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Green tree bug (bug): a master of disguise and a dangerous garden pest

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Among the wide variety of stink bugs, tree bugs have a green shell that resembles a knight's shield. The people of these insects are called stinkers, for the unpleasant smell that they leave behind on plants. Although green bugs have wings on their bodies, they cannot fly long distances.

Green tree shield (Palomena prasina): general description

The tree shield has a dense shell, under which wings are hidden. With their help, the shield bug moves from tree to tree. The structure of the body, he does not differ from his relatives in appearance.

Green tree shield.

Appearance and structure

The woody green shield has a flattened body 11-16 mm long, green or brown. On the triangular head are 4-segmented antennae and a piercing-sucking oral apparatus with a sharp proboscis. He has 3 pairs of legs, with which he clings tightly to plants.
Between the second and third pair of legs there are glands that secrete a strong unpleasant odor, thanks to which they got their name - stink bugs. During its life, the bug changes color, in spring it is green, from mid-summer brown spots appear on the shield, and by autumn it becomes completely brown.

Reproduction and development

In springtime, insects appear and look for a mate. Males circle around females, touching them with antennae and head. After mating, the female lays up to 100 light green eggs. She makes masonry on the back of the leaves.
On the top of the eggs there are caps to facilitate the exit of the larvae, which appear after 15 days. Small larvae resemble adults, their body is brown, but smaller. They go through 5 links before they turn into adults.
After hatching from eggs, small stink bugs immediately begin to feed. From the appearance of eggs to the transformation into an adult insect, 6 weeks pass, by which time the stink bugs have wings. One generation of wood shield bug appears per season.

How long does a green tree bug live

The larvae emerge from the eggs in the summer, develop into adults, and in the fall hide in a dry leaf litter for the winter. With a decrease in air temperature, all life processes in the body of bedbugs slow down, and with the onset of spring heat, they resume again.
Some larvae die during growth, due to dense shells that they cannot shed during the next molt. Not all bedbugs survive the cold season; in open areas, they freeze. The life cycle of the green forest shield bug lasts two years.

Diet and lifestyle

The forest shield bug feeds on the juice of leaves and fruits. You can meet him in the summer at:

  • raspberries;
  • currants;
  • gooseberry;
  • elderberry;
  • tomatoes;
  • cereal crops.

The unpleasant specific smell emitted from its glands is the strongest in comparison with the smell of other insects of this family. The berries on which the bug was for a long time are not suitable for food.

Green bug with insufficient amount of plant food, can eat dead insects or caterpillars.

How green bugs hibernate

Bedbugs, after emerging from eggs, actively feed until autumn, and in autumn they seek shelter in dry fallen leaves, cracks in the bark on trees. By autumn, their color changes from green to brown, and they are very well camouflaged in dry leaves and bark.

Green arboreal shieldweed and interesting facts about it

Where do tree bugs live

The green bug is found in gardens and orchards. But the natural habitat for him is the forest. It lives almost throughout Russia.

What harm does the green shield

With the mass appearance of bedbugs on plants, especially on cereals, insects cause noticeable damage to the crop. Pests pierce the stems of plants and suck out the juice, and they dry out. The shield insects also eat away the contents of the grains in the spikelets, the flour from the crop damaged by the bugs becomes unfit for food.
The berries damaged by the bug dry up, and harmful bacteria penetrate the plant, and tissue damage begins. The bugs lay their eggs on the berries, the larvae that appear are very voracious, they immediately begin to damage the leaves, and the enzymes in their saliva cause the bushes to partially dry out.
Forest bugs damage tomatoes, harvested fruits, partially eaten by a pest, absorb a specific smell, and accidentally getting into a salad, they can ruin your appetite for a long time. This smell quickly spreads to other products. 

Is there a danger to people: do wood bugs bite

Tree bugs cannot bite through the skin of a person with their proboscis, the only harm that bugs can cause is to fly into the room and spoil the air in it for a while. The poison contained in the saliva of the shield insects is dangerous only for plants, and it does not work on humans.

Some people have allergic reactions to the secrets of the glands of the forest bug, but there are few such cases recorded by physicians.

What to do if bitten by a tree bug

The tree bug cannot bite through the skin, but after it an unpleasant odor may remain on the skin. This place can be wiped with alcohol or washed with soap.

Tree bug shield.

Insect control methods

Green forest bugs are not pests that can cause great harm to plants. Usually, a mechanical method or folk methods are used to deal with them. Only in the case of a massive invasion of green bugs, chemicals are used.

mechanical collection

Bedbugs are harvested by hand, trying not to crush or crushed from plants into a container of water.

