Let's find out if a ladybug bites

Everyone knows such an insect as a ladybug. Each of us held this beetle in the palm of our hand and curiously counted the number of points on its back. Remember how in childhood we thought how many dots - how many years a ladybug is, how they sang rhymes, begging them to fly to the sky... The ladybug insect evokes joyful and enthusiastic memories from childhood. Below you will find a photo and description of the ladybug, you can learn a lot of new and unusual things about it.

What does a ladybug look like?

The ladybug looks quite small. The size of the ladybug reaches a length of 4 to 9 mm. The ladybug looks recognizable, because most often it is colored red and strewn with black dots. The ladybug has a convex, almost round body. The ladybug looks interesting, because there are so many small details in the structure of its body.

The ladybug insect has a head, pronotum, chest, abdomen, wings with elytra and paws. The ladybug has a small and short head, which is motionlessly connected to the pronotum. On the head of the insect there are eyes and movable antennae. The ladybug beetle flies using a pair of hind wings. The ladybug's forewings are rigid elytra that protect the main wings while it is on the ground. The ladybug flies well and makes up to 85 wing beats per second.

Everyone knows that the ladybug looks so bright to scare away predators. In addition to the variegated colors, the ladybug also secretes a yellow liquid with a sharp, specific odor. This liquid is poisonous and serves as protection against frogs, spiders and other potential enemies. The ladybug beetle secretes its poisonous liquid from the joints of its legs in case of danger. Also, when in danger, an insect can even pretend to be dead.

Of course, the red ladybug is not the only color option for this insect. There is a yellow ladybug, a black ladybug and even a white ladybug. What a ladybug looks like and what color it will be depends on the type of ladybug. At the same time, young individuals have the most saturated color; in older individuals, it fades over time.

Information about soldier bugs

The scientific name of the insect is the wingless red bug or soldier bug. The insect belongs to the order Hemiptera of the suborder Shield-like insects. The size of bedbugs can reach 11 millimeters. In some cases, the beetle may be smaller in size, from 7 millimeters and above.

The wingless red bug got its name due to its color. The beetle itself is black in color, but the area on the back and part of the fangs has a very bright red color. If you look at the soldier from top to bottom, the beetle appears almost flat due to the structural features of its body. The larvae of the soldier bug have a similar coloration. In very rare cases, red bugs may have orange instead of red spots.

The soldier bug is quite similar to the fireman beetle . Many people may confuse these insects. The following differences exist:

• the bug has a more rounded body shape;
• the beetle has wings, which the bug does not have.

Features of the power supply

Individuals can feed using a specific sucking apparatus, which is located in the lower part of the head . The device is equipped with a special trunk . It is quite hard and is excellent not only for extracting juice from plants, but also for piercing the shells of other insects.

Reproduction of soldier bugs

Red bugs reproduce very quickly and intensively. If one insect appears on earth, there is a high probability that in the near future the number of individuals will increase several dozen times. For fertilization, the female and male only need to press their back parts of their bodies tightly against each other. One clutch of a beetle can contain about three dozen eggs, which are very similar to grains of rice. After ten days, the larvae “hatch” from them, which are very similar to adult insects.

Types of ladybugs

The types of ladybugs are very diverse. They all have different shapes, sizes, colors and number of points. There are even ladybugs without dots. More than four thousand species of ladybugs are known, which are grouped into 360 genera and are distributed in almost all parts of the world.

The most famous and common type of ladybug that we are most familiar with is the seven-spotted ladybug. It has the usual red color for us, and is named so because it has exactly 7 black dots. Below in the photo you can see different types of ladybugs.

Where does the ladybug live?

The ladybug lives almost everywhere except the Arctic and Antarctic. Ladybug lives on trees, bushes and grass in different parts of the world. Most often, the ladybug lives in the steppe zone, forests, mountains and gardens. In Russia, the ladybug lives almost throughout the entire territory, with the exception of the extreme northern regions. The ladybug also lives in Europe, Asia, Japan, China, India, Mongolia, Africa, Korea and America.

