European striped shield bug
Its bold red-and-black stripes are a warning pattern, advertising the foul taste it gets from the scent glands typical of shield bugs.
| Where | Grassland, roadsides, gardens with umbellifers |
|---|---|
| Size | 8 to 12 mm body length |
| When | May to September |
It has an almost round, shield-shaped red body marked with broad black longitudinal stripes, black legs and black antennae.
Adults feed on the sap of umbellifer flowers and seed heads and often gather in small groups to mate on the same plant.
Traits
Habitat
Grassland
Colour
Red, Black
Active
Day
To people
Harmless
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Graphosoma lineatum has red legs, while the European striped shield bug's legs are mostly black.
Questions
Is the European striped shield bug dangerous to people?
The European striped shield bug is harmless to people.
When can you see the European striped shield bug?
The European striped shield bug can be seen from May to September, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Paul Braun, CC0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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True bugs›Shield bugs›Graphosoma
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.