Common
pond skater(Gerris
lacustris) Family Gerridae. This species has many names: water
striders,water bugs, magic bugs, skaters, skimmers, water scooters, water skaters,
water skeeters, water skimmers or water skippers. Gerris lacustris is the most common in the Netherlands. A predominantly yellow front thigh with only a black stripe along the side edge. The wings are often half developed. Other species you can find in the pond
are G. odontogaster and G. argentatus. They have almost entirely black front legs. G. thoracicus has a slightly red spot on the
pronotum. G. argentatus is also significantly smaller. (Ton van Haaren thanks for the information) They
mainly feed on insects, which have fallen into the water but also of
insectslarvae, which live in
water. Just like the other bugs, it has a (short and sharp) rostrum. (sucking
mouthparts).
They are heavier than water, but they
have tiny hairs on their feet which repel water and allow them to walk (skate)
on the surface film.
The first short legs are used for grasping prey, the middle are used to
row or jump and the hind are used as “rudders”. They can also fly.
Females lay eggs in May. The eggs take around 12-14 days to develop. The adults hibernate.
15-3-2012. Left, bottom: Nymph Common
pond skater. 29-6-2012.
Hydrometra
stagnorurn. Family Hydrometridae.
They stand much higher on their legs, thena skater. They walk not so fast over the water film and stay
near the edgeof the pond.As a child I thought
they were family of my stick insects.
It feed on insects like the pond skaters.
The adults hibernate. The female lays the 1 mm large eggs on plants above
the water (some times a year).
An other very similar species is the
Hydrometra gracilenta.
Length 9 - 12 mm.
Europe.
Photos
20-6-2012. German: Gemeine Teichläufer.
Backswimmers,
(Notonecta
glauca and Notonecta viridis are the common species)photo begin April 2007.
Backswimmers, because they swim upside down. They use their long, hair-fringed hind legs as paddles. Backswimmers
maintain an air supply by trapping air in pockets at the tip of the
abdomen. After six hours they need to return to the surface. In contrast
of walking, it is a good flier
It is a real predator. It is feeding by piercing the prey (larvae, frog
tadpole) and sucking out body fluids. But backswimmers must watch out for toads and
frogs.
The eggs are laid singly attached to the stems of plants.
German: Rückenschwimmer French:
Notonectes
Backswimmers
(Notonecta)
Here
on the dry terrace underneath a patio
umbrella. So far I had only seen backswimmers it in the pond.
I
was on that moment not in my best mood. That night there was triedto burgle. They had run away, when my womanwas nothing suspecting gone downstairs. Nothing has been
stolen, but I had to replace the damaged lock.
Then this backswimmer landed before my feet on the flags. I stopped
repairing and took my camera. After some photos it flew away. That was
also a good for a photo.
The day ended better, than it began.
German: Rückenschwimmer
French: Notonectes
Saucer bug (Ilyocoris
cimicoides) Family Naucoridae
The Saucer bugs I don't see as often as the backswimmers in or near the
pond. It is also a predator. It's a flattened, oval bug.
The front legs are very different from the other legs. They are on the end
curved and pointed. They are strongly adapted for grasping prey. The middle legs have
small claws. The flattened, hairy hind legs are modified for swimming.
Its beak is very sharp. It injects a toxic digestive saliva in the prey
and sucks in dissolved parts. You must be careful when you pick it up. Because
it's bite is very painful. (like the sting of a wasp)
Prey: Small fish, tadpoles, aquatic insects, larvae in the water.
The breath is similar to that of the Water Boatman.
The Saucer bug moves on land better than the boatman. But it can't fly, despite the
wings it has.
Size: 16 mm. You can find it all year.
Photos: 2-4-2011
Except
in and on water you find also bugs (Hemiptera) in the garden. They have
also a sucking mouthpartsknown as a rostrum. But instead of
sucking animals, many bugs suck plant juices. There are species as aphids
and cicadasand true bugs.
Shield bugs are generally
flattish oval or shield shaped bugs. The antennae have five segments. This
is the family True Shieldbugs (Pentatomidae). Other similar
families are the family Acanthosomatidae,Burrower Bugs (Cydnidae),Shield-backed
Bugs (Scutelleridae), Squash Bugs, Leaffooted Bugs (Coreidae)
The true bugs have forewings that are hardened at the base and membranous
at the tips. They sit flat over the abdomen hiding the membranous hind
wings. Hemiptera
means “half wing.They
are held flat on the back, with the ends overlapping. (Hardened
forewings like the beetles have, but the forewings of beetles meet
together in a straight line on their back)
The larva (nymph) resemblesa miniature wingless adult, although their colour and markings may be very
different. The nymphsprogress
through a series of moults (known as instars) .
