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Oxycarenus lavaterae - 2, Netherlands A fresh observation from this morning. My friend Antoine asked about an insect &quot;plague&quot; on a tree in his street so I came to check it out. It turns out to be a mass gathering of the Lime Seed Bug (Oxycarenus lavaterae).<br /> <br /> This bug is originally from the Mediteranean and Africa, but has been spreading in the northern direction by means of imported trees/plants and the milder winters enabling them to survive. In 2016, our good friend Arp did a fantastic job of documenting the first population found in the Netherlands:<br /> <br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/46672/oxycarenus_lavaterae_various_life_stages.html" title="Oxycarenus lavaterae; Various life stages"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3043/46672_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=bYgL6kpk7X4BCScowjhFvoozHu0%3D" width="200" height="150" alt="Oxycarenus lavaterae; Various life stages Images of various life stages from first population of this species found in the Netherlands.<br /> Photos taken in Maastricht, 2016-10-20<br /> Image used for article on Nature Today<br /> https://www.naturetoday.com/intl/nl/nature-reports/message/?msg=23062 Geotagged,Hemiptera,Heteroptera,Lygaeidae,Netherlands,Oxycareninae,Oxycarenus,Oxycarenus lavaterae,nl: Lindenspitskop" /></a></figure><br /> <br /> Since then, it has been seen more often, mostly in the South of the Netherlands. Current consensus is that they do little permanent damage to the trees, and basically serve as extra bird food.<br /> <br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132306/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_1_netherlands.html" title="Oxycarenus lavaterae - 1, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/132306_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=uL69dhGBtQvAktxHrXX9iHWQt3g%3D" width="102" height="152" alt="Oxycarenus lavaterae - 1, Netherlands A fresh observation from this morning. My friend Antoine asked about an insect &quot;plague&quot; on a tree in his street so I came to check it out. It turns out to be a mass gathering of the Lime Seed Bug (Oxycarenus lavaterae).<br /> <br /> This bug is originally from the Mediteranean and Africa, but has been spreading in the northern direction by means of imported trees/plants and the milder winters enabling them to survive. In 2016, our good friend Arp did a fantastic job of documenting the first population found in the Netherlands:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/46672/oxycarenus_lavaterae_various_life_stages.html<br /> <br /> Since then, it has been seen more often, mostly in the South of the Netherlands. Current consensus is that they do little permanent damage to the trees, and basically serve as extra bird food.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132307/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_2_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132308/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_3_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132305/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_4_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132304/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_5_netherlands.html Geotagged,Lime Seed Bug,Malvawants,Netherlands,Oxycarenus lavaterae,Spring" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132308/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_3_netherlands.html" title="Oxycarenus lavaterae - 3, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/132308_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=xJmDsHsquWGNI9DxtaGJthWmMPQ%3D" width="200" height="134" alt="Oxycarenus lavaterae - 3, Netherlands A fresh observation from this morning. My friend Antoine asked about an insect &quot;plague&quot; on a tree in his street so I came to check it out. It turns out to be a mass gathering of the Lime Seed Bug (Oxycarenus lavaterae).<br /> <br /> This bug is originally from the Mediteranean and Africa, but has been spreading in the northern direction by means of imported trees/plants and the milder winters enabling them to survive. In 2016, our good friend Arp did a fantastic job of documenting the first population found in the Netherlands:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/46672/oxycarenus_lavaterae_various_life_stages.html<br /> <br /> Since then, it has been seen more often, mostly in the South of the Netherlands. Current consensus is that they do little permanent damage to the trees, and basically serve as extra bird food.