The southern green stink bug (Nezara viridula) – pest management

The southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula is an insect that is part of the order Hemiptera, native to Africa. It has spread in recent years in Europe, Asia, and America. It is a dangerous pest for tomato crops, but it can also be found in other vegetable crops (peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, beans, cabbage, etc.). 

Description and biology

It has 3 stages of development: egg, nymph, and adult. The adults are matte green and shield-shaped, reaching a length of 12-14 mm. The wings cover the whole abdomen. Copulation can last from a few minutes to a few days. Females begin to lay eggs 3-4 weeks after reaching maturity and can lay up to 260 eggs.

Eggs can be found on plants throughout the vegetative growth period, they are laid in groups of 30-130 on the underside of the leaves, in the upper extremity of crop plants or weeds. They are white-yellow and cylindrical, with flat, disc-shaped extremities. The size of the eggs is 1.2 mm long and 0.8 mm wide. Incubation lasts 5 days during the warm season and 2-3 weeks in spring and autumn. During the incubation period, the eggs become pink.

southern green stink bug (Nezara viridula) - pest management

The nymphs hatch by opening the “lid” at the upper extremity of the eggs. The hatching of an entire group can take up to an hour and a half. Until maturity, they go through 5 stages of development, in the first stage, they have a yellow color and red eyes, and the limbs and antennae are transparent. After 3 days, the nymphs pass into the second stage of development, which lasts 5 days and during which they begin to feed. The body and limbs are black, with yellow dots on the chest edges. Phases 3 and 4 last for about 7 days, the nymphs start to look green. In the last phase, the wings begin to develop, and the abdomen acquires a yellow-green color, with red spots in the center. This last stage lasts 8 days. In total, the nymph development lasts 30 days.

southern green stink bug (Nezara viridula) - pest management

The life cycle

The southern green stink bug has a life cycle of 60-70 days and in areas, with a warm climate, it can produce up to 4 generations per year. The southern green stink bugs overwinter in the adult stage in the bark of trees or under fallen leaves on the ground. With the arrival of spring, they come out and start feeding, and in May-June, the spawning begins.

Symptoms of the attack

The southern green stink bug feeds by stinging and sucking the intracellular fluid. It attacks all the aerial parts of the plant, but it prefers the fruits, which, after the attack, lose their commercial value. Brown or black spots appear inside the affected fruit, and they acquire an unpleasant taste due to the saliva that the insect injects. Young fruits grow slowly, dry out and fall off the plant.

Control. There are currently no approved products for this pest. However, it is possible to carry out treatments with insecticides approved for tomato cultivation, which also have the southern green stink bug in their control spectrum.

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