The wings are developed in the last instar. ( incomplete metamorphosis, there is not a pupal
stage)
True Shieldbugs (Pentatomidae). The bugs of this family have a large triangular scutellum.
GreenShieldbug (Palomena
prasina). Family True Shieldbugs (Pentatomidae).
A very common shield bug. A green bug. The 4th
and 5th segments of the antennae are partially reddish.
I find them in many different plants, shrubs, trees.
They resemble the Nezara viridula. This bug has a pale wing membrane. The
wing membrane of Newly-emerged adults green stink is pale too.
Adult: All year
The first two photos of
the green stinkbug (Palomena prasina) I have made 20 October.
The clear green colour is disappearing. The second two photos on 10
November. When they hibernate (also the nymphs) they become brown. In
spring they become green again.
GreenShieldbug (Palomena
prasina). Nymph. Family True Shieldbugs (Pentatomidae).
On the first picture a young 2th instar nymph. The nymphs on the left are younger than the nymphs below. The very young nymphs have dark legs, later
the colour of the legs will change into light green. In the pictures below you can see that the older nymphs are not as
bright green. The nymphs born later in the year can be darker. At the 5th instar nymphs is the beginning of the wings already
visible.
Gorse
Shieldbug
(Piezodorus lituratus) Family
True Shieldbugs (Pentatomidae).
This bug resembles the green stinkbug.
The bug in the photo is a young adult. In August, September is the new adult generation.
In autumn its colour changes to red. In spring they are yellowish green.
The edge on the sides of the body is light green. Along the edge is a blue
part. The antennae are orange.
It lives on lives
on gorse and broom. I have read also lupin.
In our area are few observations of the Piezodorus lituratus. The adult hibernates.
Length 10 - 13 mm.
Photo
21-8-2010.
German: Ginster-Baumwanze.
Sloe Bug (Dolycoris baccarum). Family
True Shieldbugs (Pentatomidae).
This is also really a stink bug. It is leaving behind a stinking substance
on the berries. So that birds don't eat this bug for a second time.
It feeds on berries (like berries from honeysuckle and blackberry bush)
The hairy larvae (nymph) is often found on plants of the rose family.
The antennae have alternate dark and pale bands.
Length: 12-14 mm.
A nymph of a Sloe bug:
Photos 9-8-2009.
German: Beerenwanze. French: Punaise
des baies, pentatome des baies.
Peribalus
strictus.
Family
True Shieldbugs (Pentatomidae).
Like
the striped shieldbug this bug lived originally in the south of Europe.
Now it is becoming less rare in the Netherlands. It looks a bit like the
sloe bug. The tip of the shield is white and the edge is black and white. The antennas
of this bug are yellow-orange with a black top and black on the forth segment.
It lives on various herbs. Length
9 - 10 mm.
March - October
Photo 2-6-2011.
Striped Shield Bug(Graphosoma lineatum). Family
True Shieldbugs (Pentatomidae).
A shield bug with
black and red stripes.
It was in the Netherlands a rather rare wants, but it is seen now more and
more. They frequently sit on umbels.
In this photo on a celery flower. This bug smellslike
apples.But
the birds don’t like it. Length: 8-12 mm. The adults
hibernate.
Forest bug (Pentatoma rufipes). Family True Shieldbugs
(Pentatomidae).
A large shiny brown shieldbug. It has orange legs and a yellow / orange
spot on the scutellum.
Characteristic are the square shoulders.
They
are found in wooded areas.
They are feeding on fruits. But they are also predatory. (insects, even garden chafer)
Length 13 - 15 mm.
July - December.
The larvae hibernate.
German: Rotbeinige Baumwanze French:
Punaise à pattes rousses, Punaise des bois
Foto's 18-9-2011 en 11-9-2011
Cabbage bug, Brassica Bug (Eurydema
oleracea).
Family True Shieldbugs (Pentatomidae).
The bug feeds on crucifers and may be harmful to cabbage. Here it is on
Garlic mustard.
You have them with red, white, pale yellow or pale blue spots.Length 6, 7 mm. They
overwinter as an adult.
Chlorochroa pinicola
Old name: Pitedia pinicola. Family True Shieldbugs
(Pentatomidae).
I found it in the barn. Perhaps he looked for a place to hibernate.
In Noord-Holland this is the first sighting!
They
overwinter as an adult.