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132306/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_1_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132307/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_2_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132305/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_4_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132304/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_5_netherlands.html Geotagged,Lime Seed Bug,Malvawants,Netherlands,Oxycarenus lavaterae,Spring" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132305/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_4_netherlands.html" title="Oxycarenus lavaterae - 4, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/132305_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=ODZUxwBdiNUeap3w8qXbW1FNm9I%3D" width="120" height="152" alt="Oxycarenus lavaterae - 4, Netherlands A fresh observation from this morning. My friend Antoine asked about an insect &quot;plague&quot; on a tree in his street so I came to check it out. It turns out to be a mass gathering of the Lime Seed Bug (Oxycarenus lavaterae).<br /> <br /> This bug is originally from the Mediteranean and Africa, but has been spreading in the northern direction by means of imported trees/plants and the milder winters enabling them to survive. In 2016, our good friend Arp did a fantastic job of documenting the first population found in the Netherlands:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/46672/oxycarenus_lavaterae_various_life_stages.html<br /> <br /> Since then, it has been seen more often, mostly in the South of the Netherlands. Current consensus is that they do little permanent damage to the trees, and basically serve as extra bird food.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132306/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_1_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132307/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_2_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132308/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_3_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132304/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_5_netherlands.html Geotagged,Lime Seed Bug,Malvawants,Netherlands,Oxycarenus lavaterae,Spring" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132304/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_5_netherlands.html" title="Oxycarenus lavaterae - 5, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/132304_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=RFSGr3QxHj%2FgEl3zfoDv6NYiXvc%3D" width="146" height="152" alt="Oxycarenus lavaterae - 5, Netherlands A fresh observation from this morning. My friend Antoine asked about an insect &quot;plague&quot; on a tree in his street so I came to check it out. It turns out to be a mass gathering of the Lime Seed Bug (Oxycarenus lavaterae).<br /> <br /> This bug is originally from the Mediteranean and Africa, but has been spreading in the northern direction by means of imported trees/plants and the milder winters enabling them to survive. In 2016, our good friend Arp did a fantastic job of documenting the first population found in the Netherlands:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/46672/oxycarenus_lavaterae_various_life_stages.html<br /> <br /> Since then, it has been seen more often, mostly in the South of the Netherlands. Current consensus is that they do little permanent damage to the trees, and basically serve as extra bird food.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132306/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_1_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132307/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_2_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132308/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_3_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132305/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_4_netherlands.html Geotagged,Lime Seed Bug,Malvawants,Netherlands,Oxycarenus lavaterae,Spring" /></a></figure> Geotagged,Lime Seed Bug,Malvawants,Netherlands,Oxycarenus lavaterae,Spring Click/tap to enlarge Promoted

