Malformed, inedible fruits and ragged leaves: some leaf bugs make life difficult for hobby gardeners. The pretty insects feed primarily on the plant or fruit juice of many crops and fruit plants, although the animals are not particularly choosy. These measures help against an invasion in the home garden.

The gray leaf bug is common in our latitudes

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. What are leaf bugs?
  3. Look
  4. way of life and reproduction
  5. food
  6. damage picture
  7. combat
  8. prevention
  9. frequently asked Questions
  10. Are leaf bugs dangerous?
  11. Can leaf bugs bite?
  12. Are Fire Bugs Poisonous to Dogs?
  13. What predators do leaf bugs have?

    14. the essentials in brief

    • There are about 1000 different species of leaf bugs, ranging in color from grey-brown to grass green
    • Leaf bugs feed on plant sap, leaving damage to leaves and shoots and puncture marks on stems
    • Leaf bugs can be combated with neem oil or paraffin oil

    What are leaf bugs?

    The term "leaf bugs" usually includes various species of soft bugs (lat. Miridae), which in turn belong to the zoological order of the beaked bugs (lat. Hemiptera). In contrast to other types of bugs, the usually very nicely drawn animals usually feed on plant juices and prick leaves and tender young shoots for this purpose. Juicy fruit - especially apples and berries - and sweet vegetables - such as peppers - are also very popular. Typically, leaf bugs multiply particularly strongly in warm and dry temperatures, so that in some years there are real plagues.

    Great biodiversity

    Around 40,000 different species of bugs are known worldwide, but not all of them live on plant sap. Around 1000 different leaf bug species are currently native to Germany, with the following six species being particularly common in gardens and orchards. Many other species are not relevant as garden pests.

    kind Scientific name size color Happen period of occurrence food
    Gray garden bug Rhaphigaster nebulosa 14 to 16mm Upper side inconspicuously mottled grey, yellow & brown widespread, often in gardens and meadow orchards, v. a. on deciduous trees all year round plant juices
    Green stink bug Palomena prasina 10 to 14mm grass green with brown abdomen in trees and bushes, mainly berry trees May to November Juices from berries and other fruits
    Marbled stink bug Halyomorpha halys 13 to 18mm inconspicuous, brownish marbled upper side, often with lighter spots especially in southern Germany, but is spreading more and more March to November vegetable and fruit juices
    berry bug Dolycoris baccarum 10 to 12mm Grey-brown ground colour, black and white patterned on the sides widespread in meadows, gardens and bushes, often in blackberry hedges June to November Fruit juices, but also aphids and insect eggs
    cabbage bug Eurydema oleraceum 6 to 8 mm Basic color black-green with reddish, yellowish or white spots Meadows, fields, bushes March to October plant juices, v. a. of cruciferous plants
    Common fire bug Pyrrhocoris apterus 9 to 12mm bright red with black markings often on linden and mallow plants, but also on vines all year round mainly vegetable juices

    digression

    New species migrate to Germany

    For some years now, bug species have been increasingly immigrating from warmer climes to Germany, as they now find ideal living conditions here as well due to climate change. The following SWR article shows the consequences of this using the example of the Asian stink bug (also: marbled stink bug, Latin Halyomorpha halys):

    youtube

    Look

    While the nymphs often do not look particularly similar to the adult leaf bugs in terms of color or markings, fully developed bugs of all species have the following typical characteristics:

    • wing: usually clearly visible, but there are also short-winged and wingless varieties
    • elytra: usually strongly hardened and marked in a manner typical of the species
    • fore wing: leathery in front, membranous in posterior
    • chest area: clearly tripartite, each segment has a pair of legs
    • rostrum: no biting or chewing tools, but a multi-part proboscis called a “rostrum” in the head area
    • sensor: mostly four-membered

    The body shapes of the different types of bugs can be quite different: from roundish to elongated and narrow, practically everything occurs. The leaf bugs that live here also differ greatly in terms of coloring and markings.

    way of life and reproduction

    The appearance and color of bedbug eggs varies greatly depending on the species of bug

    The females of many bug species have a ovipositor (the so-called ovipositor) with which they deposit the eggs after mating, depending on the species, in the ground or in soft parts of plants. The animals lay an average of 20 to 30 eggs, which are often grouped together as egg packets and are hardly visible. Some species even take care of the brood and guard eggs and young animals.

    After hatching, the juveniles, called nymphs, go through a number of developmental stages, at the end of which they always molt. The nymphs do not pupate, but with each moult they become more and more like the adult animals - called images. Nymphs and images are often found at one and the same meeting point. The adult animals hibernate in sheltered, warm places and lay their eggs in the following spring.

    background

    What types of bugs are in the home?

    Leaf bugs love the warmth and therefore romp about in the garden and on the fruit trees, especially during the summer months. When it finally gets cooler in autumn, the adult animals - the so-called images - look for a place to overwinter. To do this, they often get lost in apartments, for example they like to hide in roller shutter and curtain boxes. If you find such an animal, do not catch it with your bare hands. Instead, let it crawl onto a piece of paper and then release it back into the garden.

    Other types of bugs, on the other hand, feel very comfortable in an apartment all year round. These include blood-sucking species such as the house bug (lat. Cimex lectularius), also known as bed bugs, or predatory bugs such as the "masked tramp" (also: predatory or dust bug, lat. Reduvius personatus). These species can bite or sting and should therefore not be handled with unprotected hands.