Europe. Photo: 11-9-2011.
Acanthosomatidae.
Parent
Bug, Motherly Shield Bug(Elasmucha
grisea). Family Acanthosomatidae.
The colours vary. Gray, green or red brown. On the scutellum is usually a black area.
They live in birch and alder.
The females take care for their eggs and larvae. They guard and protect
them. The nymphs follow their mother.The females lay their eggs in a cluster on the underside of
the leaves.
They hibernate as an adult.
Length 6 - 9 mm. Photos 5-6-2012,
10-6-2012.
It's a common species. They occur in many parts of the world. Similar
to the E. fieberi (rare
in the Netherlands).
German: Fleckige Brutwanze French: Punaise grise ou
grisâtre.
Nymphs of a parent bug, Elasmucha grisea. Photos
30-08-2009, 6-10-2008.
Birch
Shield Bug, Birch Bug
(Elasmostethus interstinctus).
Family Acanthosomatidae.
They can be confused with the
parent bug. They have no black spots along the edge of the body. They are green with red, reddish brown.
The scutellum is also green with red, reddish brown..
Remarkably, the Birch Shield Bug has a kind of antifreeze in its body, making
it survives harsh winter conditions. It is therefore found in the entire Northern Hemisphere.
They live in birch. They are also found on aspen and hazel. In my garden I find them on other plants. But near the birch.
Length: 9-11 mm.
A larger similar species is
Hawthorn shieldbug
(Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale).
Elasmostethus minor is even more similar, but in the Netherlands
they only live in South Limburg (in the Red Honeysuckle) They are
very rare. German: Bunte Blattwanze.
Nymphs
Birch
Shield Bug (Elasmostethus interstinctus).
Hawthorn shieldbug
(Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale).
Family Acanthosomatidae.
The
Hawthorn shieldbug
looks similar to
the Birch
Shield Bug, Birch Bug (Elasmostethus interstinctus),
but it is much lager
and more elongate. The
lateral extensions of the pronotum are also larger It
is shiny green with black spots and deep red markings.
The
scutellum is green.
It can be seen in
hedgerows, on the edges of woodlands. It is feeding mainly on hawthorn
berries. It will feed on leaves other deciduous trees, including oak, hazel and
birch.
Length: 13 - 15 mm.
I did not find it in my garden. A child found in the classroom. (I am
teacher....thanks victor) But that day I had taken branches for Christmas
from my garden. So maybe....
This
bug also is similar to the bugs above.curved
and distinctive pinkish-red markings on the back.
Especialy in the Juniper (foodplant) Hence its
name.
The adults hibernate.
On the other photos the bug is very well visible. But on this photo you
can see, it has a good camouflage.
German: Buntrock
Burrower Bugs (Cydnidae)
Negro bugs, burrowing bugs, burrower
bugs. (Cydnidae) They belong to the family of shieldbugs. They
don't have the shoulders of the shield bugs. They look like beetles.
Legnotus limbosus. Family
Burrower Bugs (Cydnidae).
Legnotus limbosus is a small black bug with a metallic sheen. Along the shield
it has a pale edge.
It is similar to the Legnotus picipes. A difference is the square notch at the front of the head, which only has Legnotus
limbosus. Associated with bedstraws (Galium)
Adult: All year
Length 4 to 5 mm.
Photos
29-4-2010.
Three years later: 5-5-2013
Pied shield bug (Tritomegas
bicolor) Family
Burrower Bugs (Cydnidae)
The
Pied shield bug looks a bit like the cabbage bug. That bug is from another family. The
pied shield bug is always black white spots.
It is very similar to the much rarer Tritomgas sexmaculatus. The white spots of
this bug on the pronotum are much tighter.
Since May, the eggs are deposited. They can be found in the herb layer.
The main host plants are white dead nettle and black horehound.
The adult bug overwinters.
Length 5 to 7 mm.
It is both in Europe and the Netherlands a general bug. Also in North Africa,
Central Asia
Dock leaf bug, brown squash bug (Coreus
marginatus) Family: Squash bugs, Leaffooted bugs (Coreidae)
A striking brown bug with a broad oval abdomen. It looks like the Arma
custos. But it is easily recognized by the dark tips of the antennae.
The dock leaf bug is a plant eater. He sucks the juices from plants and
fruit. The picture was taken on May 5, 2010. It is sitting on the leaf of
a berry bush. It seems to prefer to dock and knotweed.
It can defend it selves by spreading a smelly brown liquid. Both nymphs and adults
overwinter.
Length 12 to 15 mm.
