About the Green Stink Bug
If you have an orchard, garden, or crop field, you might have encountered the green stink bug. Typical signs include fruit with depressed lines that give them a gnarled look or blackened areas. If the infestation is especially severe, entire clusters of fruit may dry up due to lack of juices.
The stink bug is found in North America and distinguished by its bright green body edged with yellow, orange or red. Shaped liked a shield, it is typically 13-18mm in length. Most notably, the green stink bug has large stink glands and emits a rank-smelling liquid when it is bothered.
The green stink bug may reproduce one or two generations of offspring depending on their locality. Green stink bugs reproduce by laying their eggs on the underside of foliage. The eggs are organized into double rows of twelve eggs or more. The adult stink bugs often lay their eggs early in the summer and their immobile offspring will feed on fruit juices. When the eggs hatch they are striped with bright colors and turn green as they mature.
The stink bug uses it's piercing mouthparts to feed on the juices of plants during summer and fall. Adult bugs prefer developing seeds which cause the demise of crops such as tomatoes, beans, peas, cotton, corn, soybeans and eggplants. However, they have also been known to feed on stems and foliage which damages fruit trees such as apple, cherry, peach, and orange trees. They spend the winter in protected areas like fence rows, under stones or in the bark of trees.
There are a few popular ways to get rid of the green stink bug. The Tachinid Fly has been known to parasitize the stink bug and they can be released to take out the population. Also, the pheromone methyl can be used to draw the green stink bug away from crops. Contact your local pest control center for more information regarding how to eradicate the green stink bug.
