Everyone in this world, be it a large animal or the smallest insect, has some features that can protect them in case of danger.
A striking example to prove this fact is such an insect as the bombardier beetle. He is also called the crackling scorer. The description of this species took place in 1758 and belongs to Linnaeus.
Bombardier beetle (Brachinus sp.).
Description
Bombardiers are beetles from two subfamilies of ground beetles: Brachininae and Paussinae, of which the former is better known. The name was given due to a peculiar protective mechanism. There are scorers everywhere, except perhaps in Antarctica. The subfamily Brachininae is better known. Scientists have studied its representatives best of all. In our country, crackling bombardier is common. The size of the beetles of this subfamily is very different. The maximum size of the bombardier beetle is 3 cm. They usually look, there are no bright elytra or especially large mandibles. But there is something else - the ability to shoot an enemy with a poisonous liquid, the temperature of which reaches 100 ° C. At the same time, the liquid itself is remarkable, not to mention the "shot" process.
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The body, which has a reddish-red color, can reach up to 10 mm in length. The head also has the same color as the body. Sheaths can be either blue - black or blue - green shades. The black antennae of this insect grow up to 8 mm. The body, which has a reddish-red color, can reach up to 10 mm in length. The head also has the same color as the body.
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What is the lifestyle and behavior
Beetle activity begins in spring. Lives on vegetation before the arrival of cold weather. In the fall, the stinker hides in deciduous litter, tree bark and construction debris. In winter, hibernates until warming.
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The first thing that the beetle does after the arrival of heat is to actively reproduce. In nutrition, the insect is not picky. He especially loves juice from raspberries, gooseberries and currants. It lays eggs in the same place where it feeds.
Each clutch contains 40 eggs. Young individuals are very similar to adults. The only difference is the lack of wings. To form them, you need to overcome 5 molts. Not all individuals survive to the last stage of development.
The insect is diurnal. Prefers an inactive lifestyle. Spends most of the time in the bushes and is actively stocking up on nutrients.
Reproduction
After mating, the female bombardier beetle lays eggs. To do this, a safe place is chosen that can be located in a pile of decaying stems and foliage of plants, as well as in mud. From the laid eggs, larvae appear at a certain time, leading a parasitic lifestyle. Most often, the main food for the larvae is the bear pupae hidden in moist soil. As they grow, they turn into pupae, passing through several stages of molting, and after that, the insects become adults. The life span is only two weeks, but during this period the beetle goes through all stages of development.
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Food
Bombardier beetles are carnivorous insects in all phases of their existence. From the moment of their birth to pupation, the larvae lead a parasitic lifestyle.They eat the protein-rich pupae of other beetles.
In adulthood, bombardiers are engaged in collecting food residues on the surface of the ground, under stones and snags. In addition, beetles actively exterminate their smaller counterparts. The larvae and pupae of any arthropods that the bombardier can handle are eaten.
Defense mechanism
The enemies of the bombardier beetle are spiders, ants and frogs, but they attack this beetle very rarely. There is a very simple explanation for this. The fact is that this type of beetle is not able to fly away instantly in case of danger. To do this, he first needs to spread the wing flaps and only then, spreading the neatly folded wings, he will be able to take off. Therefore, nature rewarded him with a very dangerous weapon for her protection. These beetles have two symmetrically located endocrine glands, each of which releases a mixture of hydroquinones and hydrogen peroxide into its own reservoir through a long canal. Associated with the reservoirs are smaller, dense-walled reaction chambers. They contain catalase and peroxidase. During the shot, the walls of the first tank are compressed and the mixture of reagents enters the reaction chamber. There, under the action of enzymes on hydrogen peroxide, atomic oxygen is formed. It oxidizes hydroquinones to quinones. Both reactions are exothermic and cause the mixture to heat up to 100 ° C. The appearance of oxygen in the reaction chamber increases the volume of the substance and it is thrown out through the holes at the tip of the abdomen. This tip in Brachininae is movable and allows you to direct the stream of liquid directly at the enemy. For Stenaptinus insignis, it is known that a shot lasts 8-17 ms, and it consists of 4-9 immediately following one after another hot liquid bursts with a velocity of about 10 m / s. In the laboratory, after a week's rest, bombardiers are capable of firing 10 to 30 shots before they run out of reagents. Large beetles can damage the upper layers of human skin if handled with unprotected hands. They are not particularly dangerous for humans.
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Beetle harm
Being polyphagous predators, bombardiers do not cause any harm to humans. Conversely, if a larva, caterpillar or beetle pest, bombardier attacks and eats them. In the confrontation between man and pests, scorers are on the side of man.