Europe, North America.
German: Lederwanze, Große
Randwanze, Saumwanze French: punaise
brune, corée
marginée
The adult bug is similar to the Dock leaf bug. But it has narrower
abdomen. The pale legs are also slim.
It has different foodplants.
Adults can be found throughout the year. The adult bugs overwinter in leaf litter.
Length 11 - 14 mm.
Central Asia, Europe. Originally in the Mediterranean.
Nymph: Photo
12-7-2010 Adult: Photo 2-6-2011
Other true bugs
Seed Bugs or Ground Bugs (Lygaeidae)
It is a large family. Groundbugs often
live on the ground and have dark colours.
Grondwantsen
komen algemeen voor. Het is een grote familie van vaak donker gekleurde
wantsen. Ze leven veel op de grond. De meeste soorten overwinteren
als adult.
There are many in our garden. A beautiful small
brown bug. They hibernate as adult.
Length: 4-6 mm. All the year.
It is similar to the Kleidocerys ericae. Near heather.
Nymph Kleidocerys resedae,
different stadium. March - September. They feed on seeds of the birch..
German: Birkenwanze.
Drymus ryeii.Family: Seed Bugs or Ground Bugs
(Lygaeidae).
Drymus sylvaticus is similar. It is a dark bug. When the sun
is shining on the bug you see also brown. During the shooting they run away, but
mostly they don't fly away.
Adult: All year
Length 4-5 mm
Photos 26-10-2011
Photo left under 13-4-2008
Drymus brunneus.Family: Seed Bugs or Ground Bugs
(Lygaeidae).
I thought it was another Drymus ryeii, because I see them often.
Fortunately I have taken some pictures. It is a different species. A small bug like Drymus brunneus is not so easy to recognize.
If you look at the picture, you see clear differences. The shin and the top part of the antenna are light brown.
Adult: All year
Length 4-5 mm
Photos 24-03-2012.
The nymph, I found is a Drymus. (Drymus spec.)
Photo 19-9-2008
Stygnocoris sabulosus.Family: Seed Bugs or Ground Bugs
(Lygaeidae).
Stygnocoris species are small. The forwings are
covered with small hairs. Stygnocoris sabulosus looks like the S.
fuligineus. But it has pale legs and antennae. The last segment of the
antenna is dark.
Particularly on dry, sandy areas.
The eggs overwinters and hatch in the spring. Most ground bugs hibernate
as adults.
Length 2,5 - 3 mm
August - October
Photo 17-10-2010
Scolopostethus pictus.
Family: Seed Bugs or Ground Bugs
(Lygaeidae).
In the Netherlands there are a number of species,
which are similar. The differences are small. (colour of antennae, legs
and wing length.) This species always has long wings. The antennae
and legs are light brown. The thighs of the legs are very thick.
They often are found in damp places, between the leaves and moss on the
ground.
The adults hibernate. (Photo 2-11-09) They reproduce in the spring. In
July, August, the next generation appears. Length 4 to 5 mm
It is found throughout Europe.
Similar species: S. affinis, S. decoratus, S.
grandis, S. pilosus, S. puberulus, S. thomsoni.
Left:
Photos 9-2-2011.
Scolopostethus affinis.Family: Seed Bugs or Ground Bugs
(Lygaeidae).
Scolopostethus affinis often has short wings. But they can also be fully developed
like the wings of this little bug. The antennae are light brown (1st, 2nd
segments) and dark brown (3rd, 4th segments).
They are often among leaf litter and near nettles.
The adult bug overwinters. In July, August, the next generation. Length 4 to 5 mm
It is found throughout Europe.
Photo 22-09-2010
This bug has short wings. Photo: 14-6-2011.
Nimph Scolopostethus. Photo 21-7-2011.
Plantbugs (Miridae). Suborder of the bugs (Heteroptera). This is a very large
family with over 10.000 species in the world. The bugs in many subfamilies are
different shaped. Some species are known, because they are a pest to agriculture.
They feed on plant juices. These juices are absorbed with their snout.
Common
Nettle Capsid(Liocoris tripustulatus) Family: Plant BugsMiridae
I have seen them oft, but it was difficult to take a photo. (small and
moving)
It is
the largest family of true bugs. They are small. They have the small, simple eyes that appear on many insects and have 2
closed cells in the membranous portion of their hemielytra.
They occur of course on the nettle, but also on other plants. I have read
the bug can be a pest
of agriculture and in greenhouses. For plants as blackberry bushes, raspberry, cucumber, paprika, gerbera, Chrysanthemums.
