Fire bugs are more useful than harmful. If you still want to get rid of them, you should not necessarily fight them with chemicals. Better prevent yourself.
The first warm rays of sun also bring the fire bugs to life. The striking red-colored animals rarely come alone and can populate house walls, gardens and balconies. Visually, the strikingly colored insect is reminiscent of exotic animals. Last but not least, the intense red color has a signaling effect. But are fire bugs really a threat and need to be fought? We'll provide you with the answers you need.
Appearance and Features
There are more than 400 species of fire bugs worldwide. Only two species are native to Germany. The best known is the common fire bug, also known as the French beetle or fire beetle.
The name of the insects is due to their striking coloration. The striking red-black coloring makes the animals visible from afar. The elongated and flat body is bright red in color. A conspicuous black pattern of dots and spots stands out on it. The head is colored black. The fire bug's limbs and antennae are well developed.
The fire bug grows to almost an inch. The much smaller larvae are already very similar to the adult animals. Young bugs are also colored red. Small black spots are already formed on the back. The fore wing is solid black.
Fire Bugs are known to be extremely sociable and are rarely found alone. Mating of the animals takes place in April or May. The eggs are laid under stones or leaves. A female can produce up to 100 eggs. The larvae go through five nymphal stages. Fire bugs live for about a year.
Distribution
Fire bugs are widespread in Europe and Asia. The fire bug can be expected from mid-March. On sunny days, after the hibernation, they appear on the ground for the first time and bask on stones or house walls.
Sunny places near linden trees are preferred. Lime seeds are the main food source of the fire bug. This uses her proboscis and sucks itplant seeds out. Favorite habitats are still acacia, horse chestnut or mallow.
Are fire bugs dangerous?
Fire bugs are not pests and can only become a nuisance to garden owners, as they usually occur in large numbers. The fire bug is harmless to humans and animals. Contrary to popular belief, it does not transmit diseases or spray corrosive substances.
This misconception comes from a little trick that insects use to protect themselves from predators. In the event of danger, a foul-smelling liquid is secreted. Fire bugs are also said to taste bitter. As a result, the insects have hardly any natural predators and can spread unhindered in the garden.
Are fire bugs useful?
Fire bugs do not pose any threat to the garden. Plants are completely spared. In return, the bugs eat dead insects and dead plant remains. In doing so, they help to reduce waste in the garden.
Mosquitoes are reluctant to settle around fire bugs. A population of fire bugs is also useful for an undisturbed barbecue evening.
Do fire bugs need to be fought?
Fire bugs are neither dangerous nor harmful to humans or animals. Fighting is therefore not necessary. Those who are bothered by the animals should choose natural ways to drive the fire bugs out of their garden.
Warning: Chemical pesticides harm bees, bumblebees and other beneficial insects.
Fight fire bugs naturally
Fire bugs are easy to spot. If you want to drive the pack animals out of your garden, all you need is a shovel and hand brush. The animals are swept up and released again on a sunny and dry edge of the forest at a safe distance from their own property.
Fire bugs can also be fought with a solution of water and washing-up liquid. You will need half a liter of water and a few squirts of dishwashing liquid.
How to do it:
1. Mix water with dish soap
2. Pour mixture into spray bottle
3. Spray mixture on fire bug nest
This is how the population can be destroyed within a short time. If you want to use this method, you should use biodegradable detergent to protect the microorganisms in the soil.
Prevent fire bugs
Tip 1: Deprive firebugs of their food base
Who thewants to get rid of uninvited guests naturally, deprives them of their food base.
If you don't have the following plants in your garden, you will probably rarely have to deal with fire bugs:
- lime tree
- Robinie
- Mallows
- Hollyhocks
- Horse chestnuts
- Acacia
Remove Infructescence
If the corresponding plants already exist, they do not have to be completely disposed of. It can already help to regularly remove the faded infructescence.
Warning: Do not dispose of pruning waste in the compost. The fire bugs will easily find their way there.
It is important to remove the seed pods that are still green, otherwise the fire bugs will quickly return to the plants.
Tip 2: Eliminate possible fire bug hibernation
In the fall, the fire bug goes in search of winter quarters. Dead bark, piles of leaves or pieces of bark that have broken off are preferred. If you create order at the end of the garden year, you make it difficult for the bugs to find suitable shelter for the winter.
Tip: Check open compost heaps. Here, too, the fire bug prefers to hibernate.
Tip 3: Collect existing fire bugs in spring
If the first work begins in early spring, you should pay attention to possible populations when pruning the bush or removing old leaves. The bugs are easy to collect and release back into nature.
Tip: Fire bugs overwinter close to their host plants. Therefore, control should be focused on linden, mallow or acacia.
Tip 4: Balsam Fir Decimates Fire Bug Infestations
Good news for all balsam fir owners. An entomologist from America accidentally discovered that the nymphs shed their skin in a Petri dish lined with newspaper, but did not reach the stage of an adult bug.
The magazine paper was made from balsam fir wood, which contains a special substance that is similar to the fire bug's endogenous juvenile hormone. The result is immature and non-reproductive nymphs, which significantly reduce fire bug infestations.
Fire bugs can be specifically prevented with a few twigs or balsam fir shavings placed under the host plants.