Baby bugs (nymphs) are initially bright green as are the eggs from which they hatch, before turning orange-red with a black dot on their back. An adult is bronzy-black with a broad thick body and a triangular back plate. Its head is small in relation to the rest of its body and it has orange antennae and leg joints.
Eggs are about 2.5 mm in diameter; adults are about 2.5 cm long.
Sap from citrus plants, including orange, lemon and lime trees, which it sucks through its tube-like mouthparts. It may also feed on the fruit and flowers of these plants.
A strong flyer.
After mating, females lay eggs on the underside of host leaves, and the bright green eggs hatch into baby bugs (nymphs) about one week later.
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Presence (to establish the first and last sighting for the season)
Courting/Mating
Presence of eggs
Presence of nymphs (baby bugs)
Mass outbreak
Climate change could mean that the distribution of the bug’s food plant changes, which in turn could cause a change in the distribution of bugs. Also, warmer conditions as a result of climate change could result in the life cycle of bugs starting earlier and becoming prolonged.
Often known as the Orange Stink Bug because when disturbed, the bug squirts a foul-smelling fluid that can stain and burn human skin and eyes. This is used for defence against potential predators.
