Description

The southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula, is one of several bright green stink bugs (Pentatomidae) known in Louisiana. Adults are similar to those of other members of the family Pentatomidae in possessing shield-shaped pronotums and triangular scutellums (dorsal visible thoracic surfaces). Forewings are diagonally divided into leading leathery and trailing membranous areas (hemielytra). Hindwings are membranous. Mouthparts are of the piercing and sucking type. Antennae are green with narrow red bands, and the underside of the abdomen possesses a blunt spine between the legs. Adult males average 12 mm in length, and females average 13 mm. Eggs are cylindrical, barrel-shaped, and cream to yellowish in color, becoming pink prior to nymphal hatch. Each egg is about 1 mm in length. Eggs are laid in dense masses that may contain more than 100 eggs each. Nymphs of southern green stink bugs are variable in color depending on age. Younger nymphs are black with white spots and older nymphs are vibrantly patterned, with orange and green forebodies, and black abdomens with white and orange spots.

Southern green stink bug and green stink bug (Chinavia hilaris) are similar in size, overall appearance and habits. They can be distinguished by examining the scent gland orifice on the ventral surface of the thorax. Green stink bugs possess elongate, gradually tapering orifices, while southern green stink bugs possess short, abruptly terminating orifices. Several other green colored stink bugs occurring in Louisiana are smaller and/or are noticeably different in external appearance. For identification, contact an LSU AgCenter entomology diagnostician.

Life Cycle

Adults overwinter and become active during early spring. Females begin laying eggs when they are three to four weeks old. Three to four generations yearly are possible in the southern U.S., including Louisiana. Egg masses are deposited on the undersides of a wide variety of weedy plants and field crops. Nymphs hatch about five days after eggs are deposited and undergo five growth stages (instars) stages, each lasting from three days to a week. First instar nymphs remain together and do not feed. Subsequent instars are initially gregarious and become increasingly solitary as they mature. Sixty-five to 70 days are required to complete a life cycle.

Ecological Importance and Pest Status

Southern green stink bug is a polyphagous crop pest, with one of the broadest crop host ranges of any pest insect. It attacks developing fruits and/or seeds of cotton, corn, beans, cowpea, sorghum, peanuts, wheat and other crops, depending on region. In soybean, stink bugs decrease germination, emergence, seedling survival and oil. The species is distributed worldwide in temperate, tropical, and subtropical regions. It is believed to have originated in east Africa. In addition to direct damage caused by the piercing/sucking mouthparts, it transmits plant diseases such as tomato bacterial spot disease. In Louisiana southern green stink bug is one species within the crop stink bug complex, which also includes green stink bug (Chinavia hilaris), brown stink bugs (Euchistus servus) and red-banded stink bug (Piezodorus guildani).

Control

Management of stink bug infestations is mainly through use of insecticides, with decisions about application (action thresholds) based on scouting using sweep nets. The action threshold and economic injury level for southern green stink bugs is between nine and 15 stink bugs per row meter in soybean. The action threshold for cotton is three to four stink bugs per 100 sweeps. Samples should be taken from multiple areas of the field. Stink bug damage that necessitates control often occurs later in the growing season than that of other pests.

Chemical control. Insecticides applied for control of stink bugs include organophosphates, pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, carbamates, and spinosad. The recommended pesticides for use in Louisiana for southern green stink bugs are Orthene (Acephate 90), Baythroid XL, Brigade, Leverage 360, Hero, Declare, Karate Z, Mustang Max/Respect, methyl parathion, Endigo and cyfluthrin. For detailed insecticide recommendations, consult the LSU AgCenter Field Crop Pest Management Guide.

Biological control. Predators of southern green stink bugs in Louisiana include big-eyed bugs (Geocoris sp.), pirate bugs (Orius sp.), lady beetles (Coccinellidae), fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), predatory stink bugs (e.g., Podisus maculiventris), lacewings (Chrysopidae), damsel bugs (Nabidae) and other opportunistic predators. Parasitoids of the southern green stink bug include tachinid flies (Tachinidae), parasitoid flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) and various parasitic wasps (Pteromalidae, Encyrtidae, Eurytomidae, Eupelmidae and Scelionidae). The scelionid egg parasitoid, Trissolcus basalis, has shown some promise as an effective biocontrol agent of various stink bugs. Tachinid featherlegged flies (Trichopoda spp.), with two species known in Louisiana, are large, orange and black parasitoids that attack adults of various stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs. This pest and parasitoid complex typically suppress stinkbug infestations in small plots and home gardens in the absence of insecticides. Although, natural enemy pressure is often insufficient to prevent damage in large monocultures.

References

Baldwin, J., J.A. Davis, and B. Leonard. 2011. Control soybean insect pests. LSU AgCenter Pub. 2211. 12 pp.

Brown, S., J. Davis, and A. Richter. 2012. Efficacy of foliar insecticides on eggs of Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Florida Entomologist 95: 1182-1186.

Bundy, C.S., and R.M. McPherson. 2000. Morphological examination of stink bug (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) eggs on cotton and soybeans, with a key to genera. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 93: 616–624.

Ehler, L.E. 2002. An evaluation of some natural enemies of Nezara viridula in northern California. BioControl 47: 309–325.

Jason, M.S.1997. Southern green stink bug. Featured creatures. University of Florida Entomology and Nematology. (accessed 25 April 2024).

Jones, W.A. 1988. World review of the parasitoids of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 81: 262–273.

Kiritani, K., and N. Hokyo. 1962. Studies on the life table of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula. Japanese Journal of Applied Entomology and Zoology 6: 124–140.

Kiritani, K., and F. Nakasuji. 1967. Estimation of the stage-specific survival rate in the insect population with overlapping stages. Population Ecology 9:143–152.

Lockwood, J.A., and R.N. Story. 1986. Adaptive functions of nymphal aggregation in the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Environmental Entomology 15: 739–749.

LSU AgCenter. 2025. Field Crop Insect Pest Management Guide. LSU AgCenter Publication 1838-A. (accessed 5 October 2025).

Moonga, M., K., and J.A Davis 2018. Status of stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) egg parasitoids in soybeans in Louisiana. Environmental Entomology 47: 1459–1464.

Musser, F.R., A.L. Catchot, B.K. Gibson, and K. Knighten. 2011. Economic injury levels for southern green stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in R7 growth stage soybeans. Crop Protection 30: 63–69.

Tillman, P.G., M.H. Greenstone, and J.S. Hu. 2015. Predation of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) by a complex of predators in cotton and adjoining soybean habitats in Georgia, USA. Florida Entomologist 98: 1114–1126.

Tood, J.W., and S.G. Turnipseed. 1974. Effects of southern green stink bug damage on yield and quality of soybeans. Journal of Economic Entomology 67: 421–426.

Villegas, J. 2023. Stink bug control in Louisiana soybean fields. LSU AgCenter. (accessed 5 October 2025).

Contact Us: For advice about pest identification or diagnosis, contact the LSU AgCenter Department of Entomology.

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