Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

Widespread across the US, the Box-elder Bug belongs to the family of scentless plant bugs. This nymph was found in the San Francisco area where it appears in great numbers during the first warm days of spring after emerging from their winter hibernation. Their bright red coloration sometimes causes concern in the autumn when they find their way into houses looking for a suitable place to over winter. They feed on box-elder, maple and ash trees although sometimes the adults eat fruit. Notice the long beak for piercing plants and sucking sap.

Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

This family of tropical bug feeds mainly on the juices of rotting vegetation. Characterized by their bright red coloration, they exude an acrid fluid for their protection. Geneticists discovered the X chromosome sex gene through research and study of related fire bugs. This adult was found on the hairy surfaces of a tropical flower.

Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

Stink bugs are named for their ability to exude a foul smelling substance from a pore on each side of their thorax. These bugs often have symbiotic relationships with bacteria that aid the insect in the production of nutrients. Other insects, like termite, have similar relationships that aid in their digestion of wood. Stink bugs are predacious on other insects, good fliers and are recognized by a large triangular scutellum on their back.

Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

Stink bugs can be recognized by their characteristic oval body shape and each antennae being comprised of five segments. This immature larval stage is considerably more colorful than the adult form which was almost entirely black. True bugs undergo a common form of incomplete metamorphosis with three life stages. The eggs hatches into nymphs which grows ever closer to the adult form through a series of body molts. The last molt renders the final adult form which is then free to reproduce and initiate the next generation. This nymph was quite adept at producing the characteristic foul smell for which they use as a chemical defense tactic.

Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

Photographed in Southern California, this nymph Harlequin Cabbage Bug has almost completed its nymphal stage. All “true bugs” have incomplete metamorphosis. This means they experience three life stages of egg, nymph and adult. The nymphs generally start out as miniature versions of the adult with slightly different coloration. As the nymph grows through several molts, it appears more like the adult in size and coloration. This insect can be found year round in warm climates and feeds on cabbage or wild mustard. This bug is also called the Calico Back for its distinct pattern.

Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

These strange flattened bugs, feed on fungus growing on the bark of trees and have the habit of dropping to the ground and disappearing in the leaf litter when disturbed. Indeed, this bug looks as it lichen is growing on its back and would be completely camouflaged against the right background. Insects are famous for their ability to adapt and evolve to exploit every available niche. Some beetles are even known to bore into the lead casings of telephone wiring systems.

Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

In many insects, the male and female adults vary in size, coloration and form. Some insects are able to reproduce without a mate however most species require union to fertilize the eggs. This pair was found in Indonesia. True bugs have characteristic forewings. Specifically, the connecting half being thickened and remaining tip half being membranous. A second pair of membranous wings rest under these special fore wings known as hemelytra. Their sucking, tubular mouth parts arise from the tip of their head.

Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

These large and powerful insects are as adept at swimming as they are at flying. Eaten as a delicacy and sometimes found in Chinese markets, these insects bear the nickname toe-biters and are capable of inflicting a painful stab with their sharpened front beak. These bugs feed on other aquatic insects, tadpoles and even small fish, injecting them with a powerful toxin and digestive juice that allows the bug to such up the contents at will. They are also known for their snorkel-like breathing tubes at the end of their abdomen.

Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

This sap-sucking Leaf-Footed Bug from Southern Brazil shows it’s swollen femora hind legs. A few tropical Cor?id have elaborate tibial leaf structures as part of their modified hind legs. This one is relatively conservative although also has spines at the tips of it’s pronotum. These true bugs are capable of emitting a scent from a couple of glands on the thorax. Notice the membranous patch of the fore wing. Although most feed on sap, a few are predaceous towards other insects.

Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

This kindergarten was found on the underside of a leaf exhibiting a tightly clustered and well choreographed dance around one another until they finally dispersed. These immature nymphs mature into true bugs know as stink bugs. The yellow and black adults could be found further up the same shrub sipping on the juices of yellow berry clusters. The adults take on a typical pentagonal appearance and exude an unpleasant odor when disturbed. Although the term bugs is used as slang to describe all insects, members of the order Hemiptera are the only insects correctly identified as bugs.