I also became afraid that bed bugs would attack and start biting. They look a lot like domestic parasites, but the color is different - the shell is green. There are animals at home, as well as small children. I am also afraid for their health - whether something will happen after contact with such insects. Bed bugs are frequent guests in our apartment, so I want to be prepared. Please tell me if these pests are dangerous. If you can, give 1-2 examples of how you can effectively fight them. Alice.
The author of the portal answers the question:
In my material below, you will learn about the behavior of wood bugs and what to do when they get into an apartment.
Appearance and structure of the insect
Shchetnik woody - bedbug bright green color. However, the appearance in this case is deceptive. Such an insect can easily be mistaken for another, but in fact, before the onset of cold weather, the pest changes the color of its outer covers. It becomes brown, but it is still the same wood bug. Other body parameters:
- polychlenic antennae (1 pair);
- The body is flattened, 5-cone, resembling a shield;
- On the pronotum there is a small roll;
- there are complex and simple eyes, but the senses are still responsible for orientation in space;
- 3 pairs of limbs;
- body length - up to 16 mm.
Reproduction and cycles of the Shieldman
Insects start mating in the spring. The female lays eggs after receiving a sufficient dose of nutrients. She needs food to do this. The wood bug goes through several developmental stages:
The female lays up to 30 eggs. Several such clutches may appear during the warm season. The eggs are arranged in a row of several eggs. The result is an orderly clutch. A single egg is up to 1 mm in size. They are green, barrel-shaped, with a lid on one side, and upon cursory examination resemble balls.
It takes 1 to 2 weeks for the embryo to develop inside the shell.
Lifestyle of the tree bug
The green shchitnik dwells close to food sources. But they have wings and also have the ability to fly. Only pests use such an opportunity not often, but in case of extreme necessity.
This allows the insects to move in search of food to neighboring areas and to more distant places.
This is also how pests escape predators. Tree bugs wake up in April and May. They live a long time, which means they need to choose a place to overwinter.
What the beetle looks like: close-up photo
How long the green tree bug lives
The lifespan of such insects is usually 2 years, but it can also be shortened if the pests find themselves in unfavorable conditions. During this time, several generations emerge from eggs that are laid several times by the female.
How they hibernate and in what form
To get through the cold seasonThe wood bug climbs into shelters it finds suitable: leaf litter, under small stones, and tree bark. Most often they stay for the winter in the vicinity of food sources.
Sometimes green bed bugs are found in the apartment.
But home to people, in the apartment, on the balcony, such insects climb if they mistakenly take the source of heat from the dwelling for the beginning of spring time.
Types of wood ticks
Not always insects are characterized by brown coloration. There are brighter representatives among the shieldworms. But not all of them are also dangerous. There are also less threatening individuals. And not all of them represent the Shielded Plover family.
Red
It is not as dangerous as the wood-brown pest. The red bug is distinguished by its bright coloration - round black spots and a triangle are visible on top of the body. The insect has different eating habits: it can feed on plants as well as insects at different stages. Like its brown counterpart, the red-claw has eyes, which are red in color.
But the main way to navigate the terrain is based on the use of the senses.
Bed bugs detect changes in the environment. Bed bugs live on old stumps, tree bark, fences, and can be found in parks, forest belts, and along roads. They do not try to get home to humans.
Redhead
This is the ruler bug. It is a member of the true Shieldworm family. The insect has an unofficial name, the Italian bug. It is believed that it is so nicknamed for its resemblance to the shape of the Vatican Guardsmen. These pests reach 11 mm in length and have a black-red or black-orange shell.
In addition, you can see additional protrusions on the side.
If you look at the pest from above, you can not see the limbs. Unlike their counterparts, these insects have a more meager diet - they feed on seeds of umbrella plants.
The obvious harm of the green bug
Small parasite destroys crops, plants. It traumatizes the soft tissues of the green part of the plantation. Such a puncture promotes the development of pathological processes: the color of the plant changes, the leaves become deformed, and the yield decreases.
The worst-case scenario in this case is the death of the plantation.
What green shields eat
The tree bug prefers to spoil the green part of fruit trees and berry bushes. Sometimes they even consider cereal crops as food. Herbaceous plants are also part of the diet of these individuals. Although the green bug is predominantly a plant-eater, it may occasionally eat carrion, sucking the juices of dead insects.
Who is called the "stink bug." Interesting details
Many shield-keepers are given this nickname because they all look alike and also exude a specific odor. It is a way of protection from predators, provides an opportunity to warn fellow predators of danger, and is a natural reaction when Insect experiences fear when suddenly threatened. Interesting facts:
- зThe spruce bug secretes a special secret that contains cymic acid, and it is this component that is responsible for the specific smell;
- Insects have another protective mechanism - the ability to change color, in summer against the background of green trees pests are invisible due to the same color of the body, and in the fall they can not be distinguished from the fallen leaves.
