Stink bug - American stink bug: what it looks like and how dangerous the "smell" insect is
A characteristic feature of a common insect is a bad smell, reminiscent of rotten almonds and raspberries. Stink bugs are agricultural pests and produce a persistent unpleasant odor that is disgusting and disappears for a long time.
Content
- What does a stink bug look like: photo
- Stink bug: description of the species
- Habitat and distribution of the species
- Stink bugs: main types
- What harm and benefit do stink bugs bring?
- Does the stink bug bite
- Why the bug stinks: why the bugs emit an unpleasant odor
- How to get rid of stink bug smell
- How stink bugs get into the house
- How to know about the presence of a stink bug in the house
- How to get rid of stink bugs in an apartment
- How to get rid of stink bugs in the garden
What does a stink bug look like: photo
Stink bug: description of the species
Name: Black-whiskered shield
Latin: Carpocoris purpureipennisClass: Insects - Insecta
Squad: Hemiptera - Hemiptera
 | Habitats: | on trees and shrubs, in the grass |
 | Features: | active, disgusting "smell" |
 | Benefit or harm: | farmland pest |
The characteristic "incense" was given to the insect for a reason: a message for navigating the area, a method of communication and a protective mechanism.
A strong smell is created when the bug is crushed, the insect itself does not suffer from it.
Stink bugs live measured lives. In the warm season, most of the time they are engaged in the search for food and a partner for mating. At the first sign of frost, insects are puzzled by options for a suitable place for wintering. As a rule, this is a pile of foliage in which it is convenient to burrow. The lifespan of a stinker is about two years.
Appearance
In nature, there are many types of stink bugs. But the appearance is approximately the same, only the color differs.
Reproduction and development cycle
Diet and lifestyle
In most cases, stink bugs are herbivores. In food, preference is given to the juice of various plants. In this regard, stinkers cause a lot of harm, destroying agricultural land.
The variety of plant food depends on the species. Food for stink bugs:
- stink bugs eat radish, cabbage;
- berry, devour all berries: gooseberries, raspberries, black and white currants;
- red-footed - drink the juice of fruit trees and eat small parasites.
With the appearance of young animals from eggs, the intensity of the extermination of plants increases rapidly. The larvae prefer young plants.
Habitat and distribution of the species
Stink bugs are virtually ubiquitous. They live in Europe, Russia, Asia, Africa, South and North America, Australia. Certain species can be found even in Chukotka and Alaska. Although bedbugs are undemanding, they feel especially comfortable in temperate climates. In nature, they settle in the hollows of trees, bird nests and animal dens, in cities they lurk in fallen leaves, sand, cellars and cellars.
Specific individuals settle in human housing, clog into inconspicuous cracks and places with high humidity.
Stink bugs: main types
According to the general classification, the beetle belongs to the order Hemiptera and the family Pentatomidae. Currently, 4 varieties are known:
- blind;
- predators;
- stink bugs;
- lacemakers.
In turn, they are divided into many types.
What harm and benefit do stink bugs bring?
| Harm | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Stink bugs have piercing-sucking mouthparts and cause significant damage to agricultural plantations. | Representatives of some species exterminate larvae of harmful insects, aphids and caterpillars. |
| With the help of a special rim, it pierces the stems of plants and sucks out nutrients, releasing a destructive poison that changes the viscosity of the juice. | The bicentennial predatory bug perillus eats Colorado potato beetles and their larvae. And piclomerus saves the crop from caterpillars and small insects. Therefore, such bugs should not be destroyed. |
| The bug leaves traces of its vital activity on berries and fruits, without even spoiling them. | Stinkers are used to make drugs for alcohol addiction. This technique has no scientific justification. |
Does the stink bug bite
The beetle's mouthparts are designed for sucking, not for biting. The insect does not pose a threat to humans and usually does not attack them. The stinker does not bite, does not weave cobwebs, and does not apply to carriers of infectious diseases. If it seemed that a bug had bitten, you should look around for another insect.
Why the bug stinks: why the bugs emit an unpleasant odor
Special glands are located in the head of the bug. Just they exude a stench, similar to the smell of spoiled raspberries or rotten almonds. Thanks to her, the beetle can recognize its relatives. It creates the appearance of communication and can understand the intentions of other insects by signals.
The persistent disgusting smell comes from a special secret produced by these glands. It contains cymic acid and is completely harmless to the stinkers themselves, but can be poisonous to other species. Provokes convulsions, paralysis and even death of the enemy.
The stench is a powerful means of scaring off enemies, and with the onset of the mating season, it is used to attract individuals of the opposite sex.
