Share:
Herbivores Become Bugs Bugs bite at once masses of people
Experts are currently baffled by the prey scheme of a particular species of bugs. The insects of the species Psallus varians are no longer just about green stuff and aphids, but sting crowds of people in West Germany. Experts suspect that the weather capers could be responsible for the behavioral change.
Taste of human blood found
According to the nature conservation federation Germany e. V. (NABU) there are around 40,000 species of bugs worldwide. In Germany, it should be just under 1,000. Tendency increasing, because the climate change lets some species extend their area strongly to the north. Several years ago it was said that bed bugs conquer Germany again. "There are vegetarian bugs as well as scavengers, predators and mixed food. All have in common that they can only eat liquid food, "writes the NABU on its website. Some bugs can pierce the human skin, according to the experts. This is also the case with a bug species that is currently making a name for itself in Germany, as it apparently has a taste for human blood.
From several regions of West Germany is currently reported on a bug species, which has apparently found taste in human blood. Painful stitches are followed by inflamed wounds. (Image: by-studio / fotolia.com) Massive reports from West Germany
"It's a startling behavior," explained the bob expert Wolfgang Dorow from the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt to the news agency dpa. According to him, he had reported dozens of cases, according to which the insects have stung people. In Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, there have been mass reports to the bloodsuckers. The speech is of Psallus varians, a few millimeters large soft bug species, which is mainly found on beech and oak. The tiny animals usually suck on tree pollen or button aphids. "It's rare that they get lost and sting people," Dorov said.
Painful stitches are followed by inflamed wounds
However, the animals show during the weather capers of recent days with sultry and heavy rain apparently untypical behavior. In social networks, eyewitnesses report swarming and inflamed stab wounds. "These are certainly allergic reactions. Normally, the very painful sting of such bugs does not even be followed by reddening of the skin, as is common with mosquitoes, for example, "says Dorow. It is a phenomenon that the animals in large numbers go out on people, the expert said the station hit radio FFM. An explanation for this unusual behavior of the little bloodsucker did not have the bug expert.
Only a few species of bugs suck human blood
However, this soft bug species is not known as a disease transmitter. In contrast to other species such as certain predatory bugs that spread the dangerous Chagas disease. As it is called in the dpa message, propagates Psallus varians, one of 26 known in Germany species of the genus Psallus, sweeping in May and June. In high and late summer, however, only a few animals are observed. According to Dorow, a total of 891 species of bugs are known in Germany, of which only five suck blood on humans, birds or bats. (Ad)