Gravedigger beetles (lat. Nicrophorus)

Oh, and they were named! Although... there is nothing terrible about it, quite the contrary. These beetles from the family of carnivores are of great benefit. They are the best and most conscientious orderlies of the animal world. Gravediggers, in the literal sense of the word, bury the corpses of small animals. But they do this not for others, but first of all, for themselves. These corpses will serve as an excellent food base for their larvae in the future.

Gravedigger beetles (lat. Nicrophorus) (eng. Sexton Beetle)

Burying beetles have also become famous for their intelligence (if this concept is generally applicable to insects) and incredible care for their offspring. But before revealing all their secrets, let’s take a closer look at the physiology and habitat of this unique creature.

There are 68 species of gravediggers in the world. They are distributed almost everywhere, with the exception of tropical Africa and Australia. 20 of them live here in Russia.

Outwardly, they are very cute creatures. These are large black beetles with orange or yellow spots on the elytra. Their body length, depending on the species, can range from 1 to 4 centimeters. The large head is “decorated” with antennae with clubs at the ends. It is thanks to them that beetles, even with weak breaths of air, are able to “smell” the smell of decaying flesh, even if it is several hundred meters away.

Having reached the corpse, the gravediggers, like real foremen, begin to assess the scope of the upcoming work. This is done in order to bury the dead body as quickly as possible, before other scavengers, such as carrion flies or other carrion eaters, get to it first. The beetle climbs under the body of its “prey” and begins to dig the ground underneath it until it settles deeper under its own weight.

If the corpse lies on too hard ground, then the beetle with its whole body tries to move it to the side with softer soil. If plant stems get in his way, he gnaws them at the very base. It is practically impossible for one beetle to do this, so several insects work on one animal corpse. After some time, an earthen ridge forms around the dead animal, and the body itself settles under its own weight and is then covered with earth.

Photo by Eigenes Werk

But...several insects took part in the work, most often several males and a female, and as a result, only two remain near the “grave” - a male and a female, who, after mating, tries to drive away the male. But this is done not because of greed or the desire for sole ownership of a large sum, but purely because of “maternal” instincts. By the way, adult beetles practically do not eat carrion; all good things are intended exclusively for their offspring.

Then the female alone begins to dig a small underground niche, which opens to the carcass of the buried animal. Having laid a couple of dozen eggs there, the female returns to the corpse and begins to gnaw several funnel holes in it, into which she regurgitates her digestive juice. What are all these tricks for? All for the same thing, for his beloved and beloved offspring.

How does a ladybug live?

The ladybug lives, being active from early spring until late autumn. In winter, ladybugs hide under fallen leaves, tree bark or stones, where they remain until spring. But not all ladybugs live sedentary lives and remain to spend the winter where they spent the summer. Often, before the onset of cold weather, ladybugs migrate.

During wintering and migration periods, ladybugs, which usually lead a solitary lifestyle, gather together. Mass accumulations of this beetle are also typical during the mating season. In spring, the ladybug wakes up very early; for her, it is enough for the temperature to reach only +10 °C. Therefore, the ladybug can be one of the first to be seen after winter. Ladybugs live from 10 to 12 months and only occasionally up to 2 years. The lifespan of a ladybug depends on the availability of food.

Methods of disposal

A garden bug that appears on private property will definitely show itself soon, and not in the best way. And therefore, immediately after discovering an insect, you should look for ways to get rid of toy soldiers.

Initially, garden pests living in the ground and called soldiers did not belong to the category of harmful ones. This happened for the reason that the bugs fed exclusively on fallen seeds and overripe fruits. However, then the garden bug began to degenerate and eat vegetation useful for the garden and humans, as well as attack other insects living on the site. It was from this moment that the need arose to carry out certain control measures in the garden where these red-black insects appeared.

