Oleander seedbug
Caenocoris nerii
Name means: “named after its favourite plant, the oleander (Nerium oleander)”
The oleander seedbug is a black bug with bright red patches. It lives on oleander, a pretty but poisonous bush. Its bold colours warn hungry animals that it is not good to eat.
Lives in
Southern Europe, Africa and southern Asia, on oleander bushes
Length
7.5 to 9.5 mm (0.3 to 0.37 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to touch. It is only bad to eat, which is why birds leave it alone. Wash your hands if you held one.
What does it eat?
The young bugs suck the milky sap of the oleander bush. The grown-ups eat its fruits and seeds.
How big is it?
How long is it?
💅small enough to sit on your fingernail🍚as long as 1.5 grains of rice in a row🍽️could run across a dinner table in 20 seconds
How big is Oleander seedbug compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)
Oleander seedbug about 0.18 km/h (0.11 mph)
A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It takes poison from the oleander plant into its own body, so most predators leave it alone.
2
The mother lays her eggs on oleander leaves.
3
Females are a bit bigger than males.
4
The young bugs, called nymphs, live through the winter before they grow up.
you asked
Most asked questions about Oleander seedbug
?Is the oleander seedbug dangerous?
No, it does not hurt people. It is just bad to eat, which keeps birds away.
?What does the oleander seedbug eat?
The milky sap, fruits and seeds of the oleander bush.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Caenocoris nerii
- Group
- True bugs and cicadas
- Family
- Lygaeidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Hemiptera > Lygaeidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Africa, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Caenocoris nerii (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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