Even if beetles and bedbugs are not related, they still look alike. As a result, they are often confused. In the following list, native beetle and bug species are divided and presented.
Table of Contents
Various native species of bugs
When the various flying insects cavort in the garden and forest in summer, they are not always beetles, even if they look like them. Many species of bugs (Heteroptera) can also fly, but unlike the beetle species, they have no chewing or biting tools. They have a proboscis with which they suck the sap from the plants. When a bug is not eating, this snout is folded back on the body and is therefore not recognizable.
Common fire bug (Pyrrhocoris apterus)
- also often incorrectly known as fire beetles
- very sociable
- live in large flocks
- flat top
- conspicuous red with black dots
- black head and antennae
- suck on fallen seeds
- mostly mallows or lindens
- stay in sunny places
Common stink bug (Palomena prasina)
- Genus of stink bugs (Pentatomidae)
- also green stink bug or common greenfinch
- has green color in spring and summer
- with dark dots
- brown to reddish at colder temperatures
- often sit on deciduous trees
- not a relevant garden pest
- have stinky glands
- foul-smelling secretion when in danger
- sticks for a very long time
Graue Gartenwanze (Rhaphigaster nebulosa)
- Genus of stink bugs (Pentatomidae)
- also known as the gray field bug
- dirty yellow-grey
- uneven dots
- sits in various deciduous trees
- also sucks on dead insects
Grüne Distelwanze (Calocoris affinis)
- Genus of soft bugs (Miridae)
- easily recognizable by the elongated body
- colored completely in green
- Feelers are dark
- located in the local low mountain ranges
- feed mainly on stinging nettles
- often found in damp locations
Kugelwanze (Coptosoma scutellatum)
- stocky body
- upturned top
- covered with plaques
- shiny black
- Reflections in bronze or blue
- lives on lawns with sand or limestone soil
- feeds on flowering plants such as crown vetch
Lederwanze (Coreus marginatus)
- also hem bug or large edge bug
- leathery appearance
- dark brown to black
- smells like apple
- in flight shows a bright red abdomen
- Habitat on shrubs and trees
- feeds on hedge shrubs and perennials
- by sucking large red circular spots on leaves
Marbled stink bug (Halyomorpha halys)
- Stink bug family (Pentatomidae)
- often called stink beetles
- sprays foul-smelling secretion
- imported from East Asia
- has also been demonstrated in Germany
- agricultural pest
- sucks on fruit plants and fruits
- gray to brown color
- white rings on the antennae, light spots on the neck
- Body slightly leafy
Rote Ritterwanze (Lygaeus)
- belongs to the floor bugs or long bugs (Lygaeidae)
- black and red drawing
- should scare off enemies
- strong, long legs
- can easily be confused with fire bug
- but does not occur in swarms but individually
- often sits on dandelions
Red soft bug (Deraeocoris ruber)
- different shades
- from orange-red to black
- Fore wings usually red
- not limited to specific plants
- occurs on herbs, shrubs and trees
- but prefers thistles or nettles
- prefers sunny places at the edge of forests
- feeds on small insects such as aphids
- Sting painful for humans too
- considered useful in agriculture
Turtle bug (Eurygaster testudinaria)
- belongs to the shield bug family (Scutelleridae)
- lives in bogs and other wet biotopes
- feeds on grasses or umbelliferae and composite plants
- young bugs overwinter in the ground
- Body reminiscent of a turtle
- brown color with pattern
- partially shaded, moist habitats
Wolfsmilch Erdwanze (Cydnus aterrimus)
- Ground bug family (Cydnidae)
- is one of the largest species in its family
- black colored with dense dots
- Habitat is sandy, calcareous and arid
- feeds on milkweed plants
- suck on the roots and aerial parts
Various native beetle species
Beetle species (Coleoptera) belong to the largest order of all insects. Hundreds of new discoveries are made every year. The oldest fossil beetle found to date is estimated to be 265 million years old.
In contrast to the various species of bugs, which look quite similar, beetles have chewing tools with which they can nibble on the leaves of many native plants. Below is a list of native beetle species that often occur and are widespread in the local latitudes.
