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Sticker of Western conifer seed bug
Bug card No. 4668 of 4,939

Western conifer seed bug

Leptoglossus occidentalis
Eats: PlantsTrue bugs and cicadasForests and woods6 legs

The western conifer seed bug is a long brown bug with light and dark stripes along the edges of its body. Its back legs have flat, wide bits that look like little leaves. When it flies, it makes a loud buzzing sound.

Lives in
North America, and now also Europe and Argentina, in pine and conifer woods
Length
1.6 to 2 cm (0.63 to 0.79 in)
Top speed
about 0.26 km/h (0.16 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
It does not bite. If you squeeze it, it can poke a little with its beak and it lets out a bad smell, so it is best not to grab it.
What does it eat?
It sucks sap from young pine cones with its long beak, which makes the seeds inside dry up. It mostly likes pines and other trees with sticky resin.
For real!Photo of Western conifer seed bug
Picture by Didier Descouens. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Western conifer seed bug about 2 cm long (0.79 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)
as long as 3 grains of rice in a rowcould run across a dinner table in 14 seconds

How big is Western conifer seed bug compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

When it is scared, it sprays a stinky smell to keep enemies away.

2

In autumn it looks for a cosy crack to spend the winter, and sometimes many of them walk into houses.

3

It came to Europe by accident with wood from America and was first seen in Italy in 1999.

4

Its babies hatch from eggs on pine needles and change their skin five times before they are grown up.

5

It has even been caught poking holes in plastic water pipes with its beak.

you asked

Most asked questions about Western conifer seed bug

?Is the western conifer seed bug dangerous?

No. It is harmless to people. It only uses its beak to suck plant sap.

?Why are these bugs in my house?

In autumn they look for warm hiding places for the winter, and houses near pine trees are perfect for them.

?Does the western conifer seed bug stink?

Yes, a little. When it is scared or squeezed, it lets out a bad smell.

Myth buster

Myth: It is sometimes called the pine-beetle, so it must be a beetle.

Truth: No. It is a true bug, not a beetle. True bugs have a long beak for sucking juice.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Leptoglossus occidentalis
Group
True bugs and cicadas
Family
Coreidae
Classification
Insecta > Hemiptera > Coreidae
Lives on
North America, Europe, South America
Also known as
Pine-beetle, WCSB

Where the facts come from

  1. Western conifer seed bug (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Didier Descouens. 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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