Cinnamon bug
Its bold red and black pattern looks like the unrelated firebug, yet it belongs to a different family and lacks the scent glands most shieldbug relatives use for defence.
| Where | Open grassland and sunny low vegetation |
|---|---|
| Size | 9 to 12 mm long |
| When | April to October |
A distinctly hairy bug in red and black, with many veins crossing the membrane of its folded wings, a feature shared by its family. Some individuals show red patches on the rear of the abdomen while others are marked solid black there.
It overwinters as an adult and produces a new generation that matures in late summer.
Traits
Habitat
Grassland
Colour
Red, Black
Active
Day
To people
Harmless despite its warning colours.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The firebug is a similar size at 6.5 to 12 mm but is not hairy and usually has only stubby wings without the many-veined membrane.
Questions
Is the Cinnamon bug dangerous to people?
Harmless despite its warning colours.
When can you see the Cinnamon bug?
The Cinnamon bug can be seen from April to October, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by AJC ajcann.wordpress.com, CC BY‑SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
The plate on this page is shared under the same licence as its source, CC BY-SA.
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True bugs›Scentless plant bugs›Corizus
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.