About Orius niger (Wolff, 1811)
Orius niger (Wolff, 1811) is a species of true bug. Its range spans the Palearctic realm, extending from Europe eastward to Siberia, across Central Asia, and reaching into China and India. It is widespread across Central Europe, where it occurs most often in the southern part of the region. In the Alps, it can be found at elevations up to 1600 meters above sea level. Orius niger inhabits the herbaceous layer, where it feeds on plants from the families Boraginaceae, Ericaceae, and Fabaceae, as well as stinging nettles (Urtica) and Artemisia. Adult imagos overwinter in loose ground litter, under bark scales, or on plant stems and dried flowers. Most males do not survive the winter. Females lay their eggs inside the flowers of herbaceous plants. In favorable conditions, the species can produce two generations per year. Under laboratory conditions at 25 °C, larval development of Orius niger takes 14 days; females live up to 60 days and can lay as many as 150 eggs.
