Four Lined Plant Bug, Poecilocapsus lineatus

Four-lined plant bugs have been found on over 250 species of plants in 57 families; tarnished plant bugs have been found on over 380 hosts. Most of the other species prefer single host plants or restrict their feed to a single genus or family of plants. In typical urban gardens, the four lined plant bug damage is most commonly found on perennials (especially those in the mint family or composites), but they also attack shrubs including azalea, dogwood, forsythia, viburnum and weigelia.

Scentless Plant Bug - Harmostes species
Possibly Harmostes reflexulus
Insect Order: Heteroptera (Latreille, 1810) true bugs / Family: Rhopalidae (Amyot and Serville, 1843) -- scentless plant bugs
Live adult plant bugs photographed in the wild at Winfield, Illinois, USA.

Scentless Plant Bug - Harmostes species

The scentless plant bugs (36 north American species) is a small family of predominantly weedy-xeric ground dwellers. They lack a metathoracic scent gland. The box elder bug is a member of this family.

Scentless Plant Bug - Harmostes species

The tarnished plant bug and fourlined plant bug are common sucking pests that attack a variety of bedding and perennial plants. The daisy and mint families are especially susceptible to attack. Both bugs are quick to fly and the nymphs quickly run to the under surface of leaves when approached. They damage plants by causing small, round, sunken spots on the leaves. These spots occur when the leaf bugs kill the leaf tissues during feeding. When these spots are numerous, the entire leaf may curl and wither. The tarnished plant bug has a light-green nymph and the adult has mottled brown colors. The fourlined plant bug has a bright red-orange nymph and the adults are lime green with four black stripes.

Damage to plants usually occurs in the late-spring and early-summer when the nymphs are active. If this activity is several weeks before flower bud initiation, no damage will be evident at the time of flowering. However, early flowering plants can be severely damaged. These are the plants that need protection. Since the plant bug nymphs cause most of the damage, control of this stage is suggested. Inspect plants early and try to detect the first signs of the sucking damage. Small numbers of nymphs can be dislodged from the plants into a container of soapy water. Higher populations are best controlled with a registered pesticide or insecticidal soap. Check the plants again in two weeks to catch any late emerging nymphs.

The tarnished plant bug is one of the most serious pests of small fruits and vegetables in New England. No truly effective or reliable management options currently exist. Growers routinely make 3-5 applications of insecticides each year to control this insect. The cost is $200-$500/acre. Considering the narrow profit margin for today's farmers, these costs are significant. The research being conducted at the Entomology Research Laboratory represents the first step towards developing insect-killing fungi for management of TPB.

Clouded Plant Bug - Neurocolpus nubilus (Say)
Insecta > Heteroptera > Miridae

Clouded Plant Bug, Neurocolpus nubilus

Clouded Plant Bug, Neurocolpus nubilus