Stink Bugs:
Brown Stink Bug - Euschistus servus (Say)
Green Stink Bug - Acrosternum hilare (Say)

Dr. Randy Hudson, Extension Entomologist, The University of Georgia, Department of Entomology, Tifton, GA 31793
Dr. David Adams, Extension Entomologist, The University of Georgia, Department of Entomology, Tifton, GA 31793

Order Heteroptera: Family Pentatomidae

Description: 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. Nymphs develop through five instars that resemble adults but aresmaller and oval. Green stink bug nymphs are

Green Stink Bug Photo by: Frank Suber, UGA

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.

In: Roberts, P. M. and G. K. Douce, Coordinators. 1999. Sucking Insects. A County Agent's Guide to Insects Important to Agriculture in Georgia. Univ. of GA, Col. Ag. Env. Sci., Coop. Ext. Serv., Tifton, GA USA. Winter School Top Fifty Agricultural Insect Pests and Their Damage Sessions, Rock Eagle 4-H Ctr., Jan. 20, 1999.

Selected References and Suggested Readings