Predatory stink bug

   5617           The bug in question is the top one. Found in Southern Ontario (rural Wellington area) in mid July/14. At the time, this was one of a very few I had seen in that year. Last year, they were quite common. It is approximately 1 cm in length, has six legs, and a poker that comes out of its oral region. This photo was taken while this bug’s poker was stuck in the black bug. The black bug could not get away. Both these bugs were found on my camping tent. The general area is heavily wooded with, I believe, Norway Spruce.  I have tried to identify this bug since this picture was taken. Any information would be wonderful. Melinda
This is a nymph of a predatory stink bug (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in the genus Podisus; see http://tinyurl.com/jbpanyk for an image. Called soldier bugs, they will feed on just about anything they can overpower; yours is feeding on the larva of a lady beetle. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.