To date, about 25 thousand different types of bedbugs have been identified. Most insects live on land, they all have odorous glands. As a rule, bedbugs leave an unpleasant odor in case of danger. A common feature of all species is the presence of a piercing-sucking mouth apparatus. Accordingly, all insects feed exclusively on liquid food, piercing the plant or the outer integument of the victim and extracting cell sap or blood. But most of the bedbugs eat plant foods, and some even bring real benefits. In our country, in addition to the linen mite, the most common bug-soldier (Pyrrhocoris apterus) or Cossack, as the people say, is an insect from the red-bug family.
In countries where they speak English, this beetle has a much brighter name - "fire beetle", and if literally, it translates as "arsonist". But all of them are associated exclusively with the color on the back, a black and red ornament.
General Description
As people say, if this bug appeared on the street, it will already be warm.
The body of the bug is from 7 to 10 millimeters in length, rounded. The rear wingsthere is no insect. Sometimes you can find a beetle not with red, but with yellow color, but there is always a black pattern on the back.
Insect life cycle is small, from 6 to 12 months.
What eats
The soldier bug prefers cell sap. For its prey, the insect has a trunk-shaped mouth with which it pierces the vegetation shell. The proboscis is piercing-sucking, so the beetle can even bite through the shell of an insect that has died.
In addition, the bug eats seeds of various plants, fruits that have fallen from a tree and small weeds.
Residence area
Beetle is most often found on the Eurasian continent. In North America, the beetle was noticed only 50 years ago, in all likelihood, it was accidentally brought there. In countries where it is too dry and hot, in Australia, South America and Africa, the soldier bug does not occur at all, in all likelihood, due to the characteristics of the climate.
Habitats
Beetles live in small colonies, usually near stumps, fallen trees and along the perimeter of wooden fences. Places are chosen sunny and open.
Insect hibernation lasts from December to March. Beetles go to bed in secluded places that are prepared in advance. Usually these are gaps in fences and old trees, in wooden buildings.
Mating
Beetles of soldier bugs give life to their descendants in an interesting way. Individuals of both sexes are connected by back partstorso. As soon as the seminal fluid enters the body of the female, fertilization immediately occurs. It takes up to 10 days for the eggs to develop. At one time, the female can lay up to 30 eggs. After hatching, the larvae are a pale red color that changes over time.
The bug develops according to an incomplete type of metamorphosis, that is, there is no transitional stage when the insect is in the chrysalis state.
Fire bugs
Unknowingly, many people confuse the insect of the soldier bug with the fireman beetle. In fact, the difference is huge. First of all, the fireman beetle has an elongated body compared to a bug. In addition, the bug leaves a trail with an unpleasant odor and is a non-flying garden pest. The fire beetle, on the contrary, can fly and protects gardens from harmful insects.
Bug damage
Despite its attractive appearance, the bug almost literally sucks the vital juices from the plant. On the internal parts of plants actively lay their eggs. As soon as the young bug hatches, it immediately begins to feed on plant sap. As a result, the plant gradually but surely withers and eventually dies.
In early spring, the insect feeds on weeds, but with the advent of the second greenery, it switches to it. In principle, the bug does not disdain any vegetation. These insects cause the most harm to vineyards, especially young ones, as they even damage the berries of the plant.
Danger to humans
Bug-soldier is absolutely harmless to humans and animals. He will never settle in housing, and even if he gets there, then after he is taken out, he will never come back. Bed bugs do not bite people and animals either, as they are not blood-sucking.
How to get rid of a pest
Do not underestimate the harm from the soldier bug, it is hard to even imagine what damage will be done to the garden or vegetable garden if insect colonies appear throughout the territory. Therefore, it is recommended that when at least one bug appears, immediately take measures to destroy it and prevent reproduction.
First of all, it is necessary to clearly determine that the bug causes damage to vegetation, and this is determined by some signs:
- buds or flowers fall almost immediately after the appearance;
- beets and carrots do not have time to sprout, all shoots disappear immediately after appearing above the ground;
- yellow spots appear on the cabbage, the leaves gradually die off;
- dill and coriander, a number of other umbrella plants die almost immediately after planting.
It will not be superfluous to inspect all places where insects can accumulate, these are old stumps and wooden fences.
Bug control measures must be started in early spring. First of all, all plants that are at risk must be planted away from perennial legumes and alfalfa. It is these plants that the insect chooses for wintering. All weeds should be mowed almost to the root in order to destroy the eggs and larvae of the pest. remove the weedgrass, especially from a flower bed, is recommended every week.
If possible, between weeds and planted plants, it is better to make a strip of land on which nothing will grow. Since the bug does not fly, it will not be able to overcome such an obstacle.
If the bug-soldier nevertheless "got" to some plant, then it can be treated with the preparation "Bancol". The product is absolutely safe for humans and animals, has no pungent odor and helps well in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle.
There is also such a plant as black cohosh. It really repels insects with its smell. Therefore, black cohosh is planted between crops that are important for the owner of the garden. Tansy is suitable, the bugs also do not like its smell.
In cases where there are few bugs in the garden, you can get rid of them mechanically, that is, simply collect adults and larvae by hand.
These insects do not like the smell of onions. Therefore, if you grow environmentally friendly products in the garden, you can make a tincture from onion peel. For 10 liters of water, it will require 200 grams of husks, which are mixed and infused for 5 days, then the plants are sprayed. The procedure will have to be repeated after a few days. Dry mustard is used in the same way.
Soap solution is suitable for pest control. To do this, I use "green soap" or laundry. Soap and water are diluted and crops are cultivated.
Interesting facts
In the colonies of bedbugs, there are 3-4 times more males than females. In officialsources, the insect is not listed as a pest, although in mass accumulation it can cause serious damage to the crop. Although recently there is information that the insect is mutating and the harm from it is getting stronger.
On the territory of Ukraine, the insect is called the Muscovite bug, since the color of the elytra is very similar to the caftans of Moscow archers.
The bed bug has no natural enemies, as it leaves an unpleasant odor behind. Even spiders throw bugs out of their webs precisely because a strong unpleasant odor comes from an insect. Do not eat bedbugs and birds.
In the description of soldier bugs, information is rarely found that they are cannibals, but this is a reliable fact.
