When you see something like a spider or an ant in your home, do you first think "I need to get that bug out of here"? It might surprise you to learn those unwelcome houseguests aren't actually bugs.
Most of us probably know a spider is technically an arachnid, not an insect, but surely an ant is an insect?
It is, but it's not a bug. The true bugs are a suborder of insects within the order Hemiptera. True bugs are distinguished from other insects by the structure of their mouthparts and the way they feed. True bugs are unable to chew; their mouthparts are designed for sucking up their meals.
Their mouthparts include a tube called a rostrum, often called a beak. The rostrum is equipped with tiny needle-like structures for piercing called stylets. Connected to the rostrum is a pump, and muscles with which to operate the pump. The pump enables true bugs to inject salivary secretions into their food and then to suck the food through their rostrum.
Most true bugs feed on plant sap. They access a plant's sap from a variety of sources, including the stems, roots, leaves, fruit, and seeds of plants. A lot of true bugs are pests because they feed on human crops.
Like stink bugs, for example. They're pests to various fruits such as tomatoes and peaches. And stink bugs are true bugs, as are bedbugs and water striders.
Even though bedbugs aren't herbivores, they're still considered true bugs. Some true bugs, like bedbugs, feed on animals. Other true bugs feed on fellow insects.
Better they feed on other insects than on people!
Reviewer: Michael Meyer, Christopher Newport University
Read more
Sources
- Arizona State University - True bugs
- Smithsonian - True bugs (Heteroptera)
- Dictionary.com - "Bug" vs. "Insect"
- Wikipedia - Bed bug
D: Yaël! Bug! Catch it and put it outside!
Y: That's not a bug, Don, it's a spider.
D: Yaël! Another bug!
Y: That's not a bug either. It's an ant.
D: Okay, I realize that a spider is technically an arachnid, not an insect, but I know an ant is an insect.
Y: Yes, it is, but it's not a bug. The true bugs are a suborder of insects within the order Hemiptera. True bugs are distinguished from other insects by the structure of their mouthparts and the way they feed. True bugs are unable to chew; their mouthparts are designed for sucking up their meals. Their mouthparts include a tube called a rostrum, often called a beak. The rostrum is equipped with tiny needle-like structures for piercing called stylets. Connected to the rostrum is a pump, and muscles with which to operate the pump. The pump enables true bugs to inject salivary secretions into their food and then to suck the food through their rostrum.
D: So what do they eat?
Y: Most true bugs feed on plant sap. They access a plant's sap from a variety of sources, including the stems, roots, leaves, fruit, and seeds of plants. A lot of true bugs are pests because they feed on human crops.
D: Like stink bugs, for example? I know they're pests to various fruits such as tomatoes and peaches. Are they true bugs?
Y: Indeed, as are bedbugs and water striders.
D: Wait a minute. Bedbugs don't eat plants. They feed on blood, don't they?
Y: They sure do. Not all true bugs are herbivores. Some, like bedbugs, feed on animals. Other true bugs feed on fellow insects.
D: Good. Better they feed on other insects than on me!