Green Stink Bug Emerging As Primary Pest
COLUMBIA, MO.
The green stink bug may emerge as a primary
rather than secondary pest in the
coming growing season, said Wayne Bailey,
University of Missouri Extension entomologist.
Bailey said increased numbers of green stink
bugs might be due to buildup of Bt proteins in
corn crops, as well as no-till practices, which
allow fields to go undisturbed for long periods,
giving insects the opportunity to reproduce in
larger numbers.
Green stink bugs cause damage in crop fields,
orchards, vegetable and flower gardens, and
woodlands. The pod-feeding bugs use their
piercing mouthparts to draw juices from plants
from May until frost. The bug can cause grains
of corn to shrivel, but the most damage is done
to soybean crops. Generally, damaged plants
will be on the edge of a field.
The bright green bug is about a half-inch long
and has an elongated, shield-shaped body.
Adults and nymphs have large stink glands on
the underside of the thorax, which they use to
discharge large amounts of foul-smelling liquid.
Groups of bugs
will simultaneously
discharge
the smelly substance
when even
one insect is disturbed.
Green stink
bugs have been
found in coastal
areas of the eastern
United States
and recently
some have made
their way to St.
Louis.
Another smelly
pest, the exotic
brown marmorated
stink bug, is appearing in in Missouri
for the first time, though in low numbers. Dead
specimens were found in Columbia in a stored
travel trailer from the East Coast.
Native to China, the brown marmorated stink
bug appeared in the U.S. in 1998 in Allentown,
Pa., and is now found in 33 states. It grows to a
length of about three-fourths of an inch. The
shield-shaped body has alternating black and
white triangles on the back edge of its wings.
White bands appear on the long antennae and
the hind legs. The distinguishing feature is a
white underbelly.
All stink bugs are difficult to control because
they overwinter in homes. Bailey says that if
stink bugs discharge their smell indoors, residents
may find it necessary to leave their home
for several hours.
The best way to rid a house of the bugs is to
vacuum them and release them outside, although
the smell may remain with the vacuum
cleaner. Squashing the bugs is not a good idea
because that will release their odor.
More pesticides are becoming available for use
against stink bugs, Bailey said.
For more information, see the MU Extension
publication “Soybean Pest Management: Stink
Bugs” (G7151), available for free download at
extension.missouri.edu/g7151. Δ
Brown marmorated stink bug
Credit: U.S. Army
Brown marmorated stink bugs
Credit: Gary Bernon, USDA APHIS, Bugwood.org
The green stink bug (Acrosternum hilare) may become a primary
crop pest in Missouri.
Credit: Frank Peairs, Colorado State University, Bugwood.
org