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This is a small insect/beetle that has appeared all over my decking today.

Close up Another close up

The things are about 5-7mm in size. The decking is wooden, made from tropical hardwood (Balau if that matters).

I am based in London, UK, and it has been unseasonably hot and dry here the last week or so.

There seem to be hundereds of the things crawling all over the deck and the garden furniture.

What is it?
Does it bite?
Does it indicate anything bad - for example rot or decay in the deck?

Boris the Spider
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    Great pictures, thank you, this will make it easier to identify your new friends... – kevinskio Jul 09 '19 at 18:26
  • I'm definitely hoping they're friendly @kevinsky! – Boris the Spider Jul 09 '19 at 18:27
  • Preliminary Google Reverse Image Search says this is "shield bug" ([Pentatomidae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentatomidae), [Pentatomoidea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentatomoidea)). Whether it's correct or not is questionable... – Andrew T. Jul 10 '19 at 03:50
  • That was my first thought, and some intensive googling seemed to say the same. But shield bugs I've seen in person are more .... shield shaped. These are more "swollen". – Boris the Spider Jul 10 '19 at 09:16
  • I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because the insects do not appear to be a garden pest – kevinskio Jul 23 '19 at 19:18

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