The bombardier jet comes out with great speed and is accompanied by a pop
There have been attempts to exploit the predatory nature of the bombardiers. They wanted to direct them along the path of ladybirds, which today are industrially propagated and scattered over gardens to combat aphids.
Entomophagous bombardiers in nature actively eat caterpillars of the moth, scoop, vegetable fly eggs, and so on, but the idea of industrial breeding of bombardiers did not develop.
Interesting Facts
- Research by a team of specialists from the UK indicates that the disclosure of the principles of the mechanism of the ejection of liquid from the abdomen of an insect may subsequently become the basis for restarting aircraft engines in the event of a failure of one of them. - Engineers for innovative aircraft technologies do not deny the possibility of creating an apparatus similar to the belly of an insect, operating on the principle of precise injection of plasma into an internal combustion chamber. - The temperature of the chemically active substance of the bombardier beetle can reach more than one hundred degrees Celsius, and the speed at which the liquid is ejected is about 8 m / s. - The accuracy of hitting the target with insect venom is ideal, and the length of the jet can vary from 1 to 10 centimeters. - The defense system of the beetle is fully consistent with the air-jet mechanism of the V-1 bombs, which the Germans used during the Second World War.- The bombardier beetle seems so complex that its structure has become the subject of a philosophical discussion. Representatives of creationism consider it a proof of the creation of the world - they say, such a complex purposeful device could not have arisen in the course of evolution by chance. The beetle was undoubtedly created from a well thought out design.
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Characteristic smell
The stink beetle got its name for a reason. There are odorous glands on the body of the bug. Woody buzzards are guided by smell. Their sense of smell is too well developed. In this way, the arboreal bugbear communicates with other relatives, finds food, a pair for fertilization and notifies of the danger.
The odor gland is triggered instantly as soon as the beetle suspects a danger. The smell of bedbugs is so strong that a person can feel it from a distance of up to 3 meters. The gland begins to actively act, and the bug at this time changes color. The carapace turns not green, but brown. The glands of young beetles are not so strong. But since insects keep in groups, it is possible to feel their joint effort without any problems. Birds, smelling the smell of a bug, release prey from their beak, and other predatory insects rush to move away. The gland plays one of the most important roles in the life of the beetle.
Bombardiers in philosophy
Bombardier beetles are creationists' favorite examples of "proof" that evolution is impossible. These beetles, proponents of "creation" argue, are too complex to be the result of natural development. However, all the arguments of creationists on this matter (as well as on all others) are untenable, if only because they know too superficially the biology of bombardier beetles. Despite the existing white spots, the family ties of the bombers and the stages of the appearance of the firing apparatus in them have been studied quite well.
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Here is such an unusual creation of nature, I hope it was interesting. And as usual I'm waiting for comments.
Stinky appearance
In the spring and early summer, the stink beetle is colored bright green. This feature allows him to remain unnoticed on the leaves. In addition, he prefers to hide from the back side. In autumn, the color changes slightly. Becomes in tune with the leaves, which turn yellow, turn black. The bug's shell is covered with dark brown, black and yellow spots.
The shape of the body is oval flattened. On the sides, there are protrusions characteristic of all scutellids. The beetle has 1 pair of wings under a hard shell. They are visible on the body as a brown spot. They rarely use them. Take off in order to move from one bush to another. 3 pairs of legs and a long, straight mustache. The mouth apparatus of the bush bug is piercing - sucking. The bug feeds on plant sap.
What do they eat
Nutrition directly depends on the subspecies of the insect. Food preferences are presented in the table.
| 1 group of beetles for nutrition | Representatives give preference to grass, leaves, juice of berries and flowers. Bedbugs are attracted to garden plots with gooseberry bushes. Alder leaves are consumed in the forest. |
| 2nd group | Some representatives feed on caterpillars. They can suck blood from animals. This is typical for predatory beetles. You can distinguish predatory bugs by their bright color. This is to warn of the danger of other insects. |
| Group 3 | There are species that feed on human blood. They live in apartments and houses. Are called bed. |
Most beetles feed on plants.
How to deal with forest bugs
Bed bugs are also forest pests. In forest conditions, only environmentally friendly methods should be used. Onion skins are a great way. To prepare a solution, pour 200 g of an ingredient with a bucket of water. The liquid is infused for a week. Spray all plants with this water 2-4 times a day.
How to get rid of a stink bug in an apartment, see this video:
Plants can be treated with mustard.To do this, fill the component with 500 ml of hot water. Add 9 liters of water after 30 minutes. Spray plants with liquid.
