The firefighter beetle (Cantharis rustica) is a small insect. Its length is about one and a half centimeters. The elytra is black. On top of the back there is a spot of a similar color. Often, firefighter beetles sit on the flowers of a dream and eat its petals.
They are sensitive enough to the approach of a person. In this case, the firefighter beetle, whose photo can be easily found by revealing the elytra, takes off quickly. If you try to take the insect in your hands, it will release a liquid with a specific smell through the joints of the abdomen and legs and bite. If you unclench your fingers, the bug will loosen its grip.
The firefighter beetle has powerful jaws. They were not given to him by nature so that he would eat flowers. The insect is considered predatory. It tracks prey from the air, lands next to it or directly on it, bites several times, releasing a poison (digestive fluid). As a result, the victim dies. It should be noted that the firefighter does not have a clear plan for killing. He inflicts his bites at random. However, with some insects, for example, ground beetles, the beetle is often unable to cope - they quickly hit its ganglia. In addition, he also cannot capture a relatively large “food”. Therefore, he hunts, as a rule, for sleepy flies and other trifles.
Due to their special body segmentation, the insect larvae are very similar to a bunch of beads. Under natural conditions, they can be found in the spring under the bark of rotten trees. The larvae of the firefighter beetle are also considered predators. They seek out small millipedes and worms in the wood dust.
There is a special channel inside the sharp dagger-like or sickle-shaped jaws. In general, the jaws of the larvae are designed to hold prey, not to chew. They resemble the teeth of a poisonous snake. The similarity is reinforced by the fact that when bitten through the channels in the jaws of the beetle, poison passes through the body of the victim. In addition, part of the digestive fluid is poured onto her body, due to which the tissues soften and dissolve. The resulting semi-liquid slurry is sucked in by a larva.
After approximately two weeks of the incubation period, adult beetles form from pupae. Insects begin to actively settle and eat. After a month, mating can be observed. Females lay their eggs and die by the end of July. These insects are not considered centenarians.
As an additional power source for beetle-firemen, fleshy flower parts act. Insects are not afraid of birds of prey. The firefighter beetle defends itself from their attack with its poison.
Body color can be dark or bright, attractive. As a rule, red, yellow and black colors prevail. On the upper body are hairs similar to villi. The firefighter beetle does not have an upper lip, but it has the usual claws. It should be noted that the name "fireman" the insect received precisely for its bright color.
It is quite difficult to deal with this pest, as it quickly develops resistance to various chemicals, in addition, it moves very quickly, falling from the plant to the ground (where it is not so easy to find it).
