[6] The North American wheel bug is most active in daylight, but may engage in predatory behaviors at night in areas illuminated by lights.

[citation needed] North American wheel bugs exhibit armored forewings and membranous hind wings which allow this species to take flight.

[11] As a result of its inability to move swiftly, A. cristatus rely heavily upon camouflage, the effect of their bite, or the production of unpleasant odors in order to avoid predation.

[12] North American wheel bugs are most common in eastern Canada and the United States, and their range extends into Mexico and Guatemala.

[12] The bug plunges its beak into its victim before injecting it with enzymes, paralyzing it and dissolving its insides, and proceeds to drain the resulting fluids.

[citation needed] Additionally, like many reduviids, the species is capable of producing audible sound by rubbing the tip of its proboscis in a groove under its thorax.

[5] In a laboratory test conducted at Southern Illinois University in 1997 and 1998, research revealed that the species’ eggs may be attacked by parasitic wasps, such as Ooencyrtus johnsoni.

[5] A. cristatus is predatory immediately upon hatching, but the distinctive wheel unique to the species derives only after the bug reaches the adult stage following the final molt.

[2] North American wheel bugs are highly regarded by organic gardeners because they consume a variety of insects and their presence indicates a healthy, pesticide-free ecosystem.

Although evidence suggests that A. cristatus can seemingly be tamed in controlled environments,[citation needed] if provoked or mishandled, they may attack in an act of defense.

Their bite is generally considered to be of greater severity in terms of the level and duration of pain than the sting of common insects, such as wasps.