Blatthornkäfer (Scarabaeidae)
- reddish brown to light brown
- light hair between wings and neck
- crepuscular
- only occurring locally
- small amounts no pests
- otherwise damage to vines and fruit trees
Common bee beetle (Trichodes apiarius)
- Genus of the spotted beetle (Cleridae)
- also known as bee or beetle wolf and beetle
- blue-black and orange-red stripes
- Legs and neck green or blue
- hairy
- feeds on small insects and pollen
- prefers umbellifers
- sunny places in gardens and at the edge of the forest
Common wart beetle (Cantharis fusca)
- orange-red body
- black spot in center on back
- Head orange-red
- rump bright orange
- long, dark red to black antennae
- stay at the edges of forests, in bushes, on meadows and fields
- eat dead and live insects
Goldglänzender Rosenkäfer (Cetonia aurata)
- Rose chafer family (Cetoniinae)
- also common rose chafer
- Insect of the year 2000 in Germany
- Body metallic bronze to green
- Underside shimmers golden red
- white spots and transverse grooves on the wings
- sit on roses, but also fruit, hawthorn or elder
- Beetles eat flower parts and pollen
Deer beetle (Lucanus cervus)
- Schroeder genus (Lucanidae)
- most conspicuous and larger beetle in Europe
- Named because of the antlers on the head
- only carried by the male
- black-brown coloring
- wings brownish red
- lives mainly in oak forests
- crepuscular
- can bite painfully
- Insect of the year 2012
Junikäfer (Amphimallon solstitiale)
- Pest from the scarab beetle family
- light brown to yellowish
- with light hair
- the larvae are harmful
- live in the ground for years
- feed on the roots
- adult beetle feeds on leaves
- some years flocks of beetles in June
Kartoffelkäfer (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)
- Leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae)
- also potato beetle
- Body yellow with black spots and dark longitudinal stripes
- feeds on potato plants
- big pest
- Whole fields were eaten bare within a short time
- also eats other nightshade plants
- Crops such as tobacco, peppers, aubergines or tomatoes
Lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii)
- Leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae)
- also lily beetle
- lacquered red body with black head
- rarely flies, although airworthy
- lives in parks and gardens as well as on wet meadows
- always near lilies
- Pest for all lily species
- should be fought in the garden
Maikäfer (Melolontha)
- Scarab beetle genus (Scarabaeidae)
- Feldmaikäfer (Melolontha melolontha)
- Waldmaikäfer (Melolontha hippocastani)
- most widespread native species
- resemble June beetles
- brown body
- white hair
- Larvae survive in soil for several years
- very harmful because the roots are eaten
- appear in droves in some years
Mehlkäfer (Tenebrio molitor)
- Black beetle family (Tenebrionidae)
- elongated black body
- Antennae and legs brown
- live in bird nests and rotting wood
- indoors they attack grain products and flour
- feed on anything that contains starch
Rapsglanzkäfer (Brassicogethes aeneus)
- Genus of the shine beetle (Nitidulidae)
- very small, only about two millimeters
- shiny black armor
- Color also varies to green, purple, or blue
- mainly on open ground or on bushes
- preferably found on rapeseed but not only
- pests for agriculture
- are generally fought
- can produce sounds
Seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)
- Ladybird family (Coccinellidae)
- most famous ladybug
- strongly arched and round body
- Red color
- three black dots on each wing
- a point in front, flanked by two white ones
- black head
- feed on aphids
- can be found wherever there are lice
- therefore classified as beneficial
Mourning rose chafer (Oxythyrea funesta)
- Genus of the rose chafer (Cetoniinae)
- black body
- many white spots
- white hair
- rarely found in south-west Germany
- highly endangered
- critically endangered on the Red List
- feeds on pollen
frequently asked Questions
Native species of bugs lay eggs from which small larvae hatch. Nevertheless, there is a big difference here compared to the various beetle species. Because the larvae of bugs usually molt five times. They get bigger and bigger and more and more like the adult bugs. Pupation does not occur.
Adult, female beetle species lay eggs from which the larvae hatch. The small caterpillars feed on plants until they are large and strong enough to pupate. Depending on the beetle species, this stage can last over the winter or be ready in early summer. After pupating, the finished beetles hatch in spring or summer.
The population here is estimated at around 3000. Of these, most species of bugs feed on the juices of the plants that they find in nature. They rarely get lost in the house. Only the bed bug feeds on blood, whether human or animal.
There are currently about 350,000 beetle species that have been described, divided into 179 genera. Except for Antarctica, species of beetles are distributed on all continents. Around 8,000 beetle species are counted in the local latitudes.
The biggest difference is probably the diet. The beetles use their mandibles to crush and eat small insects that are still alive or found dead. As a result, the beetles are usually useful in gardening, forestry and agriculture. However, there are also exceptions that affect plants. Nevertheless, most species of bugs with their long snout prefer to feed on plant sap and less, with small exceptions, on dead insects. So the bugs are more common pests.