Nature is the creator of all life on Earth. Her creations are unique and beautiful. Sometimes very tiny and harmless creatures can amaze with their capabilities, the presence of which no one even knew.
An example here is an unusual insect called the scorer (bug) from the subfamily ground beetles.
Description
This small individual is not noticeable in appearance: red legs, antennae, head and back of a black color. The length of the bug is only from a few mm to 3 cm. For comparison: a creature of this size can fit on the nail of the index finger of a person’s hand. But the insect gained its name and fame thanks to an extraordinary protective device. During the threat, the black ground beetle launches a scorching poisonous fountain towards the attacker. In ancient times, it was believed that only God could produce such an explosive mixture that could reside in the body of a living organism.
How does this secret arise?
In the inner region of the beetle’s abdomen, there are two containers with separate glands that secrete hydroquinones and hydrogen peroxide, which are characterized by toxic and odorous properties. When the insect is in danger, the reagents enter the right reservoir through the channels, where they begin to interact with the catalysts, and at the end a toxic and hot solution is formed. Its temperature reaches 100 degrees.
Through a moving tail from the edge of the abdomen, the scorer (beetle) takes aim and launches a stream of burning liquid. The shock lasts only a moment - from 8 to 17 ms, and the eruption speed - 10 ms, and all this is accompanied by piercing sounds. This is enough to scare a predator who not only runs away, but also remembers for a long time the cannon shot of an insect that left noticeable burns. Reagents have a reserve of 10-30 volleys, which then end.
Species of ground beetles
About 25,000 species are known in the animal kingdom; over 3000 live in Russia. Bombardiers are some of the tiniest examples of the ground beetle family. Some species of these bugs fly poorly or have completely lost this ability, since they have tiny wings or none at all, and elytra (wings must be hidden under them) can grow to their back. But individuals run well. Insects are popular in Eurasia, especially in the forest area, living in deciduous haul and in the soil, eating snails, larvae and worms.
Ground beetle
An ordinary bread bug is a harmful insect 12-17 mm in size. The body of these insatiable parasites is resinous black and has a pale metallic tint. Their bright wings are provided with small deep hollows, and the legs and antennae are painted in brownish-black tones.
Bread ground beetle can be found, as a rule, in the steppe, forest-steppe and southern outskirts of Polesie. The main food for the larvae of beetles is the stairs of winter plants. Ground beetle eats with great desire young leaves of small shoots so that only veins remain from them. In those areas where pest larvae live, the plant world for the most part perishes. This has a very negative effect on the amount of yield.
How does egg laying
The scorers are unique not only at the mature stage of formation, but also in the early stages too. The female of the individual lays eggs in tiny balls made of mud and located near the lake. In them, she lays 1 egg each, and then places them on an adjacent branch or stone. Over time, larvae emerge from the eggs a bit similar in appearance to a short millipede with a shining segmented body and a little bit to the caterpillar.
What beetles eat
These insects diverge in search of food that they will eat before they transform into mature ground beetles. Bombardier (beetle), like most varieties, goes hunting for the larvae of a swimming beetle. Other individuals dig up bear cubs from the soil of the pupae, and some of their relatives eat leaves of seedlings of cereal crops.
Molting and becoming larger (up to 25 mm), ground beetles begin to nibble young leaves, leaving only streaks of them. Then they climb the stalks of bread plants and eat them. Spoiled foliage has a maimed and chewed appearance. Often the nibbled leaves are carried by insects to their earthen dwellings, where they eat them up in a quiet environment.
If the scorer (bug) finds the corresponding prey, for example, a chrysalis, then it will be eaten from the head. This meal process continues for several days until the victim’s wall is completely empty. As a result, the larva crawls into the released shell, where it transforms into an adult bug instead of its prey. A certain period passes, and a mature ground beetle comes out of the cocoon in absolute combat readiness.
What is useful for humans beetle
The benefits of most species of such insects are obvious - they eat centipedes, worms, wood lice, pests in gardens and gardens, as well as their larvae. Thanks to strong jaws, individuals can cope with almost all parasites.
There are also certain varieties of harmful bread ground beetles, but for the most part they only bring benefits. Creatures are really capable of destroying the arriving number of garden pests, but most importantly, they can do it on time.
Such beetles in nature are among the individuals well introduced to protect against pests. Like most other insects, ground beetle often goes unnoticed, especially by people who are practically not interested in bugs. But this still does not prevent her from participating in the fight against the parasites of vegetable gardens and gardens.