Common Name: Green Stink Bug.

Scientific Name: Chinavia Halaris.

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What to look for?  Bright green bug! The body of the Green Stink Bug has a flattened, shield-like shape. The “shield” is bright green with multiple dark spots on the lower side edges. The folded wings form an X pattern on the back. The head and pronotum are bordered by a narrow, orange-yellow line. They have two antennae that have five bands – two of the bands are black. The legs are also green. Green stink bug nymphs are black with bright green and yellow or red markings. Their bodies are oval-shaped with short, nonfunctional wing pads which, once they reach the final instar, makes them look somewhat like adults. 

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Where can they be found at Carillon Stonegate Pond? Green Stink Bugs may be seen around the trees and vegetation here in the late spring and into summer.

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How big are they? Green Stink Bugs have a body length of approximately two-thirds of an inch.

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What are their flight patterns? Green Stink Bugs have wings and will flutter short distances across fields.

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How else do they behave? Think skunk! Crushing or otherwise agitating Green Stink Bugs will result in the release of an unpleasant odor.

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What’s for dinner? The Green Stink Stink Bug feeds on a variety of plants, including fruit trees, ornamentals, soybeans, and some other crops.

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Where do they take up residence? The Green Stink Bug is found across much of North America. Wooded areas serve as the primary habitat, especially areas adjacent to fruit trees and crop land.

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When and where do they breed and nest? Green Stink Bugs mate in late spring as temperatures warm and lay eggs on the undersides of leaves. In about a week, black nymphs hatch. After hatching, they grow and go through five instars or molts. Each time a nymph molts it looks a little more like an adult. After the last molt, they have wings and are green adults. The life cycle typically takes 30 to 45 days. The Green Stink Stink Bug has one generation per year. If the weather stays warm, an adult stink bug lives about two months. During cold weather, young stink bugs will hibernate in leaf litter or under tree bark until the onset of warmer temperatures.

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Where do they migrate? Green Stink Bugs do not migrate. Winter diapause is a crucial component of the Green Stink Bug life cycle. These bugs respond to shortening day length during fall by entering into diapause. During this period, adult reproductive activity ceases as the stink bugs conserve resources to survive the winter. Only adults enter diapause and survive through the winter. Increased temperatures and day length in the spring signal an end to the dormant period and adult Green Stink Bugs will leave their overwintering sites in search of food.

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Do they make any interesting sounds? No.

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Interesting Facts About the Green Stink Bug:

• Both adults and nymphs have piercing and sucking mouthparts for removing plant fluids.

• While feeding, Green Stink Bugs inject digestive enzymes into food that liquefies the contents which they then feed upon.

• In the United States, Green Stink Bugs have emerged as a major pest of tree fruits and vegetables.

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For more information on the Green Stink Bug and sources of information used in this blog (these are the several of the sources that I am using to learn as I blog), please visit University of Florida Department of Entomology Featured Creatures, Missouri Department of Conservation, Iowa State University Bug Guide, and Purdue University Extension.

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The Carillon at Stonegate community is very fortunate to have a variety of wetland, forest and prairie environments conducive to a variety of birds and other wildlife, insects and plants. Our community and the Kane County Forest Preserve do an exceptional job in maintaining this natural environment – both for the benefit of the birds and wildlife and for our residents to enjoy.

 

Take a hike and see what you can find – and identify!