How to get rid of stink bug smell
Removing the smell from a house infested with stink bugs is difficult. Initially, it is necessary to completely destroy the insects. This procedure will take approximately a month. To speed up pest control, the most effective poisons are used, without worrying about their toxicity and the stench emitted. As a result pparasites are defeated, and the apartment smells like a mixture of bedbugs and poison.
There are several ways to get rid of the disgusting smell emitted by the stink bug:
- rinse the surface where the beetle was;
- washing things in which the person was at the time of contact with the insect.
If that doesn't work, you can remove the smell with a vinegar solution or soften it with fabric softener.
How stink bugs get into the house
Mostly stink bugs enter a person’s home quite by accident through a window. They can fly into the house with a sharp deterioration in weather conditions, intuitively feeling warm. Another reason for their penetration into residential premises are fires and other natural disasters.
Insects begin to instinctively seek comfortable conditions and fly into houses.
How to know about the presence of a stink bug in the house
The sense of smell plays an important role in the life of various insect species.
This sense helps them find food, navigate in space, give a sign to relatives and mate. The odorous glands are active at the moment of approaching danger and during the mating season.
The smell of bedbugs is reminiscent of spoiled almonds or rotten raspberries. With a small infection, this specific aroma can be mistaken for the smell from the street that has penetrated through an open window.
If the house smells of raspberries, it is urgent to start looking for bedbugs. The stench of these insects most often intensifies during mating, after 1-2 weeks we can already talk about the development of offspring.
How to get rid of stink bugs in an apartment
An easy way to get a stink bug out of your home is to throw it out the window.
It is strictly forbidden to crush the insect, after which a persistent fetid smell will appear in the room.
To get rid of the stink bug in the apartment will help a few recipes:
- Mix 2 tablespoons of peppermint oil and clean water, spray in places where bedbugs appear. It is a natural insect repellant.
- If you have hairspray on hand, you can use it. He will securely seal the holes on the body of the bug and he will not be able to spit out the smelly secret.
- You can catch bed bugs with a sticky trap made from thick cardboard and a thin layer of glue. It should be left in sofas, under furniture, and other beetle habitats. Traps should be moved periodically and checked for insects.
- Powder of diatomaceous earth crumbles in places where individuals of skunks were seen.
In order to prevent the penetration of bedbugs into the apartment, it is necessary to install mosquito nets on the windows, close the outlet of the ventilation system pipe with a protective screen and close up all the cracks around the door and window openings.
How to get rid of stink bugs in the garden
In order not to be left without a crop, it is advisable to start the fight against stink bugs immediately after they are detected on the site, do not wait until the population grows strongly. You can destroy them in several ways:
- mechanical;
- chemical;
- folk.
Mechanical methods
Mechanical harvesting is effective in controlling small beetle populations. Caught by hand and placed in a glass container with vinegar or other acid for destruction. The technology has a number of disadvantages. To achieve the result, mechanical cleaning is best combined with chemical or non-traditional means.
Folk methods
The folk method of killing stink bugs is safe for people, pets, and crops. Unlike chemistry, they do not emit toxic odors and harmful substances and are made from available ingredients. Folk remedies are effective only against a few groups of insects. Effective and popular ones are made like this.
| Soap | Laundry soap is rubbed and scattered over the surface of the site so that it does not fall on the leaves of plants. The earth is watered with water and covered with a flannel cloth on top. To avoid contact with soap, bed bugs will begin to climb onto the fabric, where they are caught by hand. |
| Plants | You can scare away the stink bug with the help of wormwood, tincture of hot pepper, decoction of cloves. A plant that is popularly called black cohosh, Christopher's grass, she-wolf or crowberry will help protect the plantings from the pest. It grows in warm climates and is scientifically known as the common cimicifuga. |
Химия
Of the chemicals for the extermination of bedbugs, organophosphorus preparations with a wide spectrum of action can be used. Fufanon, Karate Zeon, Aktellik and Karbofos have proven themselves in the fight against insects. Chemicals in just 1-2 applications kill the bulk of the beetles.
Natural enemies of shield bugs
- The main exterminators of stink bugs are telenomines, which parasitize eggs. The same harm to insects is caused by the phasia fly, which lays offspring inside the eggs of beetles. The chicks feed on the remains of organic tissues.
- Hedgehogs are natural enemies of bed and forest bugs. They eat both larvae and adults.
- Beetles are seriously affected by green toads. Amphibians feed not only on water striders, but also on representatives of other species.
- Forest and poultry help to reduce the number of bedbugs. Some people specifically release chickens for a walk in the garden to exterminate pests.
- Sometimes beetles die from small rodents, cats and dogs. Moreover, the latter first play with insects for a long time and only then eat them.