What are bedbugs (Heteroptera)? These are arthropod insects spread throughout the globe. They can be divided into subgroups - woody, cruciferous, freshwater and parasites.
The latter is a well-known home (bed) bug, another name is the household one. More than 103 thousand different species of these insects are known, which belong to 35 thousand families. They can feed on either tree sap or sucking blood from various mammals.
The main topic of the article is what the bugs look like: photos, varieties of bedbugs, habitat, feeding habits. There are tips on how to get rid of bedbugs in the apartment.
Types of bedbugs
The list of species in Russia totals about 2000 these insects. They inhabit the entire country, from the northern regions to the hot south. Best known in the country, however, with a minus sign, the bed bug, which is a blood-sucking parasite. What are bedbugs? In addition to it, red ("toy soldier beetles"), arboreal ("stink beetles"), aquatic and many other species live in nature.
Flat
To flat applies pine bug. is he settles in pine forests, preferring trees from 9 to 25 years old.
During meals disrupts nutrient flow through the trunk, because of what the pine begins to bush, and the needles turn yellow and showered.
The greatest damage to trees living in an unfavorable environment in urban and suburban forest parks and forests. This is explained by the fact that the insect-eating birds are not the natural enemy of this insect, or they are found in small quantities.
Adult insects have red body colorsimilar to pine bark. Its length is 3.5-5 mm. The body shape is flat, in females wider than in males. Distinguish characteristic pear smell.
Pests overwinter on the ground at the base of trees. In the spring, even before complete snowfall, they wake up, climb the trunk and hide in the scales of the bark. They feed there, and in the summer eggs are laid (up to 28 pieces from one female).
Below is a photo of the bug of this species:
Red
Common species in Russia.
Most often they can be seen on wooden fences, old stumps, lower parts of trees. There they rest and wait for food to appear, and then feed on sap of young green plants.
This pest is an insect long from 7 to 12 mm. The characteristic red-black pattern is applied on the hard back, which makes it almost impossible to confuse it with others. The larvae are small, have a monochromatic red color and small black dots. The oral organ is the proboscis with which it pierces the plant and sucks its juices.
Summer red bugs arranged in large colonies on sunny, well warmed surfaces. In winter, they go to a specially chosen dry warm place, where they spend the cold period. The female lays up to 30 eggs at a time, of which after 1-1.5 weeks the larvae appear.
In feeding, soldier beetles are unpretentious, and can suck the juice from any green plants, which, after such actions, stop developing, bear fruit and dry up gradually.
Soldiers are not bedbugs dangerous for humans, the pictures of which you see below:
Woody
Theiralso called "stink-bugs" because of an unpleasant smell, which they publish for protection at the time of occurrence of a hazard or during mating. He usually lives near the water, but very often flies into the apartment. No harm can be done to humans by a stinker beetle, but who will agree to tolerate such a “non-aromatic” neighborhood.
The woody bug is an insect long up to 15 mm with hard shell, under which wings are hidden. He uses them not too often, and only when he is confident that he will be able to reach rich forage lands. In summer, the beetle has a light green color., which allows you to disguise from enemies among the foliage. In the autumn the back gets a brown shade.
The pest is unpretentious in the choice of food. is he can eat leaves, grass, cereals and berries. Loves raspberries. In the hungry period will not disdain the remnants of insects, which is under fallen leaves.
The picture of the bug of this family is below:
Water
This is a large squad that includes more than 700 species. All these insects are predators and live in stagnant water or rivers with little current. The most famous representatives of bugs of this species are rider and smooth.
Waterman - an insect with an elongated long body, up to 30 mm longthat moves through the water on three pairs of long thin limbs. It is held on the surface of the water due to the tension force of the surface of the latter.
On the head are the antennae, catching the slightest fluctuations. The water strider feeds on insects that have fallen into the water, invertebrates, fish fry. At the same time they themselves can be attacked by fish.
Gladysh - bed bug with a smooth elongated backon which it slides on the surface of the water. As the motor apparatus used long hind limbs. He breathes atmospheric air, which receives through special holes in the back of the abdomen, always exposed from the water.
Gladyshes live in ponds, but during a trip to a new place they may temporarily settle in puddles, barrels of water. They feed on insects and arthropods, fish fry.
ATTENTION! This insect is not dangerous to humans, but it will defend itself if you try to take it in hand, leaving very painful bites.
Kiss
Triatoms are the kind of insects that lives only in South America. In the people they are called "kissing bugs" or "affectionate killers." All because when bitten, these parasites transmit a deadly Chagas disease.
According to statistics, more people died this way than from the bites of all other insects. The body is long, the paws and the oral apparatus are significantly elongated, compared to other species.
Parasites live close to houses, household buildings, burrows. They can get into the dwelling on objects, or fly by themselves. The bite is not felt, only a small itchy blister remains. In the secretions that the bugs leave next to the wound, there are trypanosomes, which, when combed, are introduced into the wound.
Photos of these little bugs:
Blood sucking
Blood sucking bugs are the most unpleasant parasiteswho can settle near a person. These include well-known bedding (linen) parasites.
These are small bugs, size 3-5 mm. When hungry, they have a flat body, due to which it is almost impossible to catch or crush them. After the end of the feed, it swells up, stretches in length, acquiring a dark brown color.
Theysettle down in the folds of furniture, under baseboards, wallpaper and even in clothes, leading exclusively nocturnal lifestyle. They multiply very quickly. They live in large colonies. Can move between apartments, using channels of electrical wiring, ventilation, the slightest gap in the walls.
Bite on the open parts of the body, leaving a chain of up to 7 itchy marks on the skin. Bites are not dangerous, but can cause allergies, especially in children. Therefore, it is very important to timely treat the bites of bedbugs.
IMPORTANT! To destroy bed bugs there is no 100% efficient way. It is best to contact a special organization dedicated to the extermination of parasites. Or you need to combine chemical methods (aerosols, sprays, powders and crayons) with folk remedies.
Household bugs photo:
In the world there are more than 100 thousand species of bedbugs, of which about 2 thousand can be found in Russia. Among them are herbivores, predators and parasites.
The most famous are wood bugs, which are called "stink-bugs", red or "toy-beetles", water striders and smooth-legs, as well as bed (linen) bugs. The latter are very unpleasant parasites that feed on human blood.
All varieties of bedbugs with photos are presented in this article.