True Bugs
02 Jun 2025
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True Bugs
Latin: Hemiptera — Relevance to Fly Fishing:
True bugs are insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts, found in various habitats and serving diverse ecological roles.
Where you can find True Bugs
On this map you see where there were observations of True Bugs around the world. This will give you an idea of the global distribution of this class. Note that a class can have many different families, and thousands of species.
Diversity and distribution
The insect class Hemiptera, commonly known as true bugs, is a diverse group consisting of over 80,000 known species. This class is characterized by their piercing and sucking mouthparts, which they use to feed on plant sap or other insects. Hemiptera is divided into numerous families and genera, with some of the most well-known families including Aphididae (aphids), Cicadidae (cicadas), and Gerridae (water striders), among others.
Hemiptera insects can be found in a wide range of countries across the globe, inhabiting diverse environments such as forests, grasslands, and aquatic ecosystems. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
Life cycles of Hemiptera
The life cycle of Hemiptera insects typically consists of three stages: egg, nymph, and adult. The duration of each stage varies among species and can be influenced by factors such as temperature, humidity, and food availability.
Female Hemiptera lay their eggs on or near their preferred food source, depending on the species. Upon hatching, the nymphs begin to feed and undergo several molts as they grow. Nymphs closely resemble adults but lack fully developed wings and reproductive organs. After completing their final molt, nymphs become sexually mature adults.
Hemiptera and fly fishing
Certain Hemiptera insects, particularly those living in or near aquatic environments, can be a food source for fish and are relevant to fly fishing. Some well-known Hemiptera insects that are targeted by fly fishers include:
Water striders: these insects can be found skimming along the water's surface, making them an easy target for fish. Fly fishers can use water strider patterns, which are typically tied with long legs and a slim body, to imitate these insects.
Backswimmers and water boatmen: these aquatic bugs swim through the water column and can be found near the surface or at greater depths. Fly fishers can use patterns that imitate these insects, such as backswimmer or water boatman flies, which are tied with a sleek, streamlined body and often incorporate materials like foam for buoyancy.
Cicadas: during cicada emergences, these insects can become a significant food source for fish as they fall into the water. Fly fishers can take advantage of these events by using cicada patterns that mimic the size, shape, and coloration of the local cicada population.
Flies that mimic species in the insect order True Bugs
There can be thousands of species within an order, and therefore lots of different flies imitating various of these species. Flies can also imitate different stages, for example larvae, pupae and adults.
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