On Monday I spotted these cool-looking black- and-red beetles at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I think that they are immature Florida Predatory Stink Bugs (Euthyrhynchus floridanus), a species considered to be beneficial, because its diet consists of many species of pest insects. The nymphs of this species go through five stages (instars) in their growth process and I believe these bugs are in one of the later stages of development.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
eew!
Wow!!
Sometimes I wonder where super hero costume ideas come from. Now I’m just going to assume they are all from insects. Lol. Thanks! Very cool.
And actually, nice they are considered beneficial. Though when I hear some insect, amphibian, or mammal is harmful, I have to think, by whose metric…
That’s cool!
I never quite know where the line is between “cool” and “creepy,” when it comes to bugs. 🙂
…and they can be both! 😎😱
Indeed! 🙂