In order to remove the soldier bug from the garden plot, gardeners use many different means. The most famous of them are:

1. Mechanical destruction of pests by collecting and removing them outside the garden.
2. Exposure of soldiers to repellent or poisonous chemicals.
3. The use of folk remedies to combat insects with soldiers.

Both artificial chemicals and beneficial plants that have a pungent odor and repel insect pests are used. Among the simplest methods of combating red bugs, there is a certain recommendation from specialists that is preventive in nature. If colonies of insects with red and black backs have been noticed in the garden, you can simply collect them and take them outside. This will prevent damage caused to fruit and berry plants by insecticidal preparations used to poison these same bugs. Well, in order not to worry about the soldier beetles returning to the site, you can destroy them after removing them from the residential area. This is the so-called mechanical method of combating soldier bugs, but besides this, there is another one that involves the use of catching belts.

They can be purchased at hardware stores, or made by hand. When creating a catching belt for soldier bugs yourself, take a strip of corrugated cardboard approximately 25 cm wide. It should be cut into two parts across the grooves, then coat all parts with PVA glue. Next, glass wool about 1.5 cm thick is attached to the prepared cardboard. This product is attached to the tree with wire. Why is this so? The fact is that soldier bugs are known to many as pests of wood; their colonies can often be seen on tree bark, and therefore the first thing to do is protect trees. However, other garden plants may also suffer from the attacks of these bugs. But they are protected in other ways.

There are also more radical measures aimed at solving the issue of how to get rid of soldier beetles. They begin with planting a special plant in the garden that repels bedbugs - black cohosh. Black currant pests, which are the soldiers, cannot stand the smell of this vegetation and simply leave the area. Interestingly, not only red bugs will leave the garden, but also other insects that plague cultivated plants.

Gardening stores offer customers many different pesticides to make pest control easier. However, it should be understood that their use will harm not only red bugs, but also the soil, as well as cultivated vegetation. In addition, black-and-red beetles gradually get used to the constituent components of chemicals and no longer react to the poison. One of the most famous chemicals. One of these drugs against soldier bugs is Bankol. It does not have a sharp or unpleasant odor, and in addition it is absolutely safe for both people and pets and beneficial insects. You only need to dilute 5-7 ml of the product in 10 liters of water. It is recommended to pour the prepared solution into a bottle with a sprayer and process it.

What do ladybugs eat?

It will probably be a great discovery for each of us that most ladybugs are predators. Because ladybugs eat aphids. A ladybug eats about a hundred aphids a day. In addition, ladybugs eat psyllids, scale insects, mites and scale insects. The ladybug larva is also predatory. Both the ladybug and its larva are very voracious.

The ladybug insect destroys various dangerous pests in huge quantities, which brings enormous benefits to agriculture. The seven-spotted ladybird was even specially brought to America to combat spider mites and aphids.

Of course, there are also herbivorous species of ladybugs. These ladybugs feed on plants and cause damage to agriculture. Herbivorous ladybugs are most common in the tropics of all continents and the subtropics of Southeast Asia.

In Russia there are 3 species of ladybugs that feed on plants. The 28-spotted ladybird causes damage to potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetable crops, the alfalfa ladybird damages sugar beets and alfalfa, and the pointless ladybird damages clover and sweet clover. All other types of ladybugs that live in Russia are predators.

Remedies for the fight against soldier beetles

The first thing you can use to kill these pests is a chemical. The insecticide can be sprayed on the exterior walls of the home where insects tend to congregate in large numbers. The best time for this is spring, when the beetles are just beginning to emerge from hibernation, or in the fall, when they begin to look for shelter and warmth. Although this residual insecticide will act as a deterrent to pests landing in these areas, it will not be effective once cold weather arrives.

