Who are the real stink bugs (superfamily): a complete dossier on "fragrant" pests
In nature, there is a wide variety of bedbugs. Shields are bright representatives of their family, there are several hundred species of them. They amaze with a variety of colors, but differ from each other in culinary preferences. The shield beetle can disguise itself as a relative or even a competitor and survive in high frosts.
Content
- General description of bedbugs from the family of the Shields
- Habitat of stink bugs
- Varieties of stink bugs
- The benefits and harms of stink bugs on the site
- Are stink bugs dangerous for humans
- How stink bugs get into the house
- Methods of dealing with bedbugs in the house and on the site
- Prevention of the appearance of stink bugs
General description of bedbugs from the family of the Shields
Beetles from the Scutellum family have a variety of colors, but the body structure, methods of reproduction and development are similar. Many people are familiar with stink bugs or bright striped beetles that live on plants. They got their name due to the chitinous shell that covers the body, shaped like a shield.
Appearance and structure
Although the bugs of the Shield family differ in color and size, their body structure is the same:
- the body is three-quarters covered with a shield;
- body size from 0,7 to 18 mm;
- triangular head. flat;
- long antennae on head, consisting of 4-5 segments;
- the oral apparatus is of a piercing-sucking type, differing in the length and thickness of the proboscis. In predatory individuals, it is thicker and shorter; in herbivores, it is thinner and longer;
- 3 pairs of legs, two or three segmented.
Some individuals have wings, some do not. Bed bugs have glands on their abdomens that secrete a foul-smelling liquid that serves as a defense against insects. They fly, jump from plant to plant, some can swim.
Reproduction, development and lifespan
In winter, shield insects are in dry litter. In the spring, when vegetation appears, they feed and gain strength to start mating.
Diet
Beetles are divided into three types according to culinary preferences: feeding on plant sap, carnivorous species and mixed type, feeding on both insects and plant sap. Bedbugs that feed on plant sap are classified as garden pests. Depending on the species, they feed on:
- cereal crops;
- plants from the nightshade family;
- cruciferous;
- berries;
- weeds;
- fodder grasses;
- harm umbrella crops;
- trees.
Carnivorous species of bedbugs are considered beneficial insects. They destroy pests, their eggs and larvae.
Habitat of stink bugs
Shield bugs live all over the earth. There are many of these insects in Europe, Central Asia, North and South America, Africa. Some species live even in the northern regions. Most species live in tropical climates.
In Russia, shield insects are found in the European part, in the Crimea, in Asia and even in certain regions of Siberia.
Varieties of stink bugs
Shchitniks of different species differ in body color, size and what they eat. Some of them are pests of plants, which, with a massive invasion, can destroy the entire crop.
The benefits and harms of stink bugs on the site
Shield insects living on plants and feeding on their sap do harm.
Carnivorous stink bugs are beneficial, they destroy harmful insects and their larvae that live on plants.
Are stink bugs dangerous for humans
Bed bugs living on plants do not pose a danger to humans. The proboscis with which they pierce plants is soft and cannot pierce human skin.
Garden bugs feed on plant sap. The proboscis for piercing the stems and leaves of plants is soft, and cannot pierce the skin of a person.
In bugs in the cephalothorax there are glands that emit a specific smell by which they recognize their relatives and attract a partner for mating. In case of danger, an unpleasant smell serves to scare off enemies, for some insects it can be poisonous and cause spasms, paralysis and even death.
You can eliminate the smell of stink bugs from the surface if you wash it thoroughly with a detergent. Wash clothes that the person was wearing at the time of contact with the insect using fabric softener or rinse in a vinegar solution.
How stink bugs get into the house
Usually, by chance, stink bugs get into the house, some possible reasons for entering the room:
- can fly into an open window;
- get from the street along with vegetables, herbs or flowers;
- in natural disasters in habitats, this may be due to fire, hurricane or flood.
One insect won't do much harm. It can be caught and sent to the street. If the shield insects, after entering the room, settled in indoor flowers and do harm, then you need to use the available methods of control.
Methods of dealing with bedbugs in the house and on the site
Various methods can be used to control bed bugs. It depends on situation. In some cases, the use of chemicals is impractical, since they have a certain period of validity, and after processing, vegetables and fruits will be unsuitable for food. In such cases, you can apply a mechanical method or folk remedies.
Chemicals
Great care must be taken in the use of chemicals for the treatment of vegetables, fruits and cereals, since chemical compounds can accumulate in plants and in the soil. Be especially careful during flowering, fruit formation and before harvesting. Some drugs have proven themselves well in the fight against stink bugs.
Biological methods of struggle
In the world in recent years, more and more people are trying to apply biological methods of protecting plants from pests. For this purpose, biological products or other insects that destroy pests are used.
To destroy the cruciferous stink bug, another parasite called trissolcus is used.
It destroys the eggs of the bug and significantly reduces its number. Such methods are more used by professionals who specialize in growing vegetables in greenhouses. Biological preparations are used for personal plots.
Traditional recipes
Bed bugs come out of their hiding places in the spring, when shoots appear. They lay their eggs on the leaves of plants and feed on their sap. After a while, voracious larvae appear from the eggs and cause great harm to the plants. Folk remedies for combating stink bugs are environmentally friendly and can be used from the moment the plant appears until the harvest.
For pest control, such folk remedies are used /
Garlic | Garlic powder is diluted in water. Take 1 teaspoons per 4 liter, mix and process the plant. |
Infusion of onion peel | 200 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 powder | 100 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 herbs | A decoction of wormwood, cloves, red pepper is used for the invasion of the bug. |
Black cohosh | A black cohosh plant is planted around the perimeter of the field, it repels the pest from the plants. |
Prevention of the appearance of stink bugs
Preventive measures will help reduce the number of stink bugs on the site. Timely completion of certain types of work and compliance with certain rules will help protect the crop from pests:
- Bed bugs lay their eggs on weed leaves. Therefore, it is necessary to weed crops in a timely manner and remove weeds from the beds.
- Timely care of plants: watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil, will increase their immunity and resistance to pest attack.
- Planted around the beds of plants that would scare away pests.
- Such plants are removed from the site: shepherd's purse, hiccups, colza. They attract bed bugs.
- Plants from the cruciferous family are harvested and burned.
At the first appearance of stink bugs on the site, preventive treatments of plants are carried out in order to prevent the mass appearance of pests.
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