The question has been around since the knight bug was voted insect of the year in 2007. This gorgeous red and black insect must be a beetle - right? This guide brings light into the darkness with tips on five important differences. Immerse yourself in the colorful variety of native bugs and learn to accurately identify the unrecognized natural beauties.

Bugs differ from beetles not only in their appearance

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Bugs Beetles Differences
  3. Beetle-look bugs
  4. frequently asked Questions

    5. the essentials in brief

    • Bugs are not bugs.
    • Bugs have proboscis, wings, scent glands, feed exclusively on liquid and produce nymphs as offspring.
    • Beetles have biting and chewing tools, armored elytra, eat solid and liquid food, do not smell and produce larvae as offspring.

    Bugs are not bugs - 5 differences

    One look at the table below is enough and you will never lump bugs and bugs together again. After a common classification as insects (Insecta), subclass flying insects (Pterygota), the paths of the two hexapods separate into bugs (Heteroptera) and beetles (Coleoptera). This botanical categorization is reflected in 5 significant differences, which will not go unnoticed even by an insect layman.

    differences bugs Beetle
    mouth tool proboscis biting and chewing tools
    flying machine wing Armor covers wings
    scent glands Yes no
    food fluid solid and liquid
    progeny nymphs larvae

    Please note that this table does not claim to be scientifically relevant. There are numerous exceptions to the rule among more than 40,000 species of bugs and 360,000 species of beetles on our planet. The purpose of this table is to provide insect amateurs with an informative overview of salient differences between bugs and beetles.

    Distinctive feature of the mouthpart

    Bugs have a suction proboscis through which they suck up their food

    Bugs have a suction proboscis. The so-called rostrum consists of two thin tubes and is usually folded under the body. The sucker proboscis extends for the purpose of feeding. The bug injects a digestive juice into its food through one tube. The food decomposes and is sucked up through the second tube.

    Beetles use a biting and chewing tool to ingest food.

    Flying machine makes the difference

    The main difference between bugs and beetles is the flying machine. The wing structure of the beetle consists of two pairs of wings. The firm, armor-like or soft elytra protect a filigree, transparent pair of wings. The skin wings are only visible when the beetles fly. In flightless beetles, the hardened elytra are often fused, as in most ground beetles or some weevils.

    In contrast, the wings of bugs are always visible and are composed of two parts. The front wings are soft behind, slightly horny in front and are therefore called semi-coverts. The soft hind wings allow bugs to fan out.

    Telltale scent glands

    Bedbugs communicate and communicate with scent glands

    A special smell is typical of bugs. The built-in scent glands fulfill several tasks. In case of danger, the attacker shoots a defense secretion that can smell bad. Numerous bugs exude a fruity scent in order to communicate with conspecifics in this way.

    Food intake criterion

    The structure of their mouthparts already indicates it. Bedbugs only eat liquid food. Beetles also eat solid food. Many species of bugs eat plant juices, often the nutritious liquid of ripe seeds. Only the dreaded bed bugs feed on blood. The diet of beetles is much more variable. The spectrum ranges from herbaceous plants to wood, leather and food to carrion and living insects.

    Different offspring

    Small nymphs hatch from bug eggs. With each molt, the mini bugs become more like their parents. In contrast, beetle offspring undergo a complete change called metamorphosis. Tiny larvae hatch from the eggs, which do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the species of the beetle parents. Only after pupation does a finished beetle emerge from the shell.

    digression

    Bugs fie devil? - because of bugs

    Bedbugs are insects with a terribly bad reputation. Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are responsible for this. Brought into the house, the blood-sucking beasts make life hell for their human victim in bed. We have thus named the only vermin among more than 40,000 species of bugs. The vast majority of native bugs prefer to sip plant sap, sucking on fungal spores or dead insects. High time to straighten out the crooked picture and get bugs out of the vermin corner.

    Identify local bugs with a beetle look

    A number of local bugs lead the layman onto the slippery slope and come in a beetle outfit. Leading the way in Germany as beetle doubles are five species of bugs, which have either always been native or have been introduced. The following table shows which characteristics you can use to reliably identify bugs:

    Beetle-look bugs fire bug stripe bug Marbled stink bug Green stink bug American Bug Beetles
    size 6-12mm 8-12mm 12-17mm 10-14mm 16-21mm
    color fiery red Red ocher marbled green Brown
    color legs black black ocher to brown greenish brown Brown
    body shape oval flat, rounded flat, leaf-shaped broad oval oblong-oval
    Special feature black pattern red and black striped long antennae ringed with white dark spotted abdomen white zigzag drawing
    botanical name Pyrrhocoris apterus Graphosoma lineatum Halyomorpha halys Palomena prasina Leptoglossus occidentalis
    middle name fire beetle striped beetle Stink bug, stink beetle Common Greenling American tang bug
    family fire bugs stink bugs stink bugs stink bugs edge bugs

    The following short portraits provide in-depth information for an expert identification of these beetle-like bugs.

