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Stink Bug - Cosmopepla
bimaculata
Insect Order: Hemiptera / Family Pentatomidae (stink
bugs)
Also known as two-spotted stinkbug or
twice-stabbed stinkbug.
Live adult stinkbugs photographed at Winfield, Illinois, USA.
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Twice-stabbed Stink Bug |
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. Both nymph and adult
stink bugs pierce plants with their needlelike mouthparts and
suck sap from pods, buds, blossoms and seeds. The degree of
damage depends on the developmental stage of the plant when it
is attacked. Immature fruit and pods become deformed as they
develop. Seeds are often flattened and shriveled. Germination
can be reduced, or the seeds may fail to germinate at all.
The family name, Pentatomidae, comes from the Greek "pente"
(five) + "tomos" (a section); perhaps a reference to the
5-segmented antennae, or perhaps a reference to the body, which,
when viewed from above, appears to be divided into 5 large
sections. The scutellum is the largest section.
These stinkbugs are small as stink bugs go - about 5mm. |
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Like all true bugs, this insect is a plant feeder, injecting
enzymes which break down plant tissues and cell walls, then
vacuuming up the resulting nutritional slurry. Because it feeds
on a wide variety of plants, including milk thistle, echinacea,
asparagus, oats, mint and goldenrod, it is found in a wide
variety of habitats. They are active from May until September
here in the American midwest. These colrful bugs are by far the
most numerous stink bugs here in the western subburbs of
Chicago. I find infestations of hundreds of individuals in very
small areas of forest. I'm not sure if they are garden pests. |
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