Three-spotted nettle bug
It survives winter as an adult, so it can turn up on stinging nettles in almost any month rather than only in summer.
| Where | Gardens and hedgerows near nettles |
|---|---|
| Size | 4 to 5 mm long |
| When | April to October |
The three-spotted nettle bug is a small, curved backed bug with a cream to deep yellow scutellum and cuneus and pale legs ringed with black. Spring adults tend to be darker with a bright orange yellow cuneus, while later broods are paler.
It lives almost entirely on stinging nettle, feeding on the plant at every life stage, and adults overwinter so the species can be found on nettle patches in nearly every month of the year.
Traits
Habitat
Garden
Colour
Brown, Yellow, Black
Active
Day
To people
Harmless; it does not bite or sting people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The field capsid is greenish rather than brown and yellow, has a larger black spot on the cuneus, and lacks the black ringed legs of the three-spotted nettle bug.
Questions
Is the Three-spotted nettle bug dangerous to people?
Harmless; it does not bite or sting people.
When can you see the Three-spotted nettle bug?
The Three-spotted nettle bug can be seen from April to October, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by janet graham, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.