Six-spotted tiger beetle
Adults hunt other insects with large, sickle-shaped jaws, and the same jaws can deliver a mild pinching bite to a person who picks one up.
| Where | Deciduous forest paths and trails |
|---|---|
| Size | 10 to 14 mm body length |
| When | March to July |
The Six-spotted tiger beetle has a bright metallic green body, sometimes tinted blue, with large sickle-shaped jaws and long legs built for running down prey along sunlit forest paths. The similar Festive tiger beetle is less brightly colored, often with a duller green head and thorax and a darker, reddish-bronze abdomen.
Adults appear on wooded trails as early as March and are usually gone by July, spending their short season chasing down ants, caterpillars and other small insects. If handled roughly, the beetle can give a brief pinching bite with its jaws, though it does not break the skin.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Green, Metallic, White
Active
Day
To people
Mild
Predatory adults rarely bite people, and only if handled roughly; the pinch is brief and does not break the skin.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Green forms are less brightly colored than the Six-spotted tiger beetle, with a duller green head and thorax and a darker, reddish-bronze abdomen rather than a uniformly bright metallic green body.
Questions
Is the Six-spotted tiger beetle dangerous to people?
Mild. Predatory adults rarely bite people, and only if handled roughly; the pinch is brief and does not break the skin.
When can you see the Six-spotted tiger beetle?
The Six-spotted tiger beetle can be seen from March to July, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Loïc Mathieu, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
Report a mistake in this entry
Beetles›Ground beetles›Cicindela
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.