Caption
Tarnished plant bugs are common garden pests that damage flowers and fruit.
Identification
How to Identify Tarnished Plant Bugs
Tarnished plant bugs are small—the adults are about ¼ inch long or less—and mottled in color. Adults range from light to dark brown with white, yellow, and black markings that give them a “tarnished” appearance. Look for a small yellow Y-shape or triangle on their back, just behind the head, with the point facing toward the rear.
Nymphs are bright green—often bright enough to stand out against foliage. Unlike adults, they are wingless, though later instars may develop small black spots on the abdomen. While adults are easy to overlook, the vivid green nymphs often catch a gardener’s eye.
Eggs are small, cream-colored, and laid partially inside plant tissue, with only the top visible. They are difficult to spot, especially when laid in buds or leaf stems.
Identifying Tarnished Plant Bug Damage
Because tarnished plant bugs don’t chew entire leaves like caterpillars, their damage can be harder to notice at first. They prefer tender shoots, buds, flowers, and developing fruit. Often, the damage isn’t obvious until later, when fruit develops with an unusual shape and the insect itself is long gone.
Because tarnished plant bugs feed early—on flowers and young fruit—gardeners often don’t notice a problem until strawberries or other crops begin to form. Strawberries are especially vulnerable because even a little feeding early on can change how the fruit develops.
On strawberries and bramble fruits, buttoning—buttoning—called catfacing when it occurs on tree fruits—is a common sign. The berries appear misshapen and sunken. The bottom of the berry, opposite the stem, may look puckered, as if a cat tasted a lemon.
Other signs include:
- Ragged or tattered young leaves emerging from damaged buds
- Bronzed tissue from feeding damage (common on cauliflower)
- Stunted growth
- Incomplete flower development
- Poorly formed seed heads
More Like This
Comments