How to get rid of stink bugs: varieties, features of development and life activity, what is the danger, effective means

Appearance

The arboreal stink bug can change the color of its integument. In summer, the bug is green, so it becomes invisible on young leaves. With the onset of autumn, the color of the shell changes - first brownish spots appear, and then all the chitin becomes brown. This is how the insect disguises itself as autumn foliage.

In an adult bug, the body has an oval shape with angular protrusions on the pronotum characteristic of the stink bug family. This structure of the integument gives the bug the shape of a shield, which is how it got its name. On the metanotum there is a dark brown membrane of the wings. The wings of the stink bug are small, and the bug rarely uses them. On the head of the insect there are characteristic outgrowths - antennae, each of which has 4 segments.

What to do if a stink bug bites a cat

Parasites living in the sofa can attack not only people, but also animals. However, they only consider alternative food sources if no other blood sources are available. True stink bugs (herbivores) do not have the habit of attacking warm-blooded creatures. This is explained by the fact that they do not have a powerful enough oral apparatus for this. This means that if a cat is bitten by a bug, most likely it was done by a predatory pest.

If it seems that some insect has attacked the cat, you should treat the bite site with an antiseptic. You can also contact your veterinarian when signs of allergies appear in your pet. But in most cases, such bites quickly pass without consequences.

Bedbug bite on a pet's body

Lifestyle

In winter, the wood bug remains in a state of suspended animation. For wintering, the insect chooses a reliable shelter: fallen leaves, stones, forest litter or rotten wood. With the onset of spring, the shield bug wakes up and begins to look for a mate for procreation. During the hot season, the bug only sits on the branches of bushes, feeds and gains strength for the winter.

Shield insects have very short and weak wings, and to fly the insect requires a lot of effort and expends a large amount of energy. Therefore, bedbugs fly very rarely and reluctantly, only in cases when they need to get to a new food source or protect themselves from enemies. Fleeing does not always help bedbugs in case of danger, so they have developed another defense mechanism. Shield insects are able to secrete a special secretion with an unpleasant odor that repels predators. This is why the tree bug is popularly known as the stink bug.

The smell of other representatives

The smell of a bedbug depends on its type:

1. Green. They are most often found on raspberries. If you pick and immediately try to eat a berry that a bug has previously chosen, the unpleasant aftertaste will remain in the mouth for a long time.
2. Turtle. Foul pheromones are also characteristic of this pest. This parasite especially strives to penetrate living spaces with the arrival of the cold season. It harms agricultural supplies. When it is caught, it is often crushed, so the aroma becomes even more pronounced.
3. Tree shield. He lives mainly in the forest. It is characterized by a bright combat color, which effectively repels pests. And with minor anxiety, it immediately releases a substance with a persistent aroma containing poisons. It is capable of paralyzing the victim. If the enemy is a bird, it opens its beak and releases the insect.

They all emit aromas ranging from unpleasantly cloying sweet to bitterly rotten.

Sources

• https://Vladimir-SES.ru/klopy/kak-pakhnut-klopy
• https://Dezoff.ru/klopy/zapakh-klopov/
• https://parazitdoma.ru/klopy/chem-pahnut-klopy
• https://misterklop.ru/klopy/samyj-vonyuchij-klop-i-sposoby-vyvedeniya-zapaha-iz-zhilya
• https://klopy.geradez.ru/zapax-ot-klopov-ru
• https://xklop.ru/klopy/opisanie/pochemu-klopy-vonyayut.html
• https://netzhukam.ru/klopy/o-postelnyh-klopah/pahnut-li-domashnie-klopy.html
• https://apest.ru/klopy/vse-o-klopah/pochemu-klopy-vonyayut/

Reproduction and development

In one season, stink bugs lay eggs twice. Laying usually occurs on the underside of the foliage for protection from the sun. Bedbug eggs are round and light green in color, so they are hard to see on the leaves. At the top of each egg there is a device - a removable lid with thin serrations, with which it is attached to the egg. Young larvae easily open this lid and leave their lair.