Chemicals

There are no special preparations for treating plants from the tree stink bug; with a massive invasion of these insects, broad-spectrum insecticides are used.

1
Aktellik
9.7
/
10
Details
2
Carbophos
9.5
/
10
Details
3
Chemifos
9.3
/
10
Details
4
Vantex
9
/
10
Details
Aktellik
1
The universal drug Antellik refers to contact-intestinal insecticides.
Expert rating:
9.7
/
10

It acts on the nervous system of the pest, inhibiting the work of all organs. In the open ground, it remains effective for up to 10 days. Processing is carried out at an air temperature of +15 to +20 degrees.

pros
  • fast result;
  • efficiency;
  • affordable price.
Cons
  • toxicity;
  • pungent smell;
  • high drug consumption.
Carbophos
2
Broad spectrum insecticide.
Expert rating:
9.5
/
10

Suppresses the nervous system, which leads to the death of all organs. Affects pests at all stages of development, including eggs.

pros
  • high performance;
  • universality;
  • high temperature resistance;
  • affordable price.
Cons
  • Strong smell;
  • toxicity.
Chemifos
3
Kemifos is a universal pest control product.
Expert rating:
9.3
/
10

Penetrates through the respiratory tract and kills all pests within a few hours. Retains its activity up to 10 days. acts on adults, larvae and eggs.

pros
  • universality;
  • efficiency;
  • low toxicity;
  • affordable price.
Cons
  • has a strong smell;
  • can not be used during flowering and fruit set;
  • requires strict adherence to the dosage.
Vantex
4
Vantex is a new generation insecticide that has low toxicity if dosage rules are observed.
Expert rating:
9
/
10

Retains its effect even after rain. Frequent use of the drug can be addictive in insects.

pros
  • low toxicity;
  • the range of action of the drug is from +8 to +35 degrees.
Cons
  • dangerous for bees and other pollinating insects;
  • processing is carried out in the morning or evening hours.

Folk remedies

Herbal decoctions are used to repel insects.

GarlicGarlic powder is diluted in water. Take 1 teaspoons per 4 liter, mix and process the plant.
Infusion of onion peel200 grams of onion peel is poured with 1 liter of boiling water, insisted for a day, filtered. The finished infusion is brought to 10 liters by adding the right amount of water and the plants are treated leaf by leaf.
Mustard powder100 grams of dry mustard powder is diluted in 1 liter of hot water, another 9 liters of water are added to the mixture and the plantings are sprayed.
Decoctions of herbsA decoction of wormwood, cloves, red pepper is used for the invasion of the bug.
Black cohoshA black cohosh plant is planted around the perimeter of the field, it repels the pest from the plants.

Prevention of insects in the garden

Preventive measures are aimed at protecting plants from the invasion of forest bugs:

  1. Timely remove weeds, dry grass, leaves. Bed bugs like to hide in such places for the winter.
  2. Plant plants in the garden that drive away bedbugs: mint, chamomile. Black cohosh plant Cimicifugu.
  3. Carry out preventive treatment of plants with folk remedies.

How to get rid of bedbugs on the balcony and in the apartment

With the onset of cold weather, stink bugs may look for a warm place to hide, and may accidentally fly onto the balcony. If it is glazed, then the bug must be caught manually and released, the bug will fly out of the unglazed balcony. The guard can get into the apartment through an open window.

If he stays indoors for a while, he will need food and can feed on the juice from the leaves of houseplants. You can catch it yourself or use any aerosol: Dichlorvos, Reid.

Other types of wood bugs

The morphology and body size of other species of stink bugs are approximately the same. They live on plants and feed on their juice. They differ in body color and shield shape.

Red
The red stink bug resembles the colors of the soldier bug. It has large dots on its back and black stripes on a red body. But unlike the green stink bug, there are no lateral protrusions on both sides of its body. It feeds on plant sap. For humans, this species is not dangerous.
Red
The red bug has alternating stripes of orange and black, a convex body distinguishes it from the green bug. The bright color of the shell is a method of protection from enemies. The bug feeds on plant sap.
shield
The green forest bug is called a shield bug, because of the shape of its shell, which resembles a knight's shield. The wings of the insect are poorly developed, so it cannot fly over long distances.

What bugs are called "stink bugs" and how to recognize them

In all stink bugs, between the second and third pair of legs, there are glands that secrete a strong-smelling secret. In case of danger, the bug releases this secret to intimidate enemies, as well as to lure a partner for mating. The strongest smell is emitted by a green bug, known to everyone as a stink bug.

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