Beetle fireman - protector of the garden

Soft beetles, which include the fireman bug today, are given the name because their elytra do not have a solid chitinous cover, but are soft and flexible. Despite the fact that due to such wings the soft bodies seem to be vulnerable to birds, frogs and other animals wishing to feast on them, this is far from the case.

The fact is that in the tissues of the red beetles of firefighters there is a poisonous substance, cataridine, which protects the insect.

Below is a typical photo of a firefighter bug.

Biological characteristics

Description

If you carefully look at the above picture, you can see its similarity to a fire engine, most likely this is the answer to the question why the fireman beetle is so called. And if you turn this small insect, which reaches a length of only one and a half centimeters, we will see a red belly, once again reminding those who want to eat him about the danger.
It is necessary to supplement the description of the fireman's bug with the fact that his body consists of seven joints, and the antennae of eleven. On the pronotum, the first segment of the red body, there is a black spot, and the soft wings have a dark gray tint.

We will complete the description of what a firefighter beetle looks like, with information about sexual dimorphism, and the differences between individuals of different sexes. In a particular case, one can see that the male of the red-legged soft body is noticeably smaller than the female.

Breeding

After the sun heats the air and soil well, mating of soft bodies occurs. Typically, the breeding season occurs in mid-summer, the month of July. Soon after mating, the female lays the fertilized eggs in a soft substrate. As it may be deciduous litter on untouched soil, or decaying plant debris: rotten tree branches left to rotten boards, hemp and other wood debris.

The eggs are incubated for 15-20 days, depending on the temperature of the external environment, and from them a furry larva appears, slightly resembling a piece of a fashionista's necklace.

The firefighter beetle larva is interesting in several respects. Firstly, extra-intestinal digestion is inherent in it. Secondly, she herself is a predator, as are adults.

Reference! Extraintestinal digestion occurs due to the injection of food juice into the victim’s body, a special substance that dissolves the body’s tissues. After that, the predator absorbs already prepared liquid food.

By winter, some of the larvae pupate, while the other hibernates in pretty leaves or rotten wood. The caterpillars of the soft-footed red-footed creeping out in the spring in the sun are called "snowworms."

Soon after warming in nature, the larvae pupate and two weeks later young firefighter beetles appear from them.

Food

It's time to tell what the firefighters eat. This moment is especially important in the sphere of understanding who this insect is all the same - a friend protecting our cultivated plants, or an enemy - a pest of a garden.

All insects that are smaller in size and also have a soft body fall into the diet of soft bodies, due to the fact that a hard chitin cover is too tough for a fireman. By biting their jaws like a snake's mouth, the flesh of the victim, they inject poison and digestive juice into them.
The victims of an adult firefighter bug can be:

• aphids;
• small caterpillars;
• various larvae;
• leaf beetles on different cultures.

Larvae feed on small worms, millipedes, and various larvae. By the number of destroyed pests, they can exceed the imago.

Reference! The imago is the last stage of the development of the insect, its adult form. With reference to firefighters - that’s what a beetle can be called.

There is a benefit from the bugs of firefighters, because by destroying pests, they save the plants we coddle.

At the same time, if the soft bodies have divorced quite a lot, they are able to spread to plant foods, they damage flowering buds, petals and leaves of some fruit crops. In this respect, the obvious harm of the firefighter beetles is visible.

Despite this, most experts are inclined to believe that the benefits of these insects far outweigh the small harm by the standards of the garden, and that if this happens in some years. It is significant that earlier in villages with the help of the red-legged soft-body they fought with cockroaches. It was enough to launch several firefighter bugs into the house, as the Prussians soon left it.

Attraction of soft bodies

In order for the fire bugs to become patrons and defenders of your site, you do not need to take particularly complex measures. All actions aimed at conducting natural farming, perfectly help in attracting these beneficial insects.

We just need to act as it happens in nature:

1. Do not dig soil in the area.
2. Do not rake leaves under wintering trees and shrubs, and it is absolutely impossible to burn them, losing not only useful organic matter, but also natural defenders.
3. Do not use pesticides in the garden and garden that destroy all living things, and in the end, us and our loved ones.

Look at the nature, act according to the scenario of harmony and mutual assistance written to her.

Destruction

The one who was not convinced by the previous lines of the author is dedicated to this last part of our story. It will focus on how to deal with a bug by a fireman.

The simplest thing is to collect the red-footed soft bodies by hand and hand them over to a neighbor who has been tortured by aphids. In this case, be careful, firefighter beetles are dangerous because the bites of their strong jaws are quite painful.

The second way to fight, which can still be tolerated in your area - spraying with natural components. Pollination with a tobacco-based mixture is best. The composition of the folk remedy is as follows:

• tobacco dust, or crumbled the cheapest cigarettes - 1 part;
• wood ash - 3 parts;
• hot red pepper;
• fragrant seasonings like Provence herbs or sunli hops.

Add the last two components “to taste”, with a small pinch. The resulting powder is densely showered on damaged plantings. An unfamiliar pungent odor is designed to scare off insects and not let them into the area.

Whoever doesn’t have a mild natural method of struggle can use more radical methods. "Experienced" fighters with beetles by firefighters recommend using the crayon "Mashenka", popular with cockroaches and their owners. It should be crushed into fine dust and dust the boundaries of the quarantine area.

At the end of our story, we suggest you watch a video that will refresh the idea of ​​a firefighter bug.