    What do leaf bugs eat?

    Leaf bugs feed on plant sap

    Most of the species of leaf bugs that live here feed on sweet plant saps and for this purpose pierce the pathways on the leaves of various deciduous trees, but also of other useful and ornamental plants. In addition, they often attack various types of fruit, including mainly berries such as blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. Apples and pears as well as vegetables such as potatoes, beans, peppers and cabbage are also at risk. Most leaf bugs are not fixed in terms of their favorite food plants.

    Occasionally, however, the winged insects also suck other, mostly dead insects and (living) aphids. In addition, some species even taste the eggs of other insect species.

    damage picture

    Bedbugs, no matter what kind, become active when it is warm. When it gets colder, they retreat to their hiding places.

    A leaf bug infestation is easy to identify. The following characteristics indicate the pests:

    • Pitting on leaves and young shoots
    • brownish puncture marks on leaves and stems
    • Shoot tips, flowers and fruits wither
    • Buds do not open, flowers only half open
    • torn leaf tissue
    • inedible fruits

    If the above symptoms occur in warm to hot and dry weather, an infestation with leaf bugs is likely. The penetrating smell reminiscent of coriander, which emanates from the animals' stinky glands, is also characteristic. Not only the so-called stink bugs stink, but also all other types of bugs.

    What can you do against a bug infestation?

    The different types of bugs can all be combated in the same way.

    Shake off / collect

    From early spring to autumn, the leaf bugs can be removed from the plants by shaking them off or collecting them. It is best to carry out this admittedly quite time-consuming (but therefore all the more gentle) procedure in the early morning hours when it is still cool and damp. Then the animals, still rigid from the night, are easy to catch.

    tips

    Always wear gloves when collecting, as many species of bugs secrete stinky secretions in dangerous situations. The strong, unpleasant odor lingers on the skin for a long time.

    Hose down with soapy water

    Many pests can be driven away with soapy water

    A proven remedy not only against leaf bugs, but also against many other pests is home-made soapy water. Prepare them as follows:

    1. Buy a liquid soft soap (44.90€) without any additives.
    2. You can also purchase solid soft soap and grate it.
    3. Mix 80 milliliters of soft soap with 100 milliliters of warm water.
    4. If necessary, dissolve the soap in the water.
    5. Add a dash of spirit to the mixture to increase potency.
    6. Spray the leaf bugs with it several times a day.

    But be careful: many ornamental plants with delicate, soft leaves do not tolerate soapy water. You should also avoid treating salads, leafy greens and other plants intended for consumption with it.

    Spray with neem oil

    Neem oil, which is obtained from the fruits of the Indian neem tree, is also a highly effective remedy against leaf bugs and other pests. If you spray the affected plants with the agent at intervals of several days, the adults and their larvae and eggs will die. But neem is only to be used in the case of a very strong infestation, because although it is herbal, it is a powerful insecticide which also has a negative effect on other beneficial insects and other animal species.

    Paraffin oil against leaf bugs

    The same applies to the also very effective paraffin oil, which not only kills leaf bugs, but also ladybugs and other beneficial insects by suffocating. In addition, this remedy is not suitable for crops, as they can no longer be consumed afterwards.

    Which insecticides help against leaf bugs?

    Chemical insecticides should only be used in emergencies and when absolutely nothing else helps. These agents cause lasting damage to flora and fauna and should be avoided in vegetable and orchards in particular. If necessary, use sprays with the active ingredient thiachloprid, as this is comparatively harmless to bees.

    Effectively prevent leaf bugs

    Preventive measures are immensely important to counteract a pest plague from the start. The following procedures are suitable for containing leaf bugs:

    • Collect and dispose of images regularly in the spring.
    • So the animals can no longer reproduce.
    • For the same reason, carry out regular checks, especially during hot and dry weather.
    • Water and mulch plants regularly. An evenly moist soil keeps leaf bugs away.
    • Regularly weed beds and remove weeds.
    • If beneficial insects such as birds and toads settle in the garden, offer them nesting sites and shelter.

    frequently asked Questions

    Are leaf bugs dangerous?

    Leaf bugs are not dangerous to humans or pets.

    Can leaf bugs bite?

    As a rule, leaf bugs do not sting or bite, after all, humans are not part of their natural diet. When threatened, the insects secrete a stinky secretion that is difficult to remove from skin, hair, and objects.

    Are Fire Bugs Poisonous to Dogs?

    Fire bugs and other common species of leaf bugs are not poisonous, either to pets or to humans. This also applies to the smelly secretion, which is unpleasant but completely harmless.

    What predators do leaf bugs have?

    If you want to keep the bug infestation in your garden low, you should make songbirds and smaller, insectivorous animals (e.g. toads) comfortable. These animals feed on leaf bugs and other pests. In addition, assassin bugs (lat. Reduviidae) also like to eat their leaf-sap-sucking relatives, but can spread diseases such as Chagas disease.

    tips

    A close-meshed insect net, which you spread over fruit and berry trees, also keeps the bug population in check. But be careful: songbirds sometimes get caught in these nets and cannot free themselves.

Category:

Animals in the garden