Development into bedbugs occurs with incomplete transformation, so the larvae are very similar to their parents. The only thing that distinguishes young insects from adult insects is the absence of wings. Since the hard chitinous shell does not allow the larvae to grow, they have to survive five molts. Each molting process is a tough test for insects, so most of the young simply die before reaching sexual maturity.

Natural enemies

Unfortunately, garden bugs do not have a natural killer. Birds do not peck this insect because of the disgusting, stinky odor that resembles a mixture of skunk and cilantro. Of all the birds, only ducks can tolerate the stinking smell of the beetle and peck at it. Chickens that eat stink bugs become inedible because their meat stinks.

INTERESTING

The killer of stinking insects is the locust.

Wasps can also kill these pests. But there is no point in such helpers: locusts cause even more harm than stink bugs, and wasps parasitize on the eggs of stink bugs, preventing their intensive reproduction. But the next problem after stopping the garden bug infestation will be getting rid of the wasps.

Nutritional Features

Shield insects have a very weak mouthparts, which is why they cannot chew tree bark. The insect's jaws are adapted to sucking plant juices. Therefore, just like the berry bug, the wood bug prefers to feed on the soft parts of plants: leaves, grasses, buds and flowers. Most often, insects can be found on the following cultivated plants:

• raspberries;
• cherry;
• cherries;
• elder;
• cereals.

The bug is not a strict vegetarian, so in difficult times it does not refuse the decaying remains of other insects. Although the shield bug does not know how to hunt.

Maliciousness

An unpleasant smell is not the only thing that makes people dislike the forest shield. The second reason for the bad attitude is the harmfulness of this insect. In large numbers, bedbugs can harm agriculture by eating crops. Shield insects can damage not only orchards, but also grain fields. The first sign of the appearance of these pests is brownish spots on the leaf blades.

What are the varieties?

There are many subspecies of insects. Some of them are pests. In total, there are about 4,000 species of bugs from the stink bug family.

There are many types of stink bugs

The main types of insects are presented in the table.

Among the representatives there are both beneficial and parasites.

Penetration into human habitation

Being lovers of plant foods, forest bugs very rarely appear in apartments. It is difficult for insects to find food there. But still, sometimes people notice uninvited guests in their homes. Sometimes bedbugs crawl into open windows, try to fly around the apartment, and make restless awkward movements, not understanding where they ended up. Shield cats are real claustrophobics, so they are not at all happy to find themselves in an apartment.

What makes bedbugs come to visit you? Sometimes the cause is a sudden change in weather conditions. The insect does not have time to properly prepare for the cold, so it tries to quickly find a warm shelter, which may be your apartment. Sometimes insects are driven to such actions by natural disasters: floods, hurricanes, forest fires. Forest bugs do not bite people, so you should not be afraid of them. If you notice one or two insects in your home, do not kill them, but simply release them outside.

How to get rid of uninvited guests

If you live in a city, then you should not have problems with these insects. As we have already said, a bedbug that accidentally gets into the house can simply be released outside. If you live in your own house in a rural area, and even more so if there is a lot of vegetation near your home, then the wood bug may become your regular guest. Insects can enter the house through windows and an open door, even due to strong winds (we remember that stink bugs do not fly well). And since, most likely, you will not tolerate these creatures in your home, you need to resort to methods of dealing with them:

1. First, you should catch all the individuals in the house that catch your eye. Fortunately, this will not be difficult to do, since tree shields are sedentary and calm - they will not run away from you or hide.
2. Next, you need to prevent them from re-entering the house. All loopholes must be closed: the door and windows must be closed, and mosquito nets must be placed on the windows or gauze must be hung on them.

In this way you can protect yourself from unpleasant neighbors. But things are more complicated when it comes to ridding crops and gardens of voracious pests.

