The green tree bug is a rather rare guest in a human dwelling, since it is not a human parasite and does not need anything in the house. This green insect is well known for its unpleasant, pronounced odor: that is why the people of the tree shield got its second name - "stink bug".
It is possible to detect a bug that accidentally flew into an apartment only in the summer, when insects actively multiply and spread to new places.
What does a green tree shield look like?
The entire family of real stink bugs has one characteristic feature by which they are distinguished from other bugs: sharp angular tips in the front of the body (see photo):
They are somewhat reminiscent of folded wings and give the insects the very shield shape for which they got their name. A dark brown wing membrane can be seen on the lower part of the back.
The green wood bug is distinguished by its characteristic color of spring greenery, which under the abdomen can turn into yellowness. Closer to autumn, dark brown specks begin to appear on the back of the bug, and by the onset of the first cold weather, it becomes completely brown to merge with the surrounding space.
The wings of the tree shield insect are quite short and have a very small span. On the head there are rather long antennae, each consisting of 4 segments (the 2nd and 3rd of them are absolutely the same length).What a green bug looks like can be seen in the photo below:
The bug eggs resemble light green balls with a lid, and the larvae change their color several times during molting: at the first stage, they are characterized by a light brown color, then black-green or even black, and at the final stage, the nymphs acquire a beautiful light green color like the imago. The only difference between a light green nymph and an adult insect is the absence of wings.
Review
“Green beetles constantly flew into our apartment in the summer. Quite massive, and the shape seems to be even rectangular, but tapers downwards. When one of these was accidentally crushed (they literally crawled under their feet), they felt a terrible stench. Only then it became clear that this is a real stink bug.
Alena, Astrakhan
Insect lifestyle
Green tree bugs in winter are in hibernation, close to the state of suspended animation. For this period, they prefer to look for reliable shelters - leafy litter in the forest, rotten trees or stumps, burrows and spaces under stones.
With the onset of heat (approximately in April-May), shield insects spread over areas where there are plants suitable for feeding. Since the food of bedbugs is mainly the juices of plants and their fruits, they most often settle on fruit trees and shrubs: raspberries, elderberries, cherries. They can also live on ordinary deciduous trees, as well as right in the grass.
Although green bugs have wings, they rarely use them, and fly only when absolutely necessary.: if they are sure that upon arrival a plant suitable for food is waiting for them or this is the only way to escape from predators.
It is interesting
If you notice a bug on a branch and try to get closer to it, it will not run away and fly away, but will try to move to the opposite side of the branch from the observer. That is why it is so difficult to photograph the stink bug - in all the frames it is visible from below behind a branch or a blade of grass.
Bed bugs cannot bite through the hard bark of a tree, so they feed on leaves, herbaceous plants, sometimes buds and flowers. Sometimes they can even damage cereal crops, but this rarely happens. The bug does not bite a person even in case of danger.
Green bugs in an apartment are an accident, since they do not breed in captivity and soon die. For a person, a tree shield is absolutely not dangerous, so its discovery in a dwelling does not threaten anything.
The reproduction of the bug begins immediately after the development of a new place of residence. For one laying, the female can reproduce 20-40 small bugs. Already a couple of weeks after maturation in the egg shell, the bugs are ready to come out.
Small larvae (nymphs) have four cycles of development, each of which is accompanied by a molt and color change.
It is interesting
Scientists have found that the Japanese tree bug, related to the green shield bug, has maternal instincts. It was found that the female bug every day brings the larvae of the berries of the local olaxa tree. Until the moment of full development of larvae into adults, about 100 seeds of woody fruits could be found in the habitat of bugs. Sometimes a caring mother steals such fruits from other people's nests.
An example of how a green bug uses wings (at the end of the video)
Methods of dealing with green tree shield
The green tree bug is not a real horticultural pest capable of causing great damage to crops. But at the same time, living on berry or herbal crops, the shield insect damages leaves, fruits and berries, reducing their total number.
In addition, the fruits “bitten” by the bug will have an unpleasant odor characteristic of it. Such a product will no longer want to be eaten or used for conservation.
And further: Proven methods for the destruction of bedbugs, which have shown high efficiency
You can get rid of wood bugs in the garden or in the garden in the following ways:
- Mechanical. If there are few bedbugs on the site, then you can collect them manually using a bucket or other container for this. This method is a little inconvenient, since green bugs on plants are almost invisible - their color is an excellent disguise.In addition, there is always a risk of missing a few females, who can breed further and spoil the fruits again.
- Traditional, with the help of folk recipes. This option is very effective due to its effect on pests and complete safety for humans and crops. In addition, its use practically does not require financial investments. You can prepare most solutions yourself, without any special skills. Here are some recipes:
Onion infusion: 200 g of onion peel are poured into 10 liters of hot water and infused for 5 days. After that, the solution is filtered, poured into spray bottles and sprayed onto plants affected by bugs. To achieve the best result, it is advised to spray the area 2-3 times with breaks of 5 days.
Mustard solution: 100 g of dry mustard is diluted in 0.5 liters of warm water. Why is another 9.5 liters of water added to the mixture. This solution should be sprayed on the plants in the same way as in the previous recipe.
Black cohosh plant (cimicifuga). This ornamental garden plant is very effective in repelling all types of herbivorous bugs. It is enough to plant several bushes in different parts of the garden or vegetable garden, and the stink bugs will bypass the site.
- Chemical control method. This method involves the use of powerful industrial insecticides: Karbofos, Chlorophos, Phosphamide and others. Such products are very effective in destroying pests, but require special care in the application and use of personal protective equipment. The chemical method of control is recommended to be used in cases where the number of wood bugs is very high, and they really threaten the plantations, which is extremely rare.
The green bug in the apartment does not require special measures to combat it. An accidentally flying insect is easiest to just throw out the window - it will not return again.
Green tree bugs are not listed as dangerous pests of food crops, so there is no comprehensive control of them. For a person, a collision with this type of shield insect also does not bear any consequences, it is absolutely safe, and if you do not touch it, it will not even cause discomfort.
Close-up shot of a green bug
