Harlequin Bug

 

 

 

Plant Diagnostic Database

Harlequin Bug  (Margantia histrionica)

                       
harlequinbug

harlequinbugnymphs

harlequinbugeggs

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Hosts:

Cabbage family plants (cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale).
Description:
Adults are flat, 3/8 inch long, shield-shaped stink bugs with red and black spotted markings; nymphs look like adults, but are smaller and more round.
Life Cycle:
Adults overwinter under debris. They emerge in mid-spring and lay eggs by early summer. After hatching, nymphs feed for two months, by which time they are mature. There can be 1-2 generations per year.          
Controls:
Cultural:
 Botanical:

Control weeds by removing, or mowing in crops or adjacent areas.  Attract native parasitic wasps and flies by planting small-flowered plants.

Spray with pyrethrin. 

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