The easiest way to fight bedbugs is to use pesticides: chlorophos and karbofos. These are quite effective remedies, but they can have a toxic effect on your body. Therefore, many gardeners prefer the mechanical method of pest control. It is enough just to regularly shake the branches of plants and collect the bugs that have fallen from them.

Plants can also be treated with environmentally friendly means: mustard solution or onion peel infusion. Another quite effective way is to plant cohosh ornamental grass in the garden. It is a natural repellent of stink bugs, which is why this plant is also called black cohosh.

Uninvited Aliens

The wood bug (also known as the stink bug) cannot cause any harm to humans. Moreover, he always tries to stay away from crowded places. Large-scale invasions of individuals of this species into human habitation have not been observed. Their natural habitat is shrubs, trees, fruits and cereals.

A representative of a species that accidentally flies into an apartment, the harm from which can only consist of an unpleasant odor, can easily be kicked out the door. The bite of such an insect does not threaten a person with anything. If trees or shrubs grow near the window of your home, then it is possible that several insects with a shield-shaped back will appear as a guest. In this case, an ordinary mosquito net will be an effective salvation.

The bites of bed bugs, which feed exclusively on one’s blood, and the causative agents of infectious diseases cause great trouble to humans.

Unique features of the shield bug

The shield bug is popularly called the green garden bug because of its specific color. At the same time, representatives of this species have a stronger odor. With its help, bedbugs mark their territory, informing other representatives of the species that there is already occupied food there.

The garden bug is unique not only for this. Unlike its other counterparts, this type of parasite can be both herbivorous and carnivorous. In the presence of plant juices, the bug will not attack other insects. But if there are no suitable food sources around, it can also attack smaller insects.

During the breeding season, the bug attracts the female with the help of smell. Fertilization occurs in a non-traumatic way (unlike domestic bugs). At one time, the female can lay up to 100 eggs.

At the same time, both parents take care of the offspring together. During laying, the male places the eggs towards the bottom of the leaf. 15 days must pass before the larvae hatch. Just like other representatives of the species, bedbugs go through 5 stages of maturation before turning into adults, during each of which they shed their old chitinous shell.

The green shield bug rarely enters the apartment. But if this does happen, how to get rid of a garden bug? In principle, green shield bugs can be destroyed mechanically. Since they reproduce outdoors, this can be done in a fairly short time. If you cannot catch the parasite, you can use chemical compounds with a low degree of toxicity. To destroy the parasite in the garden, decoctions of plants are most often used, which also have a sharp, specific odor - wormwood, lavender, pine needles. If you periodically carry out such treatment of crops throughout the warm season, you don’t have to worry about the parasite destroying the plantings.

Instructions for use of drugs

All gels, ointments and creams are applied directly to the bite sites, but you should still read the instructions.
Not every drug is indicated for children, and the use of some requires medical supervision. Fenistil is used externally and applied to bite marks 2-4 times a day. The gel should not be used by children under 1 year of age. Pregnant women in the first trimester are allowed to use the drug only after consulting a doctor. Psilo-balm is applied in thin layers to previously cleansed skin, rubbing in lightly. It is prescribed to apply the drug 3-4 times a day. During the therapy period, it is prohibited to take sunbathing, as well as take medications or drinks that contain ethyl alcohol. Elidel is applied in a thin layer to the affected surface 2 times a day, rubbing until completely absorbed. Do not apply immediately after a parasite bite. The drug is not contraindicated for children older than three months.

Bepanten is applied to the affected surface and lightly rubbed. The procedure is carried out 1-2 times a day. Can be used even on the delicate skin of newborns. Suitable during lactation and pregnancy.

Cikaderma is contraindicated for children under one year of age. For children over one year old and adults, it is recommended to apply the drug to a pre-treated wound 1-2 times a day. If necessary, apply a bandage. Duration of use - no longer than 7 days.

Erythromycin ointment is used 2-3 times a day. The drug is well tolerated, but may have a moderate irritant effect.

