Stink beetle or marble bug: methods of struggle and description of "malodorous
In nature, there are insects known to mankind for several hundred years. However, there are also relatively new species, such as the brown marble bug. The parasite is capable of causing serious damage to agricultural plants, as well as penetrating into human housing.
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What does a marble bug look like: photo
Brown marble bug: insect description
The insect belongs to the order Hemiptera, the family of predatory bugs. On the territory of Russia, the pest first appeared only 5-6 years ago.
Name: marble bug
Latin: Halyomorpha halysClass: Insects - Insecta
Squad: Hemiptera - Hemiptera
family: Real shield insects - Pentatomidae
 | Habitats: | on trees and shrubs, in the grass |
 | Features: | very active |
 | Benefit or harm: | crop pest |
Appearance and structure
Insect of small size: an adult individual reaches a length of no more than 12-17 mm. The general color of the individual is brown or dark gray. The body is covered with a pentagonal shell, under it wings are hidden gray in a dark spot. The abdomen is light. The parasite has 3 pairs of brown paws. Striped whiskers are located on the head. Adults can fly.
Diet
The oral apparatus of the insect is of the piercing-sucking type. This allows him to pierce the stems, leaves, buds, fruits and inflorescences of plants and suck out their juice. The beetle feeds exclusively on food of plant origin, but its diet is very diverse: they use several dozen plants for food, thereby harming a wide range of agricultural crops.
The pest eats the following plants:
- beans;
- peas;
- figs;
- citrus;
- apricot;
- peach;
- pear;
- nightshade crops;
- an Apple;
- nuts;
- vegetable crops;
- all berries.
At the same time, the smelly parasite spoils not only the fruits of plants, but also young shoots, stems and leaves.
If he fails to get cultivated plants, then weeds and wild vegetation are used, so he almost never remains without food.
Reproduction and life cycle
Lifestyle and social structure
Marble bugs are thermophilic and are active only in the summer: they intensively feed and multiply. As soon as the air temperature drops, insects begin to look for a place for wintering. These can be leaves and other plant remains, hollows, tree bark and buildings, including residential ones.
Sometimes these hemipterans fill houses en masse, which terrifies their inhabitants.
Some insects hibernate, others, feeling warm, continue to stay awake: they sit on the windows, fly out into the light and circle around the light bulbs. The insect is very active and, if necessary, can move long distances.
Habitat and distribution of brown marble bugs
The historical homeland of the insect is Southeast Asia (Japan, Taiwan, China). Since the end of the last century, its range has expanded significantly: the bug began to be found in most states of America and in the southern provinces of Canada. After another 10 years, the pest began to be detected in New Zealand, England, and Switzerland. Most likely, this is due to the development of freight and passenger traffic. For example, tourists bring them in their luggage.
Where is the marble bug common in Russia
In Russia, the appearance of the pest was first recorded in 2014. In our country, it is found in regions with a humid, warm climate: Sochi and the Krasnodar Territory.
Harm or benefit of marble bugs
The marble beetle is a pest. As mentioned above, it eats various parts of agricultural crops, thereby causing huge damage to land and financial damage to farmers.
Due to the life of the bug:
- the fruits do not have time to ripen and fall off;
- the tree trunk under the bark becomes soft, and necrosis forms on the bark;
- the surface of the fruit becomes bumpy and ugly, spots appear on it;
- leaves turn yellow, dry and fall off;
- fruits and berries become unfit for food due to an unpleasant odor and a nasty taste.
There is no benefit from this insect. It does not even serve as food for birds because of its unpleasant smell.
Is the brown marble bug dangerous for humans?
Methods of dealing with marble bugs
Experts say that the fight against the marble shield bush should begin with its early detection - in this case, it will be possible to save up to 45% of the crop. If the pest has already appeared on the site for its extermination, it is necessary to use chemical compounds, traps and folk recipes. Decide which of the methods to choose should be based on the mass nature of the defeat.
Special products and chemicals
According to the reviews of gardeners, the following compositions are the most effective means for combating marble bugs.
Traditional recipes
To combat the marble bug, you can use folk methods. In terms of intensity of exposure, they are incomparable with chemicals, however, with the help of repeated processing, the desired result can be achieved. Folk recipes are especially relevant in cases where bedbugs have flooded the home - it is dangerous to treat living quarters with insecticides, while improvised means will not harm humans and pets.
The following recipes are known.
| A nicotinic acid | Soak tobacco from 20 cigarettes in 4 liters. warm water. Spray the resulting mixture on the places where the bugs accumulate. |
| Acetic acid | Mix a small amount of water with a tablespoon of vinegar. Treat the areas where the pests were noticed with the resulting mixture. The strong vinegar smell will drive away insects and also destroy the unpleasant odor they give off. |
| Red pepper | Mix red pepper or Tabasco hot sauce with water and spray plants or bed bugs. The action of the burning mixture is aimed at destroying the chitinous layer of the pest. To ensure your own safety, you must work with gloves and avoid getting the solution in your eyes. |
| Hair spray | The tool paralyzes insects, after which they are easy to collect by hand. |
| Garlic | Like most other insects, marble bugs do not tolerate strong odors. Garlic cloves should be crushed and pour warm water. Treat garden plants and rooms in the house with the resulting solution. |
| Essential oils | You can scare away the "stink" with the help of essential oils. Lemon, mint, eucalyptus, lavender are most suitable. 2 tbsp Dissolve aroma oils in a glass of water. Treat plants and places of accumulation of parasites with the resulting agent. |
Natural enemies
In nature, marble bugs have only 1 enemy - the fungus Beauveria bassiama. Based on it, special biological preparations are being developed to combat parasites.
Other insects, as well as birds, bypass the bug because of the unpleasant odor.
Traps
Prevention of the appearance of a brown-marble bug on the site
Prevention of the appearance of parasites on the site should begin in the winter. To do this, they are treated with chemicals. The second preventive treatment should be carried out at the beginning of summer, during the birth of larvae (nymphs).
Interesting facts about marble bugs
There are several interesting facts about marble bugs:
- in ancient Mesopotamia, it was believed that a bug bite could neutralize snake venom;
- marble bugs have amazing adaptive qualities: they fly very well and move very quickly;
- since 2017, the insect has been included in the list of quarantine objects: if it is found in the cargo during phytocontrol, it will be immediately rejected.