Oxycarenus lavaterae - 2, Netherlands

A fresh observation from this morning. My friend Antoine asked about an insect "plague" on a tree in his street so I came to check it out. It turns out to be a mass gathering of the Lime Seed Bug (Oxycarenus lavaterae).

This bug is originally from the Mediteranean and Africa, but has been spreading in the northern direction by means of imported trees/plants and the milder winters enabling them to survive. In 2016, our good friend Arp did a fantastic job of documenting the first population found in the Netherlands:

Oxycarenus lavaterae; Various life stages Images of various life stages from first population of this species found in the Netherlands.<br /> Photos taken in Maastricht, 2016-10-20<br /> Image used for article on Nature Today<br /> https://www.naturetoday.com/intl/nl/nature-reports/message/?msg=23062 Geotagged,Hemiptera,Heteroptera,Lygaeidae,Netherlands,Oxycareninae,Oxycarenus,Oxycarenus lavaterae,nl: Lindenspitskop


Since then, it has been seen more often, mostly in the South of the Netherlands. Current consensus is that they do little permanent damage to the trees, and basically serve as extra bird food.

Oxycarenus lavaterae - 1, Netherlands A fresh observation from this morning. My friend Antoine asked about an insect "plague" on a tree in his street so I came to check it out. It turns out to be a mass gathering of the Lime Seed Bug (Oxycarenus lavaterae).<br /> <br /> This bug is originally from the Mediteranean and Africa, but has been spreading in the northern direction by means of imported trees/plants and the milder winters enabling them to survive. In 2016, our good friend Arp did a fantastic job of documenting the first population found in the Netherlands:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/46672/oxycarenus_lavaterae_various_life_stages.html<br /> <br /> Since then, it has been seen more often, mostly in the South of the Netherlands. Current consensus is that they do little permanent damage to the trees, and basically serve as extra bird food.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132307/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_2_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132308/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_3_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132305/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_4_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132304/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_5_netherlands.html Geotagged,Lime Seed Bug,Malvawants,Netherlands,Oxycarenus lavaterae,Spring

Oxycarenus lavaterae - 3, Netherlands A fresh observation from this morning. My friend Antoine asked about an insect "plague" on a tree in his street so I came to check it out. It turns out to be a mass gathering of the Lime Seed Bug (Oxycarenus lavaterae).<br /> <br /> This bug is originally from the Mediteranean and Africa, but has been spreading in the northern direction by means of imported trees/plants and the milder winters enabling them to survive. In 2016, our good friend Arp did a fantastic job of documenting the first population found in the Netherlands:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/46672/oxycarenus_lavaterae_various_life_stages.html<br /> <br /> Since then, it has been seen more often, mostly in the South of the Netherlands. Current consensus is that they do little permanent damage to the trees, and basically serve as extra bird food.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132306/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_1_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132307/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_2_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132305/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_4_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132304/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_5_netherlands.html Geotagged,Lime Seed Bug,Malvawants,Netherlands,Oxycarenus lavaterae,Spring

Oxycarenus lavaterae - 4, Netherlands A fresh observation from this morning. My friend Antoine asked about an insect "plague" on a tree in his street so I came to check it out. It turns out to be a mass gathering of the Lime Seed Bug (Oxycarenus lavaterae).<br /> <br /> This bug is originally from the Mediteranean and Africa, but has been spreading in the northern direction by means of imported trees/plants and the milder winters enabling them to survive. In 2016, our good friend Arp did a fantastic job of documenting the first population found in the Netherlands:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/46672/oxycarenus_lavaterae_various_life_stages.html<br /> <br /> Since then, it has been seen more often, mostly in the South of the Netherlands. Current consensus is that they do little permanent damage to the trees, and basically serve as extra bird food.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132306/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_1_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132307/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_2_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132308/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_3_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132304/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_5_netherlands.html Geotagged,Lime Seed Bug,Malvawants,Netherlands,Oxycarenus lavaterae,Spring

Oxycarenus lavaterae - 5, Netherlands A fresh observation from this morning. My friend Antoine asked about an insect "plague" on a tree in his street so I came to check it out. It turns out to be a mass gathering of the Lime Seed Bug (Oxycarenus lavaterae).<br /> <br /> This bug is originally from the Mediteranean and Africa, but has been spreading in the northern direction by means of imported trees/plants and the milder winters enabling them to survive. In 2016, our good friend Arp did a fantastic job of documenting the first population found in the Netherlands:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/46672/oxycarenus_lavaterae_various_life_stages.html<br /> <br /> Since then, it has been seen more often, mostly in the South of the Netherlands. Current consensus is that they do little permanent damage to the trees, and basically serve as extra bird food.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132306/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_1_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132307/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_2_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132308/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_3_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132305/oxycarenus_lavaterae_-_4_netherlands.html Geotagged,Lime Seed Bug,Malvawants,Netherlands,Oxycarenus lavaterae,Spring

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The Lime Seed Bug

"Oxycarenus lavaterae" is a species of "ground bug" belonging to the family Lygaeidae, subfamily Oxycareninae. It is found on and feeds upon plants in the Malvaceae family, such as Lavatera, Althea, Hibiscus, and Malva. It forms aggregates to winter over, typically on lime trees.

Info 21 0
Similar species: True Bugs
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
View Ferdy Christant's profile

By Ferdy Christant

All rights reserved
Uploaded Mar 26, 2022. Captured Mar 26, 2022 10:36 in Schoonstraat 34, 5384 AP Heesch, Netherlands.
country flag of Netherlands Explore Netherlands 8,314 2,306 0
  • NIKON D850
  • f/16.0
  • 1/60s
  • ISO125
  • 105mm