Under the general name “raspberry bug”, amateur gardeners mean forest tree stink bugs - a whole group of insect pests that parasitize berry bushes, including raspberries. All stink bugs are so similar that it is simply not possible to determine the specific type of pest; for most of us, these are just bugs. Very often in reviews of gardeners and country literature there is another eloquent name for the bug on raspberries - “stink bug”.
Description of the raspberry bug with photo
Berry stink bug can be found everywhere throughout Russia. It harms not only cultivated but also wild shrubs. In total, there are more than 4,000 species of stink bugs, but one specific species likes to parasitize raspberries.
Distinctive features of the green bug: its body is oval, protected by a shell and covered with tiny fibers. Yellow-brown antennae are attached to the head. The wings have the same color. The length of the stink bug grows no more than 15 mm.
Please note that the color of the beetle depends on the season. In spring, the crimson bug is bright green, and by autumn it turns brown. This feature is a defense mechanism against birds and other predators.
Beetles are active from April to September-October, until frosts begin. On the eve of winter, crimson bugs begin to look for shelter. They hide safely in debris, bark cracks, and fallen leaves. It is quite possible to find the beetle indoors.
The stink bug loves to live not only on raspberries, but also on currant and blackberry bushes, and can also be found on cherries and cherries
The beetle has a unique life cycle: only a small number of insects survive to full maturity. During the spring and summer, the female raspberry bug lays eggs twice on the underside of the leaf. After two weeks, the larvae hatch from them, which actively harm the bush, feeding on the sap of the leaves. Most often this is manifested by drying out of the shoots.
During their life, bedbugs can change their shell up to five times.
What to expect from a pest?
Despite the fact that the fight against them is carried out because they spoil the harvest, they do not eat the berries of raspberries and other shrubs. The thing is that they feed exclusively on the juice of the bush itself.
But this leads to the following consequences:
- The plant loses its juice and weakens;
- Leaves a stinky mark on the berries, thereby making them unsuitable for consumption;
- In places where they suck out the juice, fungal spores can enter and the plant becomes sick.
It is worth saying that a small amount of these parasites cannot cause much harm. Their life cycle is quite difficult, although females lay eggs twice a season, not all of them survive. But sometimes this is enough to give a chance to the development of large colonies. Adults and larvae have no other food sources other than bushes, and to develop they must eat well and eat a lot. Therefore, bushes that are attacked by stink bugs will have weak shoots, weakened tops, and dried out damaged parts.
What harm does
Most gardeners are sure that the beetle is unable to cause significant damage to the crop, but this is a mistaken opinion. The raspberry bug is attracted to sweet juice, so the stink bug feeds on it, thereby weakening the bushes. Fungal spores and bacteria safely penetrate into the plant through damage, so raspberries often begin to get sick.
But what most often irritates gardeners is the smell remaining after the beetle remains on the bush. This is due to the fact that the raspberry bug leaves its secretions with an unpleasant aroma on the leaves and fruits.
Let's sum it up
Unfortunately, more than one owner is unable to protect his garden from “uninvited guests.” If bedbugs have chosen your area as their home, then measures should be taken as quickly as possible.
As preventive actions, you can resort to the following actions:
- Try to get rid of fallen leaves and pruned branches on your site;
- Get rid of weeds as often as possible;
- When there is no foliage on the site, bedbugs can hide in the top layer of soil for the winter, so if you dig up the site before winter, they will be unprotected and die.
Inspect the bushes more often to prevent parasites from multiplying and creating large colonies. Prepare a solution and onion peels that can be stored for quite a long time.
Causes of infection
The raspberry bug most often lives no more than 1-2 years. But even during this time they need to find a place for a safe winter. To do this, the insect uses surrounding objects: leaves, cracks in old stumps. In the spring, as soon as the temperature rises to +15 °C, the beetles begin to crawl out to search for a source of food.
