parks, and gardens and don’t create spider webs like others. Most spider species rarely bite people, but it is sometimes possible when you come across:
- 10 to 0.30 inches (2.5 – 7.6 mm) long Green crab spider
- 75 inches (19 mm) long Green lynx spider
When it happens to bite, it is a painful experience that can last for days and sometimes require medical attention. Still, the worst thing is when a female spit venom in the human or animal eye when feeling threatened, causing irritation.
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Adult Tree crickets are 1-inch (25 mm) long insects that occasionally bite people. Luckily, their short mouthparts can’t pierce human skin and cause significant damage.
You can notice them on trees, shrubs, and flowers in your garden, but be prepared that they look for shelter in the fall. Prepare your home on time to prevent these uninvited guests from entering.
Praying mantis are 3 – 4 inches (7.62 – 10 cm) long carnivores consuming all types of insects in the garden. They attach their pale and frothy eggs gathered in 1.50 inches (3.8 cm) long two-row mass to twigs.
It is almost impossible to become bitten by these large insects unless while roughly handled. Even then, they can’t damage your skin since they don’t have teeth. These creatures are harmless and don’t transmit any diseases to humans.
Greenhead ants are dangerous predators and scavenger insects that originated in Australia. You can effortlessly distinguish their 0.20 to 0.30 (5 – 7.6 mm) inches long green-blue to green-purple-colored bodies from other insects looking for caterpillars and seeds.
If you ever come across these predators, avoiding them is a better option because their bite is incredibly painful. Even though intensive pain lasts only shortly before disappearing, their potent venom causes numerous health issues, including anaphylactic shock.
You can recognize 18 Sweat bee types in the US. These beneficial, 0.25 to 0.75 inches (6 – 19 mm) long insects eat pollen and play a significant pollination role. Male bees can’t bite you, while females rarely do that, although they can.
These bees are unaggressive, but you can expect a very unpleasant experience after being bitten if you press them against your skin or handle them roughly. However, their bite is less painful than other bees or wasps and rarely causes complications.
Green tiger and six-spotted green tiger beetles
You can recognize two Green tiger beetle species, including:
- Green tiger beetle (Cicindela campestris) living in Europe and Asia
- Six-spotted green tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) common in North America
Green tiger beetles come in 11 subspecies living throughout Europe and Asia. These 0.50 to 0.60 inches (12.7 – 15 mm) long bugs typically feed on spiders, mosquitos, wood ants, and various flying insects and their larvae. They are beneficial creatures and rarely bite humans, and the consequences are mild when it happens.
Six-spotted green tiger beetles are fast and agile predators living in the US that eat caterpillars, spiders, and ants. You can recognize them by their metallic green, 0.4 to 0.6 inches (18 mm) long bodies. These bugs won’t bite you unless you disturb or try to harm them. Luckily, their bite is harmless and barely painful.
These green soft-bodied insects with four membrane-look wings and golden eyes are approximately 0.75 inches (19 mm) long. Their oblong eggs reach up to 1/16 inches (1.6 mm) in length.
Since these bugs feed on invasive species, like scale insects, you can consider them beneficial in your garden. They live on leaves and rarely bite humans.
In fact, adults never bite, but you can experience a very unpleasant bite of larvae looking for food. Luckily, their bites are painless and followed by skin redness that disappears in a few hours.
Foolproof Aphid Control and Prevention
FAQ
What is a small green bug that bites?
A small green bug that bites could be a leafhopper, assassin bug, or even a lacewing larva. While many small green insects are harmless plant feeders, some, like assassin bugs, can deliver a painful bite if they feel threatened.
Do green aphids bite humans?
No, green aphids do not bite humans. Their mouthparts are designed for piercing plant tissue to suck sap, not for biting or stinging humans or animals.
Are pale green assassin bugs harmful?
Assassin bugs are not aggressive and do not seek out or attack humans but will bite if handled or accidentally pressed against the skin. Assassin bug bites can be quite painful immediately with some pain and swelling persisting for a day or two.
What are those tiny little green bugs?
The most likely culprit for tiny, green bugs on plants is aphids. Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that come in various colors, including green, and they often congregate on the undersides of leaves.