Abstract The type of male meiosis is a stable character at the family level in the order Heteroptera and provides additional information on the relationships between taxa. The most common pattern, probably ancestral in the order is chiasmate meiosis; however achiasmate meiosis has been described in five families of terrestrial Heteroptera, all belonging to the infraorder Cimicomorpha (Anthocoridae, Microphysidae, Cimicidae, Miridae, Nabidae). Among water bugs, achiasmate meiosis is reported in the families Saldidae (Leptopodomorpha) and Мicronectidae (Nepomorpha). Regarding the third infraorder of water bugs, Gerromorpha, data on meiotic patterns are absent, except for the Limnogonus aduncus Drake, Harris, 1933 (Gerridae) possessing chiasmate meiosis. In this paper, the male meiotic pattern of six water bugs species from infraorders Nepomorpha (Plea minutissima minnutissima Leach, 1817) and Gerromorpha (Mesovelia furcata Mulsant, Ray, 1852, Microvelia reticulata (Burmeister, 1835), Gerris costae fieberi Stichel, 1938, Hydrometra gracilenta Horváth, 1899, Velia pelagonensis Hoberlandt, 1941) is studied, and the karyotypes of the last two species are described for the first time. In the species examined, bivalents are chiasmate, so all these species possess chiasmate meiosis in males.