As soon as the berries appear, raspberry bugs begin their harmful activities and also lay eggs on the stems
Stink bugs smell the plant, and this feature allows them to quickly find the bush. Gradually, if no measures are taken, all the bushes become infected.
Characteristic signs and symptoms of bites
It rarely happens that there are no manifestations. This is due to the low level of sensitivity of the body. In addition, most cases of lack of response are observed in adults. Children are more susceptible to developing allergies and other complications. If bedbugs appear in a room, bites are often accompanied by a number of symptoms:
- itching, and in the first days it is so strong that scratching occurs, because there is a desire to constantly scratch the skin;
- redness - this symptom manifests itself with varying intensity, which depends on the amount of allergen in the blood, the age of the victim and the degree of sensitivity of the body;
- swelling, if the reaction is weak, slight swelling appears; with severe allergies, this symptom manifests itself more clearly, due to which individual nearby bites will combine into one spot;
- pain – this symptom of bed bug bites occurs if an inflammatory process or a severe allergic reaction develops, as well as swelling.
Children may develop a fever. However, more often this symptom appears against the background of secondary infection, provided that scratches have formed on the body, through which harmful bacteria have entered the body.
Due to numerous bites, anemia develops. This symptom occurs if the child has been bitten by bedbugs.
When and who is most often bitten by bedbugs?
Insects settle in the facility regardless of sanitary conditions. However, their numbers increase faster if the room is not cleaned, since it is more difficult to notice traces of insects. In addition, the cleanliness of the body does not matter for bedbugs either. A hungry bug attacks a person under different conditions of the external integument. However, parasites give preference to people whose blood vessels are located closer to the outer integument. In this case, it is easier to get to the capillaries.
People who do not follow the rules of hygiene are less attractive to parasites, but only because the skin in this case becomes tougher and clogged. You must first understand how bed bugs bite in order to assess the risk to yourself. The proboscis of this insect is not powerful enough; the parasite will not be able to overcome complex obstacles.
For this reason, bedbug bites on the human body are detected if the skin is soft, thinner, for example, in children and women. But even among them, the parasite will choose a victim whose capillaries are located closer to the outer integument.
The bug chooses the least protected areas of the skin, or people with softer skin.
If a bug appears in the house, it will bite at night - between two and five o'clock in the morning. Before and after the specified time, there is a high risk that the person is awake. Then the parasite will not be able to reach the victim.
How to protect yourself from bedbug bites
The best option is to disinfest the premises. However, it is not always possible to quickly clean the room
For example, if there are children in the house, most insecticides should be used with caution. You can quickly prevent the possibility of insect bites by using containers of water. They need to install bed legs
Additionally, a canopy is used. Bedbugs can crawl onto the ceiling, along the walls, and from there they get onto the bed. Canopy solves this problem
They need to install bed legs. Additionally, a canopy is used. Bedbugs can crawl onto the ceiling, along the walls, and from there they get onto the bed. The canopy solves this problem.
This method will help protect yourself from parasites, but provided that the sheet does not touch the floor, and the sleeping place is located at some distance from the walls, bedside table, and cabinets. It is necessary to block any paths for insects to enter the bed.
There should be no husks, eggs or parasites in the folds of bed linen. If insects have already attacked, you need to wash the bed linen at high temperatures, treat the mattress with a steam generator, or take it out into the cold/sun.
What to do if there are bugs on raspberries
The choice of beetle control method depends on the personal preferences of the gardener. The effectiveness of the methods, as well as the possibility of their combination with each other, should be taken into account. The success of the event depends on the degree of infection and the competent actions of the raspberry owner.
If there are few stink bugs, then mechanical collection is possible. It is best to carry out the procedure in cloudy weather, since in bright light the insect blends well with the environment. During collection, you should be armed with a container of water and gloves. It is necessary to inspect the leaves from the underside.
All discovered clutches of eggs should be destroyed; adults can be swept into the water or crushed. If you miss even one pest, they will soon multiply again.