    Fire bug (Pyrrhocoris apterus)

    The fire bug is often mistaken for a beetle

    Fire bugs are the insects most commonly mistaken for beetles. For good reason. The flat, oval, red body is decorated with an artistic, black pattern. Six black legs are used for locomotion because fire bugs cannot fly. A trapezoidal, bright red pronotum with a square, black stigma in the middle is characteristic. If a fire bug falls on its pretty back, it reveals a black underside with no significant features. Incidentally, the fire bug looks deceptively similar to its famous conspecific, the knight bug (Lygaeus equestris). The latter can be distinguished by white spots on the red and black patterned body.

    • When to find: April to September
    • Where to find: under trees and mallows of all kinds

    The video below invites you to take a stroll through the fascinating life of fire bugs.

    youtube

    Line bug (Graphosoma lineatum)

    The striped bug is a prime example of a beetle-look bug. Six black vertical stripes adorn the red or orange-red upper side. On the underside, the red body is adorned with a number of black dots. If you get too close to harmless stripe bugs, the insects release a defense secretion that smells like apples.

    • When to find: April to September/October
    • Where to find: in the garden in sunny locations with umbelliferous plants

    Marbled stink bug (Halyomorpha halys)

    The marbled stink bug is pretty to look at, but be careful: their scent secretion is really tough!

    The marbled stink bug is easy to identify on an opaque part of the elytra with dark to ocher marbling and ringed, long antennae. Black lines can be seen on the transparent part of the hindwings. There are light, yellowish to orange calluses on the shield between the wings and often also on the pronotum.

    • When to find: March to November
    • Where to find: in the garden, in the forest, in the apartment

    tips

    In late summer, marbled stink bugs enter buildings in search of winter quarters. There is a state of emergency in the apartment because the stink bugs live up to their name. With the glass trick, you maneuver uninvited guests out again without releasing stinking weir secretion. Simply put a glass over the insects, slip a piece of paper under it, take it outside and release it.

    Green stink bug (Palomena prasina)

    At first glance, the green stink bug looks confusingly like a green beetle, such as the green shield beetle. A dark spot on the abdomen is helpful for a well-founded identification. Furthermore, a very delicate stippling on the grass-green, non-shiny body reveals that you have a common greenfinch in front of you. In the fall, when temperatures drop, the bugs turn brown for a few months for better camouflage.

    • When to find: May to November
    • Where to find: in deciduous trees, meadow orchards, at the edge of the forest

    American Bug Beetles (Leptoglossus occidentalis)

    The American bug beetle is an excellent flyer

    American bug beetles have been on the rise in Germany since 2006. The strikingly large bugs are significantly longer (16-21 mm) than wide (5-7 mm). Very long antennae and hind legs with a distinctive, leaf-like widening catch the eye. The Bug Beetles are excellent flyers. When the wings are open, a yellow-orange abdomen markings can be admired. The reddish-brown elytra are decorated with a narrow, white zigzag pattern.

    • When to find: All year round
    • Where to find: in the garden on coniferous trees (summer), in the house, in the attic (winter)

    frequently asked Questions

    Can all bugs and bugs fly?

    No, the ability to fly is not a clear differentiator between bugs and beetles. Both insect categories have flying and flightless specimens. The beetle-like fire bugs cannot fly, but most stink bugs are real flying acrobats. Many weevils love to stay on the ground. Of course, this does not prevent the dreaded bark beetles as a subfamily from extensive swarm flights during the mating season.

    Are there bugs that look like bugs?

    There is a risk of confusion between bugs and beetles in both directions. A comprehensible example is the 10 mm small green shield beetle (Cassida viridis) from the leaf beetle family and the equally large green stink bug (Palomena prasina) from the stink bug family. Both insects are green, broadly oval and prefer to live on deciduous trees.

    tips

    Assassin bugs make short work of aphids, spider mites, thrips and whiteflies. The predatory bugs are so successful in biological pest control that they are purposefully bred for sale. 100 assassin bugs are required for every 50 square meters of infested area to destroy a plague in the garden, greenhouse, conservatory or house. The squadron of bugs is delivered as live insects in a bio-container with special carrier material and positioned on the day of arrival at the site of use.

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Animals in the garden