The use of insecticides is generally only advisable when the infestation of soldiers has become too large and things have gotten out of control. Local hardware stores and pest control companies can help you choose the right pesticide; The most common active ingredients to control these bugs are bifenthrin, cyclofluthrin, deltamethrin, etc. Some things to keep in mind when using insecticides are:

• using them indoors is not as effective as using them outdoors and can damage the interior of the house;
• You need to focus on areas where beetles are most likely to congregate, including areas that get a lot of sunlight;
• It is worth using a sprayer to get maximum coverage;
• you need to concentrate on spraying the south and southwest sides of the house;
• You need to be careful not to get these insecticides on your lawn and plants as they can cause damage;
• If you decide to use pesticides indoors, you need to apply them to the wall - under baseboards, inside plumbing holes and around electrical outlets and patch panel covers;
• once the insecticide wears off, more bugs will appear.

Traps using light or glue can be useful for catching or killing toy soldiers. Light traps use a pest bait in the form of light - artificial or otherwise - while glue traps have a sticky substance that the beetles cannot escape from. There are even powder traps available. They are attached to the window glass. This trap, filled with powder, is very effective. The beetles are then attracted to the light into the trap, where the powder sticks to their legs, preventing them from escaping.

For many, using a mixture of soap and water has proven effective in killing bedbugs. Experts say the mixture can break down the beetle's hardened skin, causing its membranes to deteriorate. The beetles will become dehydrated and die. White spots on their shell indicate dehydration. One common method is to add 1-2 tbsp. l. soap into a standard spray bottle filled with water. You need to spray the mixture directly on the beetles. Repeated application of this method is usually necessary to prevent the spread of the beetles.

Ladybug larva

The mating season for ladybugs occurs in mid-spring, when the insects have already gained strength after hibernation or migration. During the breeding season, the female secretes a special secret through which the male finds her. After which the female lays eggs on the plants. The ladybug chooses a place closer to aphid colonies so that the offspring are provided with food.

Ladybug eggs look like pointed, oval-shaped grains and can be yellow, orange or white. The female deposits them on the underside of the leaves or stems of the plant. One ladybug can lay up to 400 eggs, placing them in small piles. If the female feeds well, she can lay up to 1 thousand eggs.

After about a couple of weeks, variegated oval-shaped ladybug larvae with a bluish-gray tint appear from the laid eggs. The ladybug larva has thin bristles on its body and a peculiar pattern, which is formed by a combination of orange, yellow and white spots. After hatching, the ladybug larva eats the shell of its egg and the dead eggs. When the larva gets stronger, it begins to destroy aphid colonies. The voracious ladybug larvae eats up to 300 aphids per day.

The ladybug will remain in the larval stage for about 4-7 weeks. All this time, the ladybug larva is very mobile, because it is in constant search of food. The ladybug larva then develops into a pupa and attaches itself to the plant. As it develops, it begins to acquire all the characteristic features of a full-fledged insect. After about 10 days, a fully formed adult individual emerges from the cocoon.

About external signs and lifestyle

The official name is Pyrrhocoris apterus, also known as the wingless red bug. The red-black pest represents the suborder Shield-like insects of the order Hemiptera. It does not attack humans, but spoils plants. Moreover, these insects cause the main damage if they act in groups.

Features of appearance and lifestyle

The adult individual develops to a size of 11 mm. The body of the insect is flat, the back is decorated with an ornament: black lines on a red background. For feeding, a piercing-sucking type mouthpart is provided. Thanks to this, the pest is able to feed on solid food.

The basis of the diet consists of roots, seeds, weeds, garden plants, and fruits. In addition, insects, in the absence of other food, suck juices from dead insects. Considering that the soldier beetle has no hind wings, it is not able to fly.

This insect is easily recognized by its red and black coloring.

The pest lives in remote but open places: fences, stumps, fallen trees. He loves the sun, so he prefers to choose well-lit areas. For hibernation, it looks for hidden places: under the bark of trees, in the corners of old buildings, cracks in fences. For this type of bedbug, it is important that the selected areas are dry. In winter, pests hibernate; the duration of this period is on average three months: from December to March.

