Garden Carpet vs Spined Soldier Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Garden Carpet Spined Soldier Bug
Scientific Name Xanthorhoe fluctuata Podisus maculiventris
Order Lepidoptera Hemiptera
Family Geometridae Pentatomidae
Size 22-28 mm wingspan 10-13 mm
Habitat Gardens Gardens
Diet Herbivores Predators
Regions Europe, Asia Throughout North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Garden Carpet

A very common garden moth with variable grey and white patterning. Double-brooded with adults flying from April to October. Larvae feed on various cruciferous plants including garlic mustard.

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Did You Know?

One of the most frequently recorded moths in garden moth traps across Britain.

Spined Soldier Bug

A beneficial predatory stink bug with prominent shoulder spines and a mottled brown body. It feeds on pest caterpillars and beetle larvae in gardens and agricultural fields.

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Did You Know?

It is commercially reared and sold as a biological control agent for managing pest caterpillars in agriculture.