Fun Red-shouldered Bug Facts For Kids

The Red-Shoulder bug, Jadera haematoloma, is a member of the Rhopalidae family. It is also known as Goldenrain tree bug, Soapberry bug, and Jadera bug. They are also referred to as scentless plant bugs as they do not produce obnoxious smelling chemicals when they are disturbed. It is a close relative of the boxelder bugs and it is also confused with these boxelder bugs. It is considered to be among the true bugs.

The Red Shoulder bug, Jadera haematoloma is native to the United States and also be found in some parts of Central America and the West Indies. As the name suggests, it has a bright red color on the shoulders and has red eyes, and some parts of the abdomen and is blackish in color. The wings of this species are short. The food of this bug includes Arborvitae, althaea, bluebonnets, ficus, Goldenrain tree, and western soapberry. It is fond of sweet sap and can be seen on figs, plums, and cherry trees. These bugs are known for overwintering in cracks of the barks. Adults build the nest in cracks or crevices and lay eggs in the spring. Female adults are known to mate with many male adults. The nymphs differ in color and feeding is done through the mouth part which helps in sucking or to feed on fruit nectar or from host plants.

These bugs can be seen in your gardens, yards on the host plants, and for Red-shouldered bug control, you can use insecticides or seek help from pest control agencies. As they are harmless, they can be washed off from walls or plants and a vacuum could be used indoors to control these pests. It is quite interesting to know more about these bugs so read on, and if you are interested, read about centipedes and yellow jacket wasps too.

‍

What type of animal is a Red-shouldered Bug?

The red-shouldered bug is an insect.

What class of animal does a Red-shouldered Bug belong to?

It belongs to the class of Insecta.

How many Red-shouldered Bugs are there in the world?

There has been no specific number of these bugs recorded.

Where does a Red-shouldered Bug live?

These bugs can be found in parts of the United States like Texas, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Texas, California, Arizona, North Carolina, Virginia, and Iowa. Outside of the United States, these have reported in the south through Central America, and the West Indies.

What is a Red-shouldered Bug's habitat?

These bugs inhabit areas or could be found in large numbers with their host plants like yards, gardens, and riparian areas.

Who do Red-shouldered Bugs live with?

They can be found in groups or alone.

How long does a Red-shouldered Bug live?

The lifespan of these bugs is unknown.

How do they reproduce?

Females mate with multiple males. The bugs are known to mate tail-to-tail and the females who do not want to mate or are unreceptive will make a noise to tell to an approaching male. The female deposits or lays the eggs in the cracks and crevices of barks or other cozy places in the spring. The youngs or the nymphs hatch from eggs after about two weeks and feed on foliage and seed pods by using their piercing-sucking mouth and its parts and develop through five stages or instars during the summer season before becoming winged bugs and this development from egg to an adult takes about two months.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of these bugs is Not Extinct.

What do Red-shouldered Bugs look like?

The adult bugs look flattened and are mostly blackish or brownish-gray in color and sometimes can be dark gray or purplish in color with noticeable bright red eyes, back, or edges of the pronotum. Some parts or edges of the abdomen are also red in color. As is clear from the name, the shoulder areas are red. The wings are short.  The young ones or nymphs are red in color on the back while the front side is gray and develop the blackish color as they grow.

How cute are they?

These bugs are not considered cute.

How do they communicate?

Not much information is available about the communication of these bugs but it is known that females make some noise when they do not want to mate to communicate with an approaching male.

How big is a Red-shouldered Bug?

Similar to other bugs, these bigs are small in size and are about half an inch long.

How fast can a Red-shouldered Bug move?

The exact speed of this bug is unknown.

How much does a Red-shouldered Bug weigh?

The weight of this insect is unknown but they are small insects that are unlikely to weigh much.

What are their male and female names of the species?

There are no particular names for a male and female of the species.

What would you call a baby Red-shouldered Bug?

A baby of this insect can be called a nymph, larva, or pupa according to its life stage.

What do they eat?

These insects feed on Arborvitae, althaea, bluebonnets, ficus, Goldenrain tree, and western soapberry. It is fond of sweet sap and can be seen on figs, plums, and cherry trees. The food of this bug also includes dead insects and they are also known to occasionally feed on leftover human food.

Are they poisonous?

This insect is not poisonous and is considered as no threat to humans except the fact that these insects are considered nuisance insects.

Would they make a good pet?

Not much information is available about these bugs or insects as pets. They may not, however, make the most exciting and interactive pets.

Did you know...

These are true bugs.

True bugs wings' are hard near or around the base and membranous at the ends. This feature gives the wings a half wing appearance.

Adults are known for overwintering in cracks and crevices and nymph is also born or eggs are also laid in such cozy places.

If these bugs get trapped indoors, it is known to leave fecal matter stains on walls, furniture, and draperies as well.

Adults and nymphs can be seen on sidewalks during spring and summer.

A mated female builds the nest and digs a hole of around one centimeter.

It is also known that female produces two broods in warmer regions.

A boxelder bug is a close relative of this bug and sometimes boxelder bugs can be confused with these ones.

If your pet dogs consume a boxelder bug, it might make them feel sick and might excessively salivate, and can also vomit.

Are Red-shouldered Bugs harmful?

These insects are not considered as harmful.

How to get rid of Red-shouldered Bugs

To get rid of these insects or bugs insecticides could be used which contain malathion, carbaryl, permethrin, rotenone, and pyrethrin as they might be feeding on some host plants or trees. These insecticides should be used carefully and not all can be used indoors. Also, some cannot be used without professional help from pest management or pest control for Red-shouldered bug extermination.

These bugs are known to do little harm, so you can vacuum the bug from indoor locations or areas and a strong force of water from a pipe or something similar to wash it away from plants or walls.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods including earwigs and flatworms.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Red-shouldered Bug coloring pages.