Still it is a beautiful little plant bug.
Length
3,5-5 mm. The adults hibernate.
German: Gepunktete Nesselwanze
If you want to see more plant bugs on my site, please visit
Subpage
bugs in the garden: Plantbugs,
Miridae
Scentless Plant Bugs (Rhopalidae)
Rhopalus subrufus. Family Scentless Plant Bugs
(Rhopalidae).
A small bug sitting on the watering-can (June 2008)
It is a rather hairy bug.
Some are brightly colored, others drab or dark.
Rhopalus subrufusis often found on low vegetation in scrubby
areas. (on many plants)
The adults hibernate. Length: 7 mm.
Photos 18-4-2011, 23-4-2011, 18-9-2011.
Nymph Rhopalus subrufus (August)
In love, 14-5-2010, 6-6-2012.
Corizus hyoscyami.
Family Scentless Plant Bugs (Rhopalidae).
A difference with the Firebug is that the Corizus hyoscyami is black
on its head. It is hairy and the wing membrane has much veins.
You can find them on a range plants (like Verbascum). It prefers sandy areas with lots of
sun.
Length 9 - 11 mm.
For predators it tastes not good.
The adult bug overwinters. In May there are nymphs, which mature in September. So you see them all year.
Photos 6-10-2012. For the first time in our
garden.
Pirate bugs (Anthocoridae)
Common flower bug(Anthocoris Nemorum).Family: Anthocoridae (pirate bugs).
It's a predator bug.
It
feeds on aphids, mites, insect eggs and other insects. It can
also suck plant sap, but cannot live without insects.
The adults hibernate.
Length 3-4 mm.
This predator bug is similar to the Common flower bug but much smaller.
I find both species on Common Ragwort.
Fower bugs are also used as biological pest
control. Especially thrips. They also feed on spider mites and aphids,
insect eggs and some times pollen..
Length: 2-3 mm
The adults hibernate.
Photo left below 21-7-2012.: Nymph Flower
bug (Orius spec) 5th instar. With its prey, a thrips.
Nabidae.
Himacerus mirmicoides. Family Nabidae.
The adult bug is similar to a Himacerus apterus. But
this bug has long antennae. The Himacerus mirmicoides its feelers are
shorter or as long as the body. Usually they have short wings, but
sometimes the wings are fully developed.
They are predatory bugs. On the photo the nymph is looking for a prey. (all
kinds of insects)
They hibernate as adults. In July, August, you can find the larvae.
Photos adult dark bug (female) May 24 2009. Light brown adult bug: August
and September 2010.
German: Ameisensichelwanze.
Field Damsel Bug (Nabis Ferus).Family
Nabidae.
Very similar to the Nabis pseudoferus. Difference: The genitals and the
hairs at the apex of the corium.
They are both gray-brown in color and the pronotum is wider than
long.
Length 8.9 mm.
They are predatory bugs. They feed on all kinds of insects.
They overwinter as adult wants between the fallen leaves. I found this
Nabis on March 3 in a shell of a horse chestnut. On the first photo
there is also a rove beetle (stenus).
Eggs in May, June in the grass.
Photos 3-3-2009.
German: Rotbeinige Baumwanze
Lace bugs (Tingidae).
lace bugs because the pronotum and forewings of the adult have a network of divided areas that resemble lace.
Derephysia foliacea. Family
Lace bugs (Tingidae).
The forwings of the Derephysia foliacea have along the
edge a single row of large meshes. It is a small brown bug. The bug in the picture is damaged. This I noticed when I looked at the picture. So small they are.
Host: ivy.
You can find them all year.
Length 3 - 3,5 mm.
Europe, North-Afrika. Now it is also recorded from North America.
Stephanitis takeyai. Family
Lace bugs (Tingidae).
The Stephanitis takeyai is introduced in
Europe and the USA from Japan with the host Pieris japonica. Now it is
found in gardens and parks (also increasingly on Rhododendron).
Shiny whity, lacy wings with a dark spot. It resembles the native Stephanitis
Oberti, which
lives on rhododendron and bilberry, but which does not have a large
rounded, dark-coloured pronotum.
Eggs are laid along the midrib on the underside of the leaf.
Especially the big Pieris japonica can be damaged by both the nymph and the adult wants.
They damage the leaves by piercing them to suck the juices. Plants in full
sun have the worst damage.
The eggs overwinter. June - October. Two generations.
Length 3 - 4 mm.
Photos 18-9-2012.
I want to thank Berend Aukema for the determination of many of my bugs.