Stink bug Facts
Stink bug Facts
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| Interesting Stink bug Facts: |
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| Stink bug can reach ¾ of an inch in length. |
| Stink bug can be brown, grey or dark green colored. Dorsal side of the body is covered with black, white, reddish or gray markings. |
| Stink bug is also known as marmorated stink bug because of the marble-like coloration of the body. |
| Stink bug has shield-like body, pair of wings, 3 pairs of legs and long antenna on top of the head. |
| Stink bug feeds on fruit, flowers, leaves and caterpillars. It likes to eat tomatoes, citrus fruits, apples, soybeans, raspberries, grapes, sunflowers, plums, green beans and cucumbers. |
| Stink bug has needle-like mouth that is used to pierce the skin of the fruit (and insects) and suck the juice. When these "needles" are not in use, they are tucked between front legs. |
| Stink bug can bite when it is threatened. Bite can be painful and it can induce redness and swelling of the skin. |
| Stink bug releases foul odor in self-defense or when it is crushed. Some people describe scent of stink bug as sharp, cilantro-like. "Stink" glands are located between the first and second pairs of legs. |
| Foul-smelling substance of stink bug also has unpleasant taste. Some species of fish, such as bluegill (that feeds on insects), will immediately spit out stink bug if they accidentally swallow it. |
| Animals such as mice, lizards, spiders, cardinals, bluebirds, wasps, ground beetles, wheel bugs, praying mantis tolerate smell of stink bug and like to eat this bug. |
| Stink bugs do not tolerate cold weather and they hibernate during the winter. When stink bug finds appropriate place (such as interior wall of the house, chimney, door frame and windows), it releases specific substance (odorless for humans) to invite other stink bugs to join it. One house can be home for 26.000 stink bugs during the winter. |
| Mating season of stink bugs starts in spring, usually in May, when they emerge from hibernation. |
| Females can lay up to 400 eggs organized in clusters of 28 eggs underneath the leaves. Eggs hatch after 3 to 7 days. |
| Stink bug undergoes nymph stage before it gets to the stage of adult insect. Nymph is wingless and it feeds on fruit and vegetables. |
| Adult stink bug can survive from several months to one year. |
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