Stink Bugs

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Stink bugs are shield-shaped insects that can smell very bad. Many are camouflaged with tan or green.

Donna Brunet

Family:

Pentatomidae (stink bugs) in the order Hemiptera (true bugs)

Description:

Like most true bugs, stinkbugs (in family Pentatomidae) have membranous wings that fold flat along the back when at rest (often creating an X pattern on the back), and mouthparts joined into a strawlike structure used for piercing and sucking. Members of the stink bug family are generally oval or shield-shaped. The head is rather small. The antennae have 5 segments. The pronotum (shoulderlike section between head and wings) is generally large, and the scutellum (triangular section at the base of the folded wings, pointing away from the head) is also quite large. Coloration, patterning, and shape varies with species. Some are drab brown, gray, or tan, others leaf green, and others bright red or orange with contrasting black patterns.

Size:

Length: to about ¾ inch (varies with species).

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Green Stink Bug

The green stink bug (Chinavia hilaris, formerly Acrosternum hilare) is one of many species of stink bugs. Like other stinkbugs, the folded wings form an X pattern on the back.

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Juvenile predatory stink bug on leaf with inchworm prey

Predatory Stink Bug (Nymph)

Predatory stink bugs in genus Apoecilus prey on other insects. This juvenile bug was eating an inchworm that, apparently, had been chewing on the leaf.

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Green Stink Bug Nymphs

Green stink bug fourth-instar (fourth-stage) nymphs have reddish markings and yellow stripes.

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Tan Stink Bug Face

There are about 5,000 species of stink bugs (family Pentatomidae) in the world.

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Eggs and nymphs of brown marmorated stink bug

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Eggs and Nymphs

The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), a native of southeast Asia, was discovered in Pennsylvania in 1998, apparently having hitched a ride on shipping crates. A crop and fruit-tree pest, it is spreading across North America.

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Tan stink bluff on wooden railing at Eagle Bluffs

Tan Stink Bug at Eagle Bluffs in Mid February

This tan stink bug might be in genus Euschistus. There are about 16 species in that genus in North America north of Mexico, and they are hard to tell apart.

Habitat and conservation:

As with many plant-feeding insects, these bugs are usually found on or near their food plants. Many stink bugs are generalists and thus not limited to one type of plant. Most stink bugs can fly well, so they can be found nearly anywhere, including inside homes. They are often attracted to lights at night. When harassed or crushed, most stink bugs emit a foul odor that is a defense against predation.

Foods:

Like many other true bugs (such as cicadas, aphids, squash bugs, and leafhoppers), stink bugs have strawlike mouthparts adapted for sucking nutrients. Most feed on plants, and some are crop pests. A few prey on other insects.

Distribution in Missouri:

Statewide.

Status:

Common.

Life cycle:

Adults overwinter in sheltered places. In spring they mate, and the females lay rows of closely spaced, barrel-shaped eggs on the undersides of leaves. Hatchlings tend to stay near the plants they hatched on. They grow and molt through various immature stages (nymphs). They emerge from their final molt as winged, sexually mature adults. Stink bugs that are full adults by late fall overwinter.

Human connections:

Some stink bugs are crop and garden pests. In late fall when they are seeking shelter, overwintering stink bugs sometimes enter homes, to the dismay of the human occupants.

Ecosystem connections:

Stink bugs take plant nutrients into their bodies and are then eaten by other animals. Keep this in mind if you are considering insecticides, for birds and other insect-eaters can be harmed indirectly by consuming poisoned insects. Various parasitic flies and other insects also feed on stink bugs.