Interesting Facts

We have selected for you some interesting facts about the familiar shield bug and its relatives:

1. Green bugs have long been used to combat alcoholism. Insect bodies insisted on moonshine and prepared a miracle remedy that helped get rid of drunkenness once and for all.
2. If you see a stink bug on a branch and get closer to it, it will not run away, but will just move to the other side of the branch, hiding from your eyes. This is why photographing a bedbug is not so easy.
3. The tree bug will never bite a person, unlike an insect called the triatomine bug. The latter is a carrier of the dangerous Chagas disease. But fortunately, triatomine bugs are common only in distant South American countries.
4. A close relative of the green bug, the Japanese tree bug, has been found to have true maternal instincts. A loving mother brings tree berries to her larvae every day. By the time the larvae develop into adults, hundreds of fruit seeds can accumulate in their habitat.
5. Recently, the Italian bug has been actively spreading in Russia. It received its name due to its specific coloring, which resembles the coloring of the uniform of the Vatican guards. Italian bugs are close relatives of the wood bug and are considered dangerous pests of cultivated plants.

How to get rid of garden bugs pests

As soon as you find characteristic damage on garden plants or in greenhouses, and a personal meeting confirms the presence of these individuals, you should immediately begin the fight.

Methods and methods for exterminating garden bugs are divided into agrotechnical and chemical, as in principle other harmful insects.

Chemicals are produced by spraying plants with insecticides; pyrethroid or organophosphorus groups are used. Please note that both sides of the leaves need to be processed, or rather etched. We recommend paying attention to a product such as Aktara, which is characterized by a selective action - it actively destroys harmful bedbugs, while causing virtually no damage to beneficial individuals.

Agrotechnical - this naturally means cleaning up fallen leaves in the autumn, since an adult successfully endures the winter in it. Plowing between rows or the entire area of ​​the site will also help in the fight against pests. In addition, the smell of a plant called cosimimifuga, which needs to be planted somewhere on the site, will help in the fight.

Notes

1. ↑ 1 2 3 Kanyukova E.V. Family Acanthosomatidae - Tree insects // Key to insects of the Far East of the USSR. T. II. Homoptera and Hemiptera / under the general heading. ed. P. A. Lera. - L.: Nauka, 1988. - P. 912-915. — 972 p. — 1950 copies. — ISBN 5-7442-0921-2.
2. ↑ 1 2 Vinokurov N.N., Kanyukova E.V. Hemipteran insects (Heteroptera) of Siberia. - Novosibirsk: Science, 1995. - P. 191-195. — 238 p. — ISBN 5-02-0306069-0.
3. ↑ Annotated list of rare and endangered species of invertebrate animals, specially protected within Russia // 2003* Russia* Red List of Specially Protected Rare and Endangered Animals and Plants. (2nd issue). Part 2. Invertebrate animals (Red Book Bulletin, 2/2004 (2008)) / rep. ed. V. E. Prisyazhnyuk. - M.: Red Book Laboratory of the All-Russian Research Institute for Nature Conservation, 2004 (2008). - P. 149. - 512 p. — ISBN 978-5-9243-0158-7
4. ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Family Acanthosomatidae - Shield Bugs (English)
5. ↑ Henry TJ Biodiversity of Heteroptera // Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society / Foottit RG, Adler PH (Eds.). — 2nd Ed. - Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2022. - pp. 279-336. — 904 p. — ISBN 978-1-118-94553-7.
6. ↑ Profil taxonu čeleď knežovkovití Acanthosomatidae Signoret, 1863 (Czech)

Physiological cause of odor

Glands are responsible for producing aroma. They produce a substance (secret) containing enzymes that contribute to the appearance of odor. The liquid is contained in special bags. They are located on different parts of the body of insects at different stages of development. Thus, in larvae, sacs are found in the abdominal segments. As they develop, they shift. In adult individuals, sacs with a substance that emits an odor under certain conditions can be found in the area of ​​the metathoracic part of the peritoneum.

Depending on the age of the bug, the glands that emit a stench are located in different parts of the body.