Grass bugs
Content
Bugs belong to the class of insects, which has about 40 thousand species. Some bring a lot of inconvenience to man, others - to animals, and still others destroy any vegetation in their path, these include a grassy or wild bug. They live in gardens, forests, fields. While the number is insignificant, they do not pose any threat, but as soon as there are too many of them, grass bugs attack cultivated, garden trees, cause great damage to agriculture.
What does a pest look like?
The grass bug has an oval, flat, slightly elongated body and three pairs of legs. The color ranges from brown-green to black, below is a photo of a grass bug. Hard shell plays the role of a shield, protecting it from birds and larger insects.
On the dashboard you can see a typical image for this type, approximately resembling the letter W of a yellow shade, as well as minor dots and dashes. The yellow head, on which is located a pair of long whiskers, has red eyes on the sides. The grass bug grows to 7 mm in length.
What grass bugs eat
Grass bugs are considered pests of garden crops. They can be found at:
- cucumbers;
- spicy herbs;
- garden trees;
- raspberries;
- strawberries;
- strawberries.
- tulips;
- roses;
- chrysanthemums;
- lawn grass.
The question of whether grass bug is dangerous for humans seems strange, because its menu consists only of sap of trees and plants.
Important!
The leaves, attacked by the bug, become lethargic, spots of brown and yellow appear on them. After the invasion of pests, the tree may die.
Bedbug behavior
The bugs wake up, like all insects, in early spring.In winter, hiding under the bark of trees. After hibernation, it eats young leaves, shoots, stems, tops, replenishing the nutrient reserves spent during the winter. In April, the mating season begins, and in May, the females lay their eggs on the buds, leaves and stalks of trees.
Larvae appear in June and immediately begin to eat the leaf on which they are located. The body is light colored, soft, vulnerable, wings are missing. In the process of growth, the chitinous shell becomes thicker and wings develop. The larva, passes five stages of development, each of which is followed by a molt.
In the period of maturity, young individuals need constant nutrition. They absorb a lot more plant sap than adult insects. In one season it grows to four generations of grass bugs. They fly very rarely, mostly in search of food.
How to determine by the plant that it was attacked by a bug
Summer residents often find grass bugs on cucumbers, celery, parsley. Pests begin to eat plants from the upper leaves, from the bottom. The larva sucks up all the juice, as a result of which the plant cells begin to die off, necrosis appears in the form of yellow, and then brown spots, which after a short period of time break up.
The contour of the sheet is distorted, holes appear, it gradually twists and dies. When the parasite attacks cucumbers, flowering stops, the ovaries disappear, the growth process slows down, and the vegetable is deformed. Young seedlings often die.
On a note!
Where the larva was, you can find black dots and dried skins that appear as they grow.
Herbal Bug Prevention and Control
The main prevention against the death of a plant is their timely planting:
- it is necessary to plant the seedlings as early as possible so that it can grow and strengthen by the time the larvae appear;
- when selecting seeds, parasite-resistant varieties should be preferred;
- monitor the cleanliness of the garden, weed beds in a timely manner, prevent the growth of weeds;
- systematically inspect plants, beds, flower beds, especially in the period of active growth, when the seedlings are too young and vulnerable;
- in the fall, after harvesting, weeds, dried foliage need to be removed, burned, and the soil plowed.
In the evenings, it is advisable to spray the garden with soapy water or put soap shavings between the beds.If the invasion could not be avoided, treat the plants with insecticides, basically one treatment is enough. It is better to resort to emergency measures in case of mass death of horticultural crops, and before that do simple methods of prevention.