Harlequin bugs

PEST: Harlequin bug (adults about 1/2" long, red & black in color)

WHERE: cabbage, cauliflower, mustard, collards, etc.

DAMAGE: piercing-sucking mouthparts suck plant juices leading to browning, wilting, & death of plant

OPTIONS: pull out heavily infested plants; hand pick or vacuum insects off plants; pesticides (insecticidal soap, azadirachtin, permethrin, etc.)

Stink bugs- have you seen me?

Yesterday as I was perusing the demo garden outside the office for insects (it's how I take a break...) when I came across a plethora of stink bugs.  There were adults. There were nymphs. There were even eggs!  I took photos and planned on using them for some future endeavor at the time unknown me to when.....



.....today seems to be the time for the photos.  I received an email this morning asking what the bug was that I had discovered in such high numbers yesterday.  I am assuming that since I'm now getting emails, it means that they are not only in East Austin, but in many other places as well.  Head out to your gardens and take a look to see if you can find stink bugs!

The stink bugs I found are in the genus Chlorochroa.  They can be from 8-19 mm (1/4-3/4") and can range in color from green to brown to black.  Around the edge of the body there is a white to yellow to reddish-orange stripe.  Nymphs and adults feed on plants.

If you have these critters, you can try one of my favorite ways to manage stink bugs....the vacuum. You don't want to use your regular, household vacuum, but have one specifically for the garden.  I find that cordless, hand-held models are quick to grab and easy to use in the garden.  Don't buy a top of the line model with a lot of suction as they will also suck up a good bit of your plants.  Another option is to hand pick and dump the bugs into a bucket of soapy water.  If you find eggs, then either pluck off the leaf and throw it away or squish the eggs.

If you're not into vacuuming or hand picking, then you can try pesticides with active ingredients such as azadirachtin (neem), pyrethrins, lambda-cyhalothrin, beta-cyfluthrin, or imidacloprid.  If you have nymphs, you can try using an insecticidal soap.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs

Brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) were confirmed in Corpus Christi, TX in late 2011.  These insects are a new pest to Texas and a relatively new pest to the United States.  They are a true bug with piercing-sucking mouthparts and they have a large list of plants that they may feed upon including numerous ornamentals, vegetables and fruits.  These stink bugs are shield-shaped, about 5/8 inch and mottled brown in color.  The last two antennal segments have alternating light and dark bands.  The edges of the abdomen, which are exposed from above, also have alternating light and dark bands.

BMSB usually cause small necrotic areas by feeding on plant tissue, but they may also cause stippling, seed loss or transmit diseases.  Damage to fruit can be scarring, pitting, catfacing and sometimes changing the texture to be more mealy or grainy.  Not only do these bugs attack many high value crops, but they can also be a nuisance pest and move into homes when temperatures drop.

We have been doing work with the media lately to encourage people across Texas to report suspected infestation of BMSB.  If you suspect that you have seen brown marmorated stink bugs in the Austin area, please collect a sample and send it to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension for confirmation.  Recent media includes a story on AgriLife Today and a spot on KXAN.  For images of the stink bug, see this publication.

As for management strategies for BMSB, many pesticides that we currently have available don't work very well for managing populations of this particular insect.  In backyard situations, stink bugs can be hand-picked from plants (wear leather gloves) and dunked into a bucket of hot, soapy water.  It may also be possible to vacuum stink bug populations from plants or other surfaces. 

To keep stink bugs out of the home follow these ideas:

• Install weather stripping around loose fitting doors and windows (if you can see daylight around a door during the day then the weather stripping should be replaced).
• Block weep holes in homes with a brick or stone facade with steel wool or copper mesh (use copper on light colors since steel wool will rust if it gets wet).
• Use caulk or expanding foam to fill in cracks and crevices on the outside of the home and around pipe and wire penetrations.
• Keep window screens in good repair.
• Use stainless steel mesh wire to block access points in the attic (vents, etc.).