Chemicals
Among the most effective measures to combat the raspberry bug, insecticides should be highlighted. Currently, there are drugs with a wide spectrum of action that do not reduce plant productivity. There are no specialized remedies for raspberry bugs, so the following insecticides should be used:
- Aktellik;
- Fufanon;
- Karbofos.
These products are easy to use and can kill most insects.
Raspberries should be treated against bugs with insecticides twice a season: in the spring, when the buds have not yet opened, and before flowering begins.
Important! All work should be completed before the buds bloom. It should be borne in mind that most products will not only safely destroy raspberry bugs, but also bees.
The only drawback of insecticides is the high cost of the drugs and the gradual development of immunity of the beetles to the main components
Important! During processing, it is mandatory to use protective equipment. You should not spray raspberries in rainy weather, during the daytime, or in strong winds.
Biological drugs
Those gardeners who are afraid of harming the environment often use a different group of products. Biological preparations help fight the green bug on raspberries without harm to humans and plants.
Common remedies:
- Boverin: Made using the Boveria fungus. Spores that enter the insect’s body begin to quickly develop and produce toxins that kill the raspberry bug. If the shield bug came into contact with its relatives, then they too will die from the fungus.
Although the drug is not dangerous for humans, it is recommended to use it using personal protective equipment - Bitoxibacillin is another drug that contains bacteria that kill harmful insects. Among its disadvantages, a slow effect is noted: raspberry bugs die only on the third day after treatment.
Gardeners also note the unpleasant odor of the drug Bitoxibacillin
How to fight bedbugs on raspberries using folk remedies
You can also get rid of the raspberry bug using available substances. Gardeners have decoctions and infusions in their arsenal that are harmless to humans and plants, but dangerous to pests. But traditional methods are not popular. This is primarily due to the need for frequent treatment of shrubs throughout the season.
Recipes:
- Dilute mustard powder in cool water in a ratio of 10:1. You need to spray the raspberry bushes with the prepared product. As an alternative, gardeners water the plant from above using a watering can.
- Place onion peels in a plastic or glass container, filling the container halfway, and then fill it to the top with water. The concentrate is ready for use five days after infusion. Its shelf life is 1-2 months. Before use, the product must be diluted with water 1:4, and then sprayed on raspberries. Treatment for bedbugs should be carried out at least five times per season.
A unique folk method for treating insects is to plant cohosh, more commonly known as black cohosh.
How long can bedbugs live in an empty house?
On average, these insects live 10-14 months, but this is provided that they receive food in a timely manner, and they feed only on blood. If there is no food, they go into a state resembling suspended animation, and are able to live in it for some more time.
In the mid-20th century, studies were conducted that showed that they could survive like this for more than a year. Modern studies refute these data and give different results. The lifespan of parasites in an empty house, therefore without food, depends largely on the age of the individual:
- Larvae at different stages of development are able to survive without food for 11-143 days;
- Adult males live 42-106 days;
- Adult females can survive without food for 39-99 days.
Prevention
The best measure to prevent raspberry bugs is to inspect the plant. Particular attention should be paid to shrubs in the summer, when the berries begin to ripen.
Basil solution is also suitable as a preventive measure. To obtain it, you need to mix 100 g of herb with 8 liters of water and let it brew. Irrigating shrubs with this product will repel stink bugs.
Preventive measures:
- promptly remove dry shoots remaining from last year;
- remove and burn fallen leaves;
- plant raspberries in accordance with the rules of agricultural technology, avoid thickening the bushes;
- Regularly destroy weeds.
It should be borne in mind that all preventive and folk remedies are effective only in early spring. If stink bugs are not destroyed in time, then at the height of summer only insecticides will help get rid of them.
Garden bugs for alcoholism, an ancient grandmother's method. Recipes
This method cannot be the main one; it is used as an auxiliary measure to discourage an addicted person from drinking alcohol.
Bed bug recipe should be used with caution
Tincture for garden bugs
If you still decide to get rid of addiction in this way, you need to catch green forest or berry shield bugs in the garden. They eat raspberries, so it is easier to catch such insects in the bushes. Recipe:
- You will need 5-8 bugs, 500 ml of vodka.
