Box bug
Once known from only a single hillside of box shrubs, it switched to hawthorn and other plants and then spread widely across northwestern Europe.
| Where | Woodland edges and hedgerow shrubs |
|---|---|
| Size | 11 to 14 mm long |
| When | April to October |
A slim, speckled reddish-brown bug with a narrower abdomen than the similar dock bug and sharper corners on the shield behind its head. Young nymphs look quite different, with a green abdomen that darkens as they mature.
Adults survive the winter and can be found on foliage in every season, feeding mainly on the juices of ripening fruit of shrubs and small trees.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Brown, Green
Active
Day
To people
Harmless; it feeds only on plant fruit and does not bite or sting.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The dock bug is slightly larger at 12 to 15 mm with a broader abdomen and rounder, less pointed corners on the shield behind its head.
Questions
Is the Box bug dangerous to people?
Harmless; it feeds only on plant fruit and does not bite or sting.
When can you see the Box bug?
The Box bug can be seen from April to October, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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True bugs›Leaf-footed bugs›Gonocerus
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.