What are bugs?
Heteropteran bugs form a group in the order Hemiptera, a highly diverse group of insects, containing both harmful and beneficial species. Heteropteran bugs are insects which have flattened bodies and fold their wings flat over their body when at rest. The wings overlap each other exposing the scutellum, a prominent triangular region of the thorax between the wing bases. This distinguishes them from beetles, which have hard, leathery forewings that meet, but do not overlap, in the dorsal midline. Some bugs produce a pungent odour. Heteropteran bugs are hemimetabolous insects. Their life cycle consists of an egg, usually five nymphal instars and the adult insect. Several species of especially the families Miridae and Pentatomidae are found as pests in agricultural crops.
Bug damage
Phytophagous bugs damage plants by puncturing leaves and growing points with their piercing-sucking mouthparts and extracting nutrients from them, resulting in deformations and puncture holes. The most obvious damage is the deformation of growing points. They also cause tissue damage and deformed growth as a result of toxic substances that they inject into plants while feeding.
Bug damage
