The sun is out today – and so are the Fire Bugs
European Fire Bugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus) are known to gather in large numbers in the spring, usually on the sunny side of buildings, trees or rocks. This behavior is related to their reproduction cycle. I spotted these at the base of a lime tree.
During the winter months, Fire Bugs hibernate in crevices and cracks in buildings, trees, and rocks. As the weather starts to warm up in spring, the bugs emerge from their hiding places and start to mate. The gathering of large numbers of bugs in one place increases the chances of finding a suitable mate.
The bugs also require warmth to become active and reproduce, and sunny areas provide the necessary warmth. This is why they often cluster on the sunny sides of buildings, where the heat is most intense.
Additionally, the abundance of food sources in the springtime also contributes to their mass gathering behavior. As the plants start to grow and bloom, Fire Bugs can feed on their sap and reproductive parts, which provides the necessary nutrition for their mating and egg-laying activities.
Have you seen any of these attractive little insects?
Denzil Nature 
Love the design on the body of these bugs!
Colourful too!
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Yes, they are like little faces aren’t they.
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True.
They resemble the human face.
You belong to my tribe.
Tribe of ‘Pareidolia’ 😃😃
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Had to look that word up. Yes, I agree!
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Thank you, Denzil.
The imagination of faces is an interesting subject.
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Fascinating – I’ve never seen them before
Martin Tayler
Martin’s bird & nature blog: http://martinsbirdblog.com ________________________________
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I have never seen so many before Martin. There were about 12 trees in a row, and each had scores of these bugs around the base.
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I’ve never seen these, or heard of them. Are they a nuisance?
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They can be if they get into a garden in numbers, but generally not.
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Schitterend 😻
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Inderdaad.
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I have never seen a fire bug! This was very interesting.
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I’ve never seen so many.
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I have never seen these before.
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They are fairly common here but I have never seen so many together Aletta
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Interesting!
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That is a lot of Fire Bugs indeed Denzil. I haven’t seen any. That colour indicates danger. Do they have a defense mechanism?
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I have not seen this species. I am learning here already. That is a beautiful photo of beautiful creatures.
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Not only have I not seen them before, I’ve never even heard of them. With “fire” in the name, I was expecting that they stung but I’m happy that they just look beautiful. 🙂
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These bugs are new to me. I don’t think they occur on Vancouver Island. They are quite attractive.
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Interesting! Thank you.
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These look and sound much nicer than our fire ants, which are nasty little creatures with a very painful bite.
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I think we sometimes saw them in France, but never here in the UK. Fascinating stuff!
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