| Stink bugs are attractive and distinctive insects that
are generally easy to identify. Ranging in size from
1/4 to 1 inch long and about half as broad, they are
shield-shaped with a triangle-like horny scale on
their back. Also, as the name indicates, many stink
bugs do produce an offensive odor when disturbed.
The most common pest species are green, brown,
gray, or yellow and some have red or yellow
markings. Their host plants include blackberry,
cabbage and other members of the mustard family,
corn, tomato, eggplant, bean, soybean, and trees
such as apple, peach, pecan, and cherry. Stink bugs
may also be found on ornamental plants including
columbine, snapdragon, and sunflower. The
harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica, a red and
black-spotted species of stink bug, is an important
pest of crops in the mustard family in the southern
United States. The green stink bug, Acrosternum
hilare, and brown stink bugs, Euschistus spp., can be
of economic importance in soybean fields primarily
by reducing seed quality and quantity. A few species
of stink bugs are predatory on other insects.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
In the "true bug" group, stink bugs feed by inserting
their mouth parts into the leaves, flowers, buds, fruit,
and seeds of host plants and sucking plant sap.
Large infestations of stink bugs may cause plants,
especially small plants and young tender growth, to
wilt, become stunted and misshapen, or die. Other
damage includes yellow or white blotches on leaves;
misshapen or aborted fruits, seeds, and buds;
calluses, blemishes or depressions; and black pits on
nuts. Tomatoes exhibit pale yellow spots and a white
pithy area just under the skin at the puncture site.
Peaches and other fruits may develop scarring and
dimpling resulting in cat-facing or a pitted
appearance. The seeds in soybean pods may be
deformed, small, discolored, or shriveled.
Life Cycle
The stink bug overwinters as an adult in protected
areas such as under dead weeds, leaf litter, or the bark
of trees. In early summer, the female lays clusters of
eggs on the underside of leaves. These eggs are barrel
or keg-shaped with a circular lid. In one to three
weeks, the young hatch into wingless nymphs that
resemble small adult stink bugs, although the
coloration may differ from that of the adult. The
nymphs will molt several times before developing
wings and becoming an adult. The number of
generations per year depends on the species.
Integrated Pest Management Strategies
1. Sanitation. Control weeds in susceptible crops
and in areas adjacent to gardens to decrease
breeding and overwintering habitat. It is
important to remove weeds early in the growing
season before stink bug populations increase or
the loss of habitat may force pests to move into
the garden.
2. Collect insects. Hand pick and destroy eggs
and bugs.
3. Use natural controls. Encourage other natural
predators such as parasitic wasps and flies by
growing small-flowered plants. The unpleasant
odor produced by stink bugs deters many
predators but several bird species do consume
these pests.
4. Use trap crops. Plant trap crops of mustard and
treat that area with an appropriate pesticide.
5. Use insecticides. If damage is severe, use
insecticidal soap, sabadilla, pyrethrin, or
permethrin (Eight). |
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Despite appearances, this harlequin bug nymph (Hemiptera ) did not chew holes in the leaf of this spider flower (Cleome); it has piercing-sucking mouthparts, not mandibles
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High resolution image available.
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