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| Fog Bug | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Family: | Pentatomidae |
| Genus: | Halyomorpha |
| Species: | H. Nebulus
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| Binomial name | |
| Halyomorpha Nebulus | |
The Fog bug (Halyomorpha Nebulus) is a small insect native to all continents except Antarctica. Closer to the equator, the fog bug may be active and breeding in all seasons. Although not visible by the naked eye, fog bugs travel in groups of millions. These groups, known collectively as fogs, can disrupt visibility. Fog bugs are not considered pests as they do no agricultural damage to crops. The adults do not feed. The larvae hatch and feed in the lung tissue of mammals, and are expelled when the mammal coughs.
Description
editThe adults are approximately 100 micrometers long. They have white elongated bodies and two sets of transparent wings. The males can be distinguished by two flagella protruding from the thorax. Females have a hooked external organ which is used for attachment to the lung when laying eggs. The extremely short genome of these insects makes them useful laboratory model organisms, although their dependence on living tissue for breeding makes them challenging to rear.
Behavior
editFog bugs as they are typically known in the adult form swarm in great numbers. During this swarming behavior, a male will court an individual female, sticking himself to her using his adhesive flagella. The pair will then use their highly advanced sensing organ to locate vibrations and heat coming from a mammal nearby. Due to their small size, the pair can enter the mouth or nose of the mammal and find their way into the lung. Once in the lung, the female uses her hook to attach them to the tissue. Mating occurs and then the female cannibalizes the male for nutrition. After 3-4 days, the female lays up to 100 eggs and then dies. After 7-10 days, the eggs hatch and feed on their empty eggs. Their waste creates a green phlegm which causes the host animal to cough. This cough expells the young fog bugs allowing them to begin their own swarms.
In cold climates, the breeding season lasts only 4 months between summer and autumn. Most of the swarms take place in October, creating a lot of fog. Closer to the equator, the fog bugs breed all year round unless temperatures drastically fall. In cold temperatures, the fog bugs enter a hibernation phase where they go underground and cease all metabolic efforts until conditions improve.
Issues
editThe most problematic issue with fog bugs is their breeding habits. Humans are at risk of breathing in the fog and becoming parasitized by the fog bug larvae. The excretions can cause a wet cough and green phlegm. In extreme cases, where many bugs have mated inside the same host, the person may cough up clouds of fog. This is known as dragons bane. No pesticides have been known to work on fog bugs and so the best course of action to prevent dragons bane is to avoid breathing fog swarms.
A less problematic issue is reduced visibility when driving. When fog bug populations rapidly increased in the 1920's, fog lights were introduced in most car models to combat the problem.
References
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