Some people might be surprised at the accumulation of the black and red animals around the house - but they are not a rare phenomenon in spring.
With their striking coloring, they deter predators such as birds, but they are harmless to humans: red-black fire bugs. When the days get warmer again in spring, you can often spot them on the ground or under stones; The animals, lured from their winter quarters, happily gather by the hundreds in warm places in the garden. Even though they are also referred to as fire beetles or cobbler beetles, the insects are not beetles, but bedbugs, as the Nature Conservation Association
(NABU)
explains. Of the bug species in Germany, the fire bug is one of the most common.
Fire bugs are “harmless”
Hundreds of fire bugs cavorting on the trunk of a linden tree or in the sun - “the reason for the infamous accumulations are pheromones,” writes NABU
in a statement.
“Bugs communicate strongly via scents that we humans perceive as smelly.” The insect is “harmless.”
Crawling creatures often frolic under linden trees or mallow plants
“The lively, black and red crawlers often feel at home in gardens, on balconies or in urban nature in general,” explains
NABU
.
The mating season begins for them in April or May. However, anyone who discovers the creepy crawlies in the garden need not worry. Despite their striking coloring, the animals are not poisonous. According to the experts, they particularly like to frolic under linden trees and mallow plants such as hibiscus, marshmallow and hollyhock - but they also feel at home under robinias.
Fire bugs keep garden pests “at bay”
The creepy crawlies with their red and black patterned shells prefer to eat the falling plant seeds. And sometimes they also suck on the herbaceous parts of other plants, although according to
NABU
they cause “no major damage”. In fact, such fire bugs could actually be useful in the garden: because they don't disdain dead insects. “Since insect and snail eggs are also on their menu, they keep garden pests at bay,” the experts explain in the above-mentioned statement. “On the other hand, they usually leave the trunk of their beloved roses and the like.”
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The creepy crawlies can also get lost in the house – what should I do?
If you prefer not to have the creepy crawlies in your garden for the long term, you should forego the plants that the animals enjoy. In addition to stork roses, mallows, hibiscus and linden trees, they
also include acacias and horse chestnuts, according to
Bayern1.de
. If a pack of fire bugs has gotten into the house, the simplest solution is to carefully sweep the animals onto a dustpan and take them back outside, according to the BR article. If you want them to stay outside in the future, you should “remove all leaves and plant residues directly on the house wall to be on the safe side”.
In the fall, stink bugs sometimes get lost in houses and can be driven away gently.