- Insects are placed in a container filled with an alcohol-containing drink.
- In 10 days, the remedy to combat alcoholism will be ready. It must be strained before giving to a person suffering from alcoholism.
The tincture will require several dozen bedbugs
Can they harm people?
Garden bugs have long been recognized as completely safe for humans. They cannot bite, since the oral apparatus is completely unsuited to this. The poison of saliva is dangerous only to insects; its paralyzing effect cannot affect animals and people due to its very low concentration.
The only inconvenience from the presence of green bugs in an apartment is a strong unpleasant odor, which is released very intensely.
Which is not surprising - the forest shield bug is completely disoriented indoors and gets scared. The green bug is not as dangerous as other harmful household insects. Very rarely, an allergic reaction to a stink bug and the secretion of its glands can occur.
Dangerous Toxins
Horseflies have a long proboscis, inside of which is hidden a stylet similar to a needle. With this tool, pests make a puncture and suck out the juices of the plant. The clone's saliva contains toxic substances that kill cells or disrupt metabolic processes occurring in them. That is why when a plant is infected by a pest, characteristic symptoms are observed. Deformed areas form on an infected specimen (poisoned tissues cannot develop correctly). Deformed leaves appear from the damaged growing point. Flower buds may die or become deformed.
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What do stink bugs eat?
What do garden bugs eat? These parasites drink the juice of specific plants - trees, various herbs, various cereal crops or berries. More often, garden stinkers colonize raspberries.
Sometimes bedbugs feed on the remains of various parasites that are found under fallen leaves.
Garden stinkers also destroy various plants. In such a situation, they drink raspberry or gooseberry juice.
In the absence of raspberry or gooseberry bushes in the garden or vegetable garden, this parasite damages both other bushes with berries and deciduous trees, as well as a variety of succulent herbs. In addition, the garden representative of hemipterans feeds on cereals or the remains of dead insects.
The daily bedbug diet includes both animal and plant foods. Sometimes this representative of hemipterans damages cereals.
Application
Now you know what herbs can be used against bedbugs and you are wondering how to use them. The method of application depends on the type of plant, as well as the time of year.
Wormwood, tansy, chamomile, valerian and wild rosemary can be used in their pure form - just hang bunches of fresh herbs in the infected room, place them under beds and sofas. The grass must be fresh - dried plants do not have enough phytoncides. Accordingly, the bundles need to be changed after 2-3 days.
But what if it’s winter outside and there’s no way to collect fresh weed? In this case, decoctions will come in handy - they are easy to prepare in the summer. The finished decoction must be hermetically sealed so that the smell does not escape.
Many also advise preparing alcohol tinctures from the above plants. So you need to use celandine, which in its pure form has a slight odor. However, the cost of the alcohol required to prepare the tincture makes its use unprofitable - it is much cheaper to buy a good insecticide.
Be careful when using decoctions and tinctures - they can damage furniture, wallpaper and personal belongings. For decoctions to be as effective as possible, you need to spray, sprinkle or smear them in the habitats of parasites and along their routes of movement. This includes baseboards, bed legs, cracks in the floor, walls and ceiling, as well as the back walls of furniture.
Preventive measures
- Timely weeding and destruction of weeds.
- Regular destruction of cruciferous plants such as cress, hickory, shepherd's purse, etc. Loosening and fertilizing. A strong, resilient plant is more resistant to bedbug attacks.
- After harvesting, complete destruction of plant bushes (stems, leaves).
- Do not leave fallen leaves to make humus; do not burn them.
- Plant black cohosh, a perennial buttercup (cohosh), throughout the area.
Some species of predators themselves destroy insect pests . These include posidus, bicentennial perillus, picromerus. But, unfortunately, such bugs do not survive the winter, so they conduct their beneficial activities exclusively in the southern regions with positive year-round temperatures.
