What kind of beetle is this? Is it harmful to crops, for example?
Answer
Dear Jan,
this is not a beetle, but a bug, and more specifically a shield bug (family Pentatomidae, order Hemiptera).
The photo is too unclear to identify the bug with 100% certainty down to the species. Nevertheless, a well-reasoned guess based on the morphological features that I can observe: I am almost certain that it concerns the gray field bug Rhaphigaster nebulosa.
This is a bug that overwinters as an adult, preferably on walls covered with ivy, or in cracks and crevices. Because of this, this bug is sometimes also found in homes. These bugs live on various woody plants, especially deciduous trees, also on weeds. The bugs themselves do not have biting mouthparts like beetles, but a sucking beak, a kind of spine with which plant cells are punctured and sucked empty.
kind regards,
Hans
Answered by
Hans Casteels
identification of pest insects in agriculture and horticulture, stock goods and homes
Burg. van Gansberghelaan 96 box 1 9820 Merelbeke
http://www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be
.