Hemiptera

 

The Hemiptera, also known as true bugs, are an order of insects in Europe with over 10,000 species, found in diverse habitats like forests, fields, and water edges. They range from 1 mm (e.g., some aphids) to 50 mm (e.g., giant water bugs), featuring piercing-sucking mouthparts (a rostrum) and typically two pairs of wings, with the forewings often half-hardened. Key families include Aphididae (Aphids) that are small, soft-bodied, plant-sap feeders (greenfly, Myzus persicae); Cimicidae (Bed Bugs) tat are flat, parasitic, blood-feeding (Cimex lectularius); Pentatomidae (Shield Bugs) that are Shield-shaped, with a distinctive odor (green shield bug, Palomena prasina).

Colours vary from green to brown, often for camouflage. Nymphs resemble adults, maturing through incomplete metamorphosis (egg to nymph to adult) in weeks to months. They impact agriculture as pests or predators, and some transmit plant diseases.