How does a bedbug reproduce?

This process occurs quite quickly in soldier beetles. Already 1.5 weeks after mating, larvae appear. The oviposition consists of 20-30 eggs. Bedbugs of this species are insects with an incomplete transformation cycle (skip the pupation stage). Pests, being in larval form, differ from adult insects: they are uniformly red in color, but the shade is lighter than that of a mature individual.

After fertilization, the female beetle lays 20–30 eggs. The larvae are born after 7–10 days.

In addition, the beginnings of a pattern are visible, which gradually appears on the back (at first these are black dots). The female lays eggs in plants: in the tissue of the green part of plantings, cuttings, trunks.

Are “soldier soldiers” harmful?

Red beetles do not pose a danger to people. Such pests do not seek to enter human homes, since there is no suitable food for them there, and they are not parasitic insects. If a bug is found in the house, you just need to take it out of the house; it will not come back. This can happen accidentally: under the influence of strong winds or for other reasons independent of the insect.

However, soldiers pose a danger to plantings. They infect plants in summer cottages and farmland. The more pests attacked, the greater the damage. They undermine plants and fruits (fruits, berries). In this case, the development of the plant is inhibited, it withers, and the fruits eventually become unsuitable for consumption. Shoots usually die faster; mature plantings are more resistant, however, they lose their ability to bear fruit.

An army of pests can cause considerable damage not only to summer cottages, but also to farms.

Compared to most other pests, these bedbugs are not as dangerous, since in order to cause truly serious harm, they must attack in a large colony.

Why is the ladybug called that?

It is still a mystery why the ladybug is called that. Perhaps it was called that because the ladybug insect is capable of secreting “milk” - a poisonous yellow liquid that scares away enemies. And she was probably nicknamed “God’s” for her harmless character and her help in preserving the harvest by destroying aphids.

The ladybug insect enjoys great sympathy and respect all over the world. In different countries, the ladybug is called differently. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the ladybug is called the "St. Mary's beetle." In England, the USA and Australia - “lady beetle”. In Latin American countries - “St. Anthony’s cow”. In the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belarus and Ukraine it is called “sun”. In some countries, monuments are even erected in honor of the ladybug.

There are many beliefs and signs around this insect that foreshadow only good events. There are many legends involving the ladybug. The ladybug is considered a symbol of good luck; in ancient times, people worshiped and idolized this insect. The image of this beetle on clothing or various decorations were considered a talisman. In some cultures, it is forbidden to harm this insect so as not to attract trouble.

The ancient Slavs considered the ladybug to be the messenger of the Sun goddess. It is believed that you should not drive away a ladybug that has landed on you, so as not to frighten away your fortune. If she flies into the house, she brings peace and harmony to it. Even the weather was predicted with its help. This amazing and tiny insect with the simple name ladybug has such universal love.

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How to fight bedbugs?

Signs of damage: falling flowers, changes in the structure and color of leaves. Gradually the plantings dry out. Given the high rate of reproduction, pests need to be removed from the site as quickly as possible. One way is mechanical collection. In this case, insects are collected by hand. However, it is impossible to clear a large area in this way. Usually chemical preparations and folk remedies are used.

Chemicals

They are effective in the fight against bedbugs, however, gradually the pests develop resistance to various types of chemicals. This makes the site treatment procedure ineffective.

In addition, the destruction of toy soldiers threatens the release of harmful substances into the soil; these compounds are absorbed into plant tissue. As a result, harm is caused not only to insects, but also to plants. For this reason, it is recommended to use such products only when the area is heavily infected.

Available options:

1. Bankol is the most effective drug. It is characterized by the absence of a pronounced odor and is harmless to people. The substances contained in the product do not harm even beneficial insects. Dilute the product with water: per 10 liters no more than 7 ml of the active compound.
2. Karbofos.
3. Actellik.
4. Aktara.

Interesting video: Soldiers attack cabbage