Do wood bugs bite?
All species of insects of the Shieldworm family have a stabbing-sucking mouthpiece. The green woodbug does not differ from its brethren in this respect. This means that the pests have a rather thin proboscis. It is designed to pierce leaves, so you can't traumatize.
In addition, the shield bug can't even make a bite, it performs a puncture.
What to do if bitten by a wood bug
Considering that the insect is not capable of piercing human skin, consider the possibility of developing dermatitis upon contact with this species of pest. This occurs if the wood bug is on a person's body. Those people with hypersensitivity may feel itching, tingling - this is a reaction to the substances released by the insects.
It is enough to wash your skin with soap and water and treat the epidermis with antiseptic.
Tree bugs treat alcoholism
Shields are used to get rid of cravings for alcohol. When people cannot stop the process of self-destruction on their own, their loved ones try to help them in every way possible. That is why a recipe for a tincture based on green tree bugs is popular:
- You need to find up to 7-8 bedbugs;
- they are dipped in alcohol (60-70%) - 500 ml;
- after 1 week you can strain the prepared solution, it is given to the person suffering from alcoholism.
At the same time a strong unpleasant taste can discourage drinking alcohol.
However, side effects should not be excluded, because each person's body reacts differently to the secret excreted by insects.
Methods of controlling the green tree scutellaria
Different methods are used:
- chemical (based on insecticides);
- Folk.
When wood bugs appeared in the apartment, how to get rid of them - this problem is solved completely differently.
What to poison the insect so it won't come back
If the pests have only recently settled on the site, there are still few of them, or as long as the infestation of the garden has not occurred, then home remedies are used for prevention:
- mustard solution in water (ratio 1:10);
- Onion infusion: fill a bucket with husks (up to half), pour water to the top of the container, after 5 days use the finished product, pre-strain.
Onion infusion is recommended to dilute with water (ratio of 1:4).
Chemicals are also used:
- Actara;
- Carbofos;
- Karate Zeon.
How to get rid of bed bugs on the balcony
You don't have to kill these pests at home. It is enough to help the green tree bugs to fly out through the windows. Then you should take care that they do not return - fill the cracks in the frame structure of the balcony. To drive the insects out of the cracks, use strong-smelling agents such as tansy, essential oils.
Dreams about bedbugs
Our subconscious mind can give out different pictures. Perhaps this way a person receives some signs from above, there is also the opposite opinion - it is a way of expressing the events lived.
In any case, at all times man has sought to solve the mystery, to know the meaning of dreams.
Sometimes the images are quite unusual, for example, you may dream of a bedbug. The meaning depends on the events involved, but in most cases, these insects are associated with a warning of trouble, perhaps - diseases.
Preventive measures
To prevent an infestation of an area, you need to understand what you are fighting against. To do this, it is recommended to study what the green bug looks like. You can fight it even at a distance, protecting your territory from a possible insect attack. Bed bugs are afraid of the following factors:
- repellent herbs, such as wormwood, clopogon, in the first case, the plant is plucked, scattered around the plot, and in the second - grown in your vegetable garden, preferably - along the perimeter;
- strongly smelling substances: you can soak cotton pads in kerosene and spread them over the area.
Other preventive measures:
- periodically treat the vegetable garden with folk remedies, which creates unsuitable conditions for bed bugs;
- the last harvest in the fall, then the site should be recultivated, the same is done in early spring, which will destroy the insects that have survived the winter;
- You should often collect plant debris: grass clippings, fallen leaves, dead plants, because insects will hide here;
- Twice a year you can spray a long-acting insecticide, it will provide protection from pests, even if they are not yet present.
Vegetable gardeners' reviews
Expert tips
- You can not water the plants every day with solutions (soap, etc.), it will interfere with their development, in all important measure, enough - 1 time every 3-7 days, depending on the means;
- tree scutes often live on trees, so it is not recommended to try mechanical collection, it is better to focus on preparations, including biological ones.
Conclusion
Wooden shields can vary somewhat in appearance, but they are all quite large, with body length varying from 10 to 16 mm. This pest is dangerous for many plants: fruit, berries, cereals, etc. To destroy it, you need to know the peculiarities of its lifestyle:
- The color of the insect is green/brown. The color depends on the period of the year, which is misleading for unprepared gardeners and growers.
- Bed bugs of this species live for 2 years, but habitat conditions affect their lifespan. The colder the climate, the longer the offspring develop.
- The insects lay their eggs on the back of the leaves. They are green and therefore invisible. To destroy such pests, it is better not to use the method of manual collection, but go straight to the more effective - chemical.
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