Stink Bugs (Brown and Green)
From BugwoodWiki
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Description
The two common Georgia stink bugs discussed below are the green stink bug (Acrosternum hilare) and the brown stink bug (Euschistus servus).
All adult stink bugs are shield shaped. Adult green stink bugs are bright green with a narrow orange-yellow line bordering the major body regions. Adult brown stink bugs are shield shaped and dull, grayish-yellow with dark punctures on their backs. Length varies from 14 to 19 mm for green stink bug adults and 12 to 15 mm for brown stink bug adults.
Photo by Russ Ottens, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
Photo by Herb Pilcher, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org
Nymphs develop through five instars that resemble adults but aresmaller and oval. Green stink bug nymphs are black when small, but as they mature, they become green with orange, black and pink markings. Brown stink bug nymphs are usually pale green. Green stink bug eggs are barrel-shaped measuring 1.4 x 1.2 mm. They are yellow to green, later turning pink to gray. Brown stink bug eggs are white, kettle-shaped, and slightly smaller than those of the green stink bug.
Hosts
Stink bugs feed on developing seed of many hosts including trees, shrubs, vines, weeds and many cultivated crops. They may also feed on the stems and foliage when seed are not present.
Damage
Nymphs and adults of both kinds of stink bugs pierce plants with their needlelike mouthparts and suck sap from pods, buds, blossoms and seeds. The degree of damage depends, to some extent, on the developmental stage of the plant when it is pierced by stink bugs. Immature fruit and pods punctured by bugs become deformed as they develop. Seeds are often flattened and shriveled. Germination is reduced.
Life Cycle
Stink bugs overwinter as adults in ditch banks, under boards orother similar materials. They become active in spring when temperatures rise above 210C (700F). Each female drops up to several hundred eggs. Nymphs hatch and pass through five instars before becoming adults. Approximately 4 to 5 weeks elapse between hatching and adult emergence.
Control
The eggs and nymphs of stink bugs often suffer high mortality from predators and pathogens. Stink bugs may be controlled with a variety of insecticides, however, many crops have specific action thresholds that should be observed to provide the most economically efficient control.
