You should encourage these little bugs, not discourage them. Minute pirate bugs belong to the order Heteroptera, or true bugs, and they feed on many plant pests including aphids, leafhoppers, spider mites, lace bugs, whiteflies, scales, plant bugs, flies, caterpillars and even other insect's eggs. These are one of the most beneficial insects you can have in your yard.

They do have an irritating habit of biting people, which is entirely unintentional. When you walk through a field and brush a minute pirate bug onto your skin, it will automatically think you are a meal and insert its beak to feed. For some reason they seem to be repelled by the taste of humans and quickly quit biting.

The indiscriminate or careless use of pesticides inadvertently kills many of these very interesting and beneficial little insects.