Love for nature and the environment is fine, but there are many people who are afraid of bedbugs. Let them be green bugs or brown bugsunimportant: their presence, their fluttering everywhere banging everywhere, the terrible smell that arises if we crush them by mistake, generate terror in many people. And to think that, technically speaking, they are harmless to humans (even if plants and crops cannot say the same). Despite the fear, however, it is good to know that green bugs and brown bugs are not the same thing: they are actually different species.
Differences between green bugs and brown bugs
There is this common belief that brown bugs are nothing more than the final version of green bugs. According to this urban legend, green bugs would, over time, turn brown. Well, that’s not really the case: in reality it’s about animals of different species.
In general, all species of bedbugs share a vaguely pentagonal body, 15-17 mm long. They feed on plant sap. The leaves attacked by these insects are spotted and darken. The same fate awaits fruit, another favorite food for bedbugs. Their aggression causes the fruits to become deformed and no longer sellable or consumable.
The green bugs
The green bugs they are usually those that are part of the species Nezara viridula or even Palomena prasina. The first is native to Ethiopia, but we now find it all over the world. The second, however, is a European species. But it too has now spread almost everywhere.
The green bugs they prefer heatso we see them appear in spring and summer. When the change of season approaches, they lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves, nourishing themselves at the same time on the sap which they then transform into honeydew, a substance capable of attracting other parasites. In doing so, they damage the plants, causing not only weakening, but also a lower yield of the crop.
The green ones, compared to the brown ones, are smaller and they tolerate the heat well, but the cold poorly. Their exoskeleton is a bright brown-green, although Palomena sometimes has brown specks.
Since they suffer from the cold, when the end of summer approaches, they try in every way to enter our homes, looking for a warm and humid place to winter.
Brown bedbugs
The brown bedbugshowever, are those of origin Asian (in fact they are considered one invasive alien species). Among them, we have the Halyomorpha halys. In general, they tend to resist the cold more, which is why here in Italy we see them especially in autumn.
Brown ones tend to be bigger compared to the green ones. They also tolerate cold, but not heat. Their typical brown color is not uniform: they have bands of more or less dark color alternating on the antennae and abdomen.
Do not confuse these bugs with the bed bug
There are still several bed bugs. They are pest insects of the species Cimex lectularius and they feed on human blood. Unlike green and brown bedbugs, therefore, they represent a danger to humans as their sting causes allergic reactions with itchy papules and dermatitis. Fortunately, however, they do not transmit diseases. (READ also: Bed bugs have also arrived in Italy (but let’s avoid psychosis): how to recognize them and the most effective methods to eradicate them)
The adults are as large as an apple seed, they are oval and flat, red-brown in color and 5 mm long. They are very resistant and have a lifespan of 9 months. We usually introduce them into our homes in these ways:
How to keep bedbugs away from your home?
Since not everyone loves bedbugs, here’s what to do keep them away from our homes